Facilitating The AI Risks Collage

about 2 hours 4 to 8 per table 1 facilitator 38 cards in 5 sets

Download the guide (PDF, in French)   and the cards ↓

In short

The AI Risks Collage is a collaborative workshop. Participants receive cards in sets, connect them with cause-and-effect arrows, and build a shared overview: how AI works, what it can do, its risks, and the possible responses. Your role is not to teach but to deal the cards, keep the pace and get the group talking. The knowledge is on the cards; the intelligence is in the group.

Goals

• Give everyone a clear, structured view of the stakes of AI, with no prerequisites.
• Bring out cause-and-effect links rather than a list of isolated facts.
• Move from risks to possible responses, ending on a constructive note.
• Create a group discussion where everyone contributes and leaves with questions.

Before the workshop

• Material: print one deck of 38 cards per table (ideally in colour), and bring large sheets or a wall, markers and something to draw arrows (markers, stickers, string).
• Room: one table per group of 4 to 8, large enough to lay out the cards; a wall or board if you prefer working vertically.
• Prepare yourself: read the cards beforehand, run a collage once yourself, and get to know the 5 sets. Nothing beats having experienced it as a participant.
• Remotely: to facilitate at a distance, use the online collage and a voice room (Discord, Google Meet…).

The flow, in five parts

Indicative timing for a two-hour workshop. The heart of it is the discussion: keep time for sets 3 and 5.

1. 0

   Welcome and warm-up · 15 min

   Introduce the principle, without lecturing. Place the introduction card, form the tables, and invite each person to say in one word what AI evokes for them. State the rule: you receive cards, you read them, you connect them.

2. 1

   How AI works · 15 min cards 1 to 6

   AI model, training data, improving capabilities, automation of work, "AI grown, not programmed", black box. This sets the basics: AI learns from data, it isn't programmed rule by rule, and we don't fully understand what it does.

   Facilitation tip: let the group place the cards and draw the first arrows. Don't correct too fast; an "imperfect" collage that sparked discussion beats a perfect one you dictated.

3. 2

   What AI can do · 15 min cards 7 to 13

   Autonomy, image generation, content recommendation, robotics, text and code generation, recurring strategies, emergent capabilities. You see the breadth of uses and the appearance of unplanned capabilities.

   Facilitation tip: connect this set to the previous one (capabilities come from data and compute). Ask for examples the participants have experienced.

4. 3

   The risks · 30 min cards 14 to 27 and 30

   The heart of the workshop. Deepfakes, unreliability, environmental impact, weakening of human skills, mental health, bias and discrimination, malicious use, cyberattacks, misalignment, systemic risks, flood of artificial content, bioterrorism, strategic deception, entrenched control systems, the race ahead.

   Facilitation tip: that's a lot of cards. Deal them in two waves, let tables organise themselves, and move around to help connect. Welcome emotions (worry, scepticism) without judging; that's normal.

5. 4

   Major risks and loss of control · 20 min cards 28, 29, 31, 32, 33

   Lethal autonomous weapon systems, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), existential risks, loss of control, superintelligence. A step up: what happens if systems become more capable than us and escape our control?

   Facilitation tip: keep an open stance. These cards carry debated scenarios; the goal is to understand the mechanisms, not to impose a conclusion.

6. 5

   The possible responses · 20 min cards 34 to 38

   AI safety research, red lines, an international moratorium on frontier models, democratic oversight, evaluation by independent third parties. End on action: nothing is settled, responses exist.

   Facilitation tip: connect each response to the risks it addresses. Ending here avoids leaving the group with a sense of helplessness.

Wrap-up and ownership · 10 min

Once the collage is built, invite each table to give it a title, add a few drawings, and pick out two or three key links. This creative moment anchors understanding and surfaces the meaning the group has built. With several tables, walk around to discover the others.

Debrief and closing · 15 min

• A round: "what surprised you? what will you look at differently?"
• Distinguish what is already here from what is a scenario: name the uncertainty.
• End on the possible responses and a first concrete step (learn more, talk about it, facilitate in turn).
• Point to where to go further: pauseia.fr and the attend a workshop page.

Facilitation tips

• You are not the expert. Send questions back to the group and the cards. "Good question, what do you think?"
• Hold the time. Announce durations, warn at halfway, and accept an incomplete collage rather than skipping the closing.
• Share the floor. Encourage quieter people, gently rein in monologues.
• Stay factual and nuanced. The topic is charged; avoid both fear and dismissal. The cards are enough; your role is to connect.
• Large groups: split into tables of 4 to 8, each with its own deck, then share at the wrap-up.

Variations

• Short format (1 h): focus on sets 1, 3 and 5, and lighten the wrap-up.
• Remote: the online collage reproduces the shared board; plan a voice room and smaller groups.
• Young or non-technical audience: spend more time on sets 1 and 2, with everyday examples.

After the workshop

Thank the group, share the site link to download the cards, and invite those who connected with it to become facilitators in turn. That is how the Collage spreads.