- Let’s Talk AI aims to help the public better understand AI
- Campaign builds on what communities have said they want to know about AI - and how they want to know about it
- It’s already causing a stir with local and national coverage
Let’s Talk AI is a fresh, first-of-its-kind campaign. It’s designed to bring conversations about artificial intelligence out of tech labs and boardrooms and move them onto our streets and into our homes. Through relatable cartoons and community stories, we’re breaking down the basics of AI in everyday life — whoever you are.
From bus stops and community libraries, to radio waves and social media feeds, we’re popping up across the community to make sure everyone can take part.
The campaign is inspired by a few things.
- Dr Susan Oman’s research – especially on the Public Voices in AI project
- A movement to include all citizens in AI decision-making
- The belief that people deserve better understanding of AI in an AI-driven society
- The gaps in current AI awareness provision
- The artwork of webtoon artist, Kitty McEwan
- The passion of Margaret Colling, a retired librarian from Morecambe Bay
- The communities and experts we’ve spoken to along the way
Let’s Talk AI aims to raise awareness of AI among the general public through our webtoon stories at Letstalkai.org.uk. But it's also appearing on bus stops, social media, door mats, radio waves and national TV!
The first three stories cover AI in the media, AI in everyday life, and AI in schools, and each one addresses the real fears and questions people have about AI. They also feature characters Dr Oman has met along the way through community workshops on the Let’s Talk AI Campaign.
Research, Reimagined.
What’s a webtoon? It’s a digital comic designed to be read by scrolling down your phone. Dr Oman collaborated with artist Kitty McEwan to turn complex social research about AI into a visual story for the Public Voices in AI project. Guided by our “BBC-style” newsreader narrators, the original webtoon journeyed through the real-world social impacts of AI, and the decisions around it. Demonstrating how people should be included, but aren’t, and why that’s important. People - especially Margaret loved how engaging the webtoon was.
Inspired by the power of our original webtoon, Margaret became a tireless advocate for AI literacy using this approach.
Devised by the people, with the people and for the people
In October 2025 Susan started talking to the general public about their ideas for this project. Between November and January 2026, we hosted workshops with communities in: Plymouth, Sheffield and Morecambe Bay / Lancaster to help our thinking, planning and execution.
We asked people what they wanted to know about AI – and how they wanted to find out. We showed people the AI stories that we were planning to tell, gaining inspiration for new characters along the way. We are proud that some of the webtoon characters are real people we met – and we are telling their real AI stories.
For more about the workshops, click Workshops
Let’s Talk AI is a pilot funded by an EPSRC AI Skills Award. It builds on the Public Voices in AI, a £1 million UKRI-funded research project. Let’s Talk AI is supported by an expert advisory group including the Government Office for Science, the Ada Lovelace Institute and Connected by Data, complementing the campaign's real experts: the members of the public who shaped it.
We’re making the news!
To keep up with news about Let’s Talk AI, visit: https://www.letstalkai.org.uk/news/
Margaret Colling said: "I wanted this campaign on bus stops because that's where we can reach people - waiting for the bus, going about their lives. As a librarian I've always believed information should be for everyone, and right now when it comes to AI, it isn't. This pilot is in three locations, and I’d love to see it on bus stops up and down the country. It needs to be national policy.”
Dr Susan Oman, Senior Lecturer in Data, AI and Society at the University of Sheffield, said: "Government AI skills initiatives focus on upskilling the workforce and schools, but there’s nothing to encourage healthy discussions and informed usage for the rest of us. The grandparent navigating scam emails, the parent trying to keep up with what their children are doing online, or for anyone encountering AI for the first time. ‘Let’s Talk AI’ is designed to fill that gap.
“When we asked communities what they wanted, they told us they needed a better understanding of how AI works in their lives and for people they know. They don’t want webinars or reports. They wanted characters and stories they could identify with. This pilot shows what a national AI awareness campaign for the public could look like. Now we need the government to back it.”
To read the webtoons and learn more about the Let’s Talk AI campaign, visit: http://letstalkai.org.uk