AI for the public. How public interest theory shifts the discourse on AI

Bibliographic Data

ID20398937
AuthorsTheresa Züger (0000-0002-4852-7560, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, corresponding author), Hadi Asghari (0000-0002-7887-8417, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society)
Year2023
Volume38
Issue2
Pages815-828
Publication date2023-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAI & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0951-5666 • E-ISSN: 1435-5655
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s00146-022-01480-5
OpenAlexW4281606481
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited43

AI for social good is a thriving research topic and a frequently declared goal of AI strategies and regulation. This article investigates the requirements necessary in order for AI to actually serve a public interest, and hence be socially good. The authors propose shifting the focus of the discourse towards democratic governance processes when developing and deploying AI systems. The article draws from the rich history of public interest theory in political philosophy and law, and develops a framework for ‘public interest AI’. The framework consists of (1) public justification for the AI system, (2) an emphasis on equality, (3) deliberation/ co-design process, (4) technical safeguards, and (5) openness to validation. This framework is then applied to two case studies, namely SyRI, the Dutch welfare fraud detection project, and UNICEF’s Project Connect, that maps schools worldwide. Through the analysis of these cases, the authors conclude that public interest is a helpful and practical guide for the development and governance of AI for the people

Corporate governance · Deliberation · Democracy · Economics · Law and economics · Management · Openness to experience · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Public interest · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Thriving · Computer Science · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Public Administration · Social Psychology

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