Inclusive Research & Design

Overview

At PAI, equity and inclusion are core values which we seek to promote among our Partner organizations, in our own work, and throughout the greater AI field. This Program explores the many barriers to inclusion in the AI space — as experienced by those who work in technology and those who are consistently excluded from key decision-making processes.

Many scholars and advocates have highlighted the numerous ways in which AI impacts people differently based on their identity and social position. The facial recognition technology that allows smartphone users to unlock their devices with a glance, for example, is the same technology that further endangers Black and other communities of color through hyper-surveillance by police. If the people impacted by AI are not included during its development and deployment, a just future will not be possible.

The Inclusive Research and Design Program is currently creating resources to help AI practitioners and impacted communities more effectively engage to develop AI responsibly. Ultimately, this work seeks to achieve a more holistic reimagining of how AI is developed and deployed around the world, leading to an AI industry that recognizes end users and impacted communities as essential expert groups.

Our Inclusive Research & Design Work

Continuing work on participatory engagement methods launched in 2020, the Inclusive Research and Design Program encompasses PAI’s efforts to support the engagement of diverse and globally situated stakeholders in the development and deployment of AI technologies. Based on insights drawn from more than 70 individual in-depth interviews with practitioners, this Program is focused on assisting people working on AI products and policy with resources such as Inclusive AI frameworks, online materials, and training workshops.

PAI is launching several committees within this Program to build communities of practice across shared issues and challenges. Each steering committee will address a different facet of inclusive research and design practices for AI products and policy. These facets range from the issues of scaling Inclusive AI frameworks and practices within large, multinational organizational contexts to supporting non-technical civic leaders and impacted communities to guide important AI policy conversations. PAI is also examining its own research and programmatic practices to ensure all Programs consistently demonstrate equity and inclusivity.

This Program will convene leaders actively working on expanding access into decision-making processes with AI product and policy development. Organized around similar organizational issues and foci, future Steering Committees will be dedicated to addressing a particular challenge facing Inclusive AI practices in order to develop implementable guidance for the field.