The number of AI projects aiming to serve the common good or a public interest is increasing rapidly. But often the information on these projects, their initiators, funders, methods and objectives is not transparent, hindering the goal of serving the public. Many AI applications touch upon sensitive areas with public wellbeing at stake, such as public health, mobility, and justice systems. In this interdisciplinary workshop we will connect public interest theory to the debate about AI projects and foster exchange amongst existing projects that use AI to serve the public interest to explore common challenges, methods, and standards.
Aim and Scope:
This workshop introduces the concept of public interest AI and aims to bring together researchers and practitioners in this field. We wish to host a discussion on the criteria, necessary processes and societal conditions for AI systems to serve the public interest. We invite submissions on case studies as well as broader research on this topic, including issues around data collection, data sharing, who audits public interest driven systems,and other aspects of the AI lifecycle.
The motivation to use AI for a common good is claimed widely. Aside from the popularity of the claim, the qualities that stand for the common good or public interest of AI are rather fuzzy. From a research perspective the lack of empirical data to analyze what kind of criteria and which actors define AI in the public interest is problematic.
We hope this workshop can contribute to an exchange of recent empirical and conceptual research findings on AI systems serving the public interest. We hope to spark an interdisciplinary discussion on public interest AI and the economic, organizational and technological conditions underpinning its success and sustainable impact.
Agenda, 9-12 am
9:00—9:10 Welcome
9:10—9:30 Introduction to public interest AI and overview of the global
landscape (Theresa Züger / Hadi Asghari) / Learnings from building
public interest AI prototypes
9:30—10:20 2 paper presentations of each 20 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A, cases of public interest AI from call for proposals
10:20—10:40 Break
10:40—11:30 2 paper presentations of each 20 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A, cases of public interest AI from call for proposals
11:30—12:00 Concluding discussion on patterns, conditions and learning for public
interest AI projects (moderated by Judith Faßbender)
This workshop addresses AI methods from an interdisciplinary perspective bringing the goal of serving public interest to the forefront. We encourage submissions that report on work in progress, case studies or present a synthesis of empirical insights on AI in the public interest. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
AI for public health and medicine
AI for sustainability
AI for mobility
AI for accessibility
AI for journalism
AI for equality & equitable AI
AI and fairness, transparency, and accountability questions
Submission: Submitted papers must
be between 3 and 10 'standard' pages in length;
contain your research question(s), the methodological approach and possible findings;
be written in English;
contain author names, affiliations, and email addresses; (
be submitted in PDF
submission deadlines: XXX (tbd)
submissions will be reviewed by XXX (tbd)
Workshop Organisers
Dr. Theresa Züger (Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society) zueger@hiig.de (primary contact person)
Dr. Hadi Asghari (Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society)
hadi.asghari@hiig.de
Expected number of participants: 40
To attract participants we aim to invite many of the proposals which reach us to the general discussion and for networking even if they cannot all present in the workshop.
