Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module
Euroscepticism, Political Advertising, and the Impact of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has changed how political messages are written, targeted and paid for. AIMPACT-EU studies what that does to support for European integration, and teaches students, journalists and policymakers how to read it.
Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
The problem
Anti-EU messages are now personalised, automated and cheap
The return of Eurosceptic narratives across Europe coincides with a deep transformation of political communication driven by artificial intelligence. Anti-EU messages can be personalised and amplified at a scale that was unimaginable a few years ago, privileging manipulation over deliberation.
These practices are highly visible in electoral campaigns and draw growing attention from researchers, yet they remain largely absent from teaching, especially where EU studies meets communication sciences. AIMPACT-EU closes that gap by putting EU studies, political advertising, digital literacy and AI analysis in the same classroom.
Teaching
Two interdisciplinary courses, European Society, Cultural Identities and Communication, and Political Advertising, delivered in English and Romanian, with at least 70 teaching hours each academic year.
Public tools
An open access repository of AI-enabled anti-EU political advertising, and an online compass that lets anyone test their own exposure to Eurosceptic framing.
Student-led research
Students collect and code the cases, build the datasets and draft the annual policy briefs. The research is done by them, not merely about them.
Policy dialogue
Annual workshops in Cluj-Napoca put academics, policymakers, journalists and civil society in the same room as the findings.
What the module commits to
- 70+
- teaching hours each academic year
- 120
- advertising case studies analysed
- 3,000
- expected users of the political compass
- 3
- annual workshops in Cluj-Napoca
Digital ecosystem
Three platforms, one public record
The module does not stop at the seminar room. Everything students produce lands somewhere the public can reach it.
- Launching in month 6
AIAdRep
AI Advertising Repository
An open access, bilingual repository of AI-enabled anti-EU political advertising. Each entry carries a short analysis and a step by step guide, so that readers can judge similar material on their own.
- Launching in month 6
Political Compass
Vulnerability to Eurosceptic narratives
A short questionnaire that shows where your own attitudes sit and how exposed you are to Eurosceptic framing. Available in Romanian and English, with the anonymised results feeding the annual policy briefs.
- Live
This website
Module hub
Project description, teaching materials, policy briefs, workshop reports and the newsletter. The central place where the outputs of the module are published.
Public events
Three workshops, one running conversation
Once a year, in Cluj-Napoca, over three days, with roughly thirty participants drawn from academia, public institutions, newsrooms and civil society.
Working on AI, political advertising or Euroscepticism?
From month 24 the AIAdNetwork will bring together scholars, researchers and practitioners across and beyond the EU. We are also glad to hear from journalists, teachers and public institutions.
Project number: 101321033