"Art Meets AI 2.0: The Next Act" is an innovative project that fuses creative arts with cutting-edge artificial intelligence to produce a transformative theater performance. From a youth work perspective, our initiative is designed not only to showcase technological innovation but also to empower young people by enhancing their digital literacy, creative expression, leadership skills, and intercultural communication. By engaging participants in every phase, from learning and experimenting with AI tools to collaboratively producing a live performance, we prepare youth to become responsible, proactive digital citizens capable of addressing ethical challenges and promoting European values in their local communities. Project Objectives Our project sets out to achieve several measurable objectives: -Global Ethical Advocacy: Raise global awareness about the need for regulated and ethically developed AI. By reaching at least 500,000 people online, we aim to spark international dialogue on the risks of unregulated AI and advocate for strict guidelines to prevent harmful repercussions. -Digital and Creative Skills Development: Investigate AI’s creative potential by integrating advanced AI-powered tools into the theater production. Participants will engage in workshops for scriptwriting, voice modulation, and multimedia generation, boosting their digital literacy by at least 60%. Special preparatory meetings on digital tools and AI software will provide additional support for those with limited technological capabilities. -Local Community Engagement and European Values: Enhance local awareness regarding the ethical use of AI by engaging 1,000 students, teachers, and residents in Krosno through interactive outreach and live performance. Our activities will actively promote European values, solidarity, inclusiveness, and democratic participation, in local communities, reinforcing a shared cultural identity. -Leadership and Ownership: Develop leadership skills and a sense of responsibility by empowering participants to establish AI Clubs in their hometowns. These clubs will serve as long-term platforms for organizing follow-up workshops and events, ensuring that the project’s impact endures well beyond its initial phase, with a targeted improvement of 50% in leadership competencies. -Innovative Non-Formal Education: Promote experimental learning through the integration of AI tools into creative processes. Participants will collaboratively create over 25 digital materials, from on-screen characters to AI-generated scripts, fostering a democratic, reflective, and inclusive learning environment. -Public Speaking and Performance Skills: Improve participants’ communication abilities by 45% through hands-on rehearsal and live performance, helping them overcome stage fright and confidently share their ideas. -High-Quality Artistic Production: Produce a state-of-the-art, AI-enhanced theater performance that demonstrates the rapid evolution of AI technology within one year, and present it to a live audience of 1,000 local community members. Expected Results and Long-Term Impact: By achieving these objectives, the project will yield substantial benefits for both participants and the broader community. Participants will gain practical skills in digital content creation, critical thinking, leadership, and ethical reasoning, preparing them for future academic and professional challenges in a digitalized world. Their engagement in the project will foster enhanced intercultural dialogue and strengthen European values, creating a strong sense of community and shared responsibility. Furthermore, the establishment of AI Clubs and the initiation of annual "AI for Youth Week" events will serve as long-term outcomes of the project, ensuring that the momentum continues. These clubs will provide sustainable platforms for ongoing workshops and community activities, while the AI for Youth Week events will evolve into large-scale conferences or festivals that continually attract new participants. Complementing these efforts, our weekly podcasts and free public webinars will disseminate project insights, ethical discussions, and technical know-how, thereby further enhancing digital literacy and ethical AI practices across local and international audiences. "Art Meets AI 2.0: The Next Act" is designed to achieve a dual impact: revolutionizing artistic expression through advanced AI and equipping youth with essential digital, creative, and leadership skills. The project addresses critical ethical concerns by advocating for regulated AI, while also promoting European values and fostering intercultural dialogue in local communities.