The challenges of defining AI, Data and Robotics for the Common Good
Part of a general drive towards infusing AI research and practice with ethical thinking is embarking on research visions, policy-making, and technology development that involve doing AI for “Good”. A recent recurring theme in ethical guidelines, policy documents, and regulations is the requirement that AI should be “good for all” or should “contribute to the common good”. This followed from a widespread debate on AI’s perceived risks and threats. However, the definition of what is “Good for All” and “AI for the Common Good” is not uniquely defined.
On the first day of the conference, we aim to drive the discussion on how AI, data, and robotic technologies could be developed in the service of widely shared ethical ideas. We will also pick the brains of experts from renowned international organizations on AI for Good and see how institutions should respond to strike a balance in defining what is “Good for All” through interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogues.
AI & International and local initiatives in AI, Data and Robotics for the Common Good
In this panel discussion, we will hear from various international and local experts about actions taken by their local decision-makers to address the use of AI within their city or community. We will welcome guests such as the makers of the Congolese Traffic Robot displayed in the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, the brainchild of the Netherlands’ civic involvement project on AI in the City, as well as the initiators of Antwerp’s City of Things project.
Ultimately, we will try to situate this in the Brussels Region in a panel discussion: How do the experts and public administration foresee the full-circle realization of AI for the Common Good in Brussels? What mechanisms does our society need to design and operate AI systems that are compatible with human dignity, rights, freedoms, and cultural diversity?