Pioneering hub at local library unlocks potential for community decision-making in AI

The Responsible Technology Institute (RTI), in collaboration with the Upper Norwood Library Hub and ORBIT, spearheaded a pioneering initiative to engage communities in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on society, heralding a new approach to involving local people in AI decision-making. 

RTI and their partners set up a community lab at the library in South London to facilitate discussions with local people about the multifarious applications and ramifications of AI in today’s society. RTI, whose members include experts from the Department of Computer Science and the Oxford Robotics Institute, leads research into the ethical and legal implications of AI. The pilot lab, funded by Minderoo-Oxford Challenge Fund in AI Governance, aimed to give a voice to people often excluded from discussions around AI, uniquely connecting leading researchers directly with members of the community.

The lab hosted a series of five public events, each focused on a key facet of AI, featured panels of experts from RTI and ORBIT. The lab also hosted open public dialogue sessions to enable attendees to find out more about how AI is being applied and its potential impact. A final event included a panel of local councillors, community activists and experts, which allowed residents to ask questions of their local leaders and share their concerns. 

The initiative, which ran from October 2022 to October 2023, was led by Professor Marina Jirotka and Dr Pericle Salvini of the Department of Computer Science, respectively Director and Senior Researcher at the RTI. The events featured experts from the department including Dr Jun Zhao, Dr Carolyn Ten Holter and Dr Josimar De Alcantara Mendes.  

This project has great value. As a citizen I often have the impression of technological change going on around me, and I want to understand the benefits for society and the environment. This project is an attempt to make people more involved and aware of the risks and opportunities, and to reduce that sense of impotence in the face of technological innovations. Dr Pericle Salvini

The overarching outcome of the pilot lab has been to provide an important blueprint for policymakers and technology researchers to connect directly with members of local communities. It has helped to model the ways in which leaders, experts and communities can interact and work together in shaping the future of AI technologies, and generate feedback while new technology is being made. The collaboration was included in written evidence submitted to a recent House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee inquiry into Large Language Models.

The lab also provided an opportunity for people of all generations and socio-economic backgrounds to learn more about how AI works and is being applied, and to share their perspectives with the researchers. Additionally, it offered the chance to inspire a new generation of technologists, giving younger members of the community the opportunity to meet AI experts. The experts themselves were able to learn from the broader community and receive feedback about their research. The lab also highlighted wider community concerns around the application of AI to community leaders. 

The project was important for community members as it gave a voice to communities and people who may not otherwise be present in decision-making in the AI field. We saw first-hand the power of the sessions to empower communities to be included in decision making and influence decisions being made by people in power. Jenny Irish, UNLH Director 

The project concluded that the only way to ensure the technologies of tomorrow are designed in line with societal values and meet the demands of the future is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate, by meeting them where they are - in this case in their local library.  

Read more on the Upper Norwood Library Hub website and view the video. 

The Responsible Technology Institute, based at Oxford University, is an international centre of excellence focused on responsible technology and on establishing a creative and robust community to discuss and develop culturally nuanced approaches to responsibility and responsible innovation.