AI Collaborative
Scaling Participatory AI Research and Practice
Our goal is a pluralist, equitable, democratic future where AI development is bent towards the public interest. This requires the embedding of participatory practice and the voice of affected communities in how we build, govern and respond to AI.
From fostering public input into the alignment of foundation models, to co-designing national and local AI policies, and delivering participatory audit and evaluation of AI implementations, those developing and deploying AI must feel both able and compelled to engage in-depth with diverse publics.
The field of democratic and participatory AI is rapidly developing but lacks shared narratives, frameworks, networks and infrastructures. This limits the ability and motivation of AI projects to access informed and deliberative public inputs to align policies, models and practices with the public interest. It also leads to missed opportunities to build mandates and movements for public voice in public interest AI.
This project, funded by AI Collaborative, will deliver on three main areas of work:
- Building on Participatory AI Research and Practice Symposium (PAIRS) we will deliver another package of events linked to the AI Summit in India in February 2026 and enable others to follow this with a series of PAIRSx events throughout the year.
- Collaboratively developing a sustainable delivery model including with appropriate governance and fundraising.
- Raise the profile of, and demonstrate the delivery of, participatory AI by convening alongside key gatherings in the AI calendar, inviting in decision makers, and coordinating advocacy and practice interventions.
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