Deconstructing Controversies to design a trusted AI future

This article proposes a new methodology to integrate social controversies into foresight scenarios as a means to enhance the trustworthiness, inclusivity and effectiveness of policymaking processes around the emerging technologies of Artificial Intelligence. Foresight exercises play a key role in anticipating future tech challenges and informing policy development. However, the integration of social controversies within these exercises remains an unexplored area. This article aims to bridge this gap by providing insights and guidelines on why and how we should incorporate social controversies into designing foresight scenarios. We emphasize the importance of considering social controversies, as they allow to re-balance power dynamics, de-black box technologies and have trustworthy policymaking processes that are open to listening social needs. Building on empirical research, we present a step by step method that involves identifying the key policy challenges and relevant controversies related to an emerging technology, deconstructing the identified controversies, and mapping them onto future scenarios to test policy options and build policy road mapping. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of strategically engaging involved stakeholders, including affected communities, civil society organizations, and experts, to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive perspective. Finally, we showcase the application of the proposed method to popAI project, an EU-funded project on AI use in law enforcement.