About the Workshop

Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are deeply embedded in our societies, culture and plays a crucial role in shaping our perceptions of democratic governance and communication. Nevertheless, they also have the potential to create an anti-democratic environment for citizens. Addressing a range of ethical and socio-technical considerations to ensure that AI is developed, deployed, and used in ways that align with human values and promote positive outcomes for society, consists of a great challenge, known as responsible AI.

"AI, Big Data, and Democracy Task Force" is a group of projects (AI4Gov, ITHACA, KT4D, ORBIS) funded in the context of addressing the above challenge. The Task Force operates within an interdisciplinary framework, drawing on various theoretical perspectives to address the complex intersection of AI, big data, and democracy. Informed by democratic theory, it considers principles of participation, representation, and deliberation to understand and navigate the impact of emerging technologies on democratic governance. Ethical considerations guide its work, emphasising fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy while exploring the socio-technical innovation's impact on democracy and societal structures. Finally, governance models and innovation theories inform discussions on how to effectively manage and regulate emerging technologies.

Workshop Date

7th March 2024

11:00 - 15:00

Event Format

The event consists of a deep-dive workshop, expected to last 3 hours (with 1 hour intermission break). The first part will consist of short keynotes of AI Democracy & Ethics experts followed by a short panel discussion. The second part will be a series of live demonstrations of modern tools for using AI in deliberative settings. Audience will have an opportunity to get a hands-on experience with those tools, while feedback will be gathered using Slido, Mentimeter and Miro platforms.