Building Trust – The People’s Panel for AI

Abstract

This paper describes The People’s Panel for AI – a mechanism to build public trust in AI products and services from conceptualization to deployment. To increase public awareness of how AI and data-driven systems are affecting the lives of ordinary people, a series of Artificial Intelligence Roadshows were delivered in community centers. Community members were recruited to the People’s Panel and completed two days of training about key aspects of data, AI and ethics, including learning a technique for exploring ethical aspects of new technologies (consequence scanning). As part of a pilot study, four People’s Panel sessions were held where tech businesses and researchers pitched their ideas and discussed questions and concerns of the panel members. Through participating in the panel, panel members reported an increase in confidence in being able to question businesses and businesses heard a diverse stakeholder voice on the ethical impacts of their products / services, leading to change.