The Summer 2021 AI Policy Clinic Sprint, hosted by the Berkman Klein Center, in collaboration with the Education Division of the City of Helsinki, their partner, Saidot, and the Global Network of Internet & Society Centers, is focused on translating best practices and principles concerning AI technologies into actionable measures for providers of public services, particularly in the context of educational and vocational programs.
AI supported-learning analytics tools can promote the personalization of learning processes, identify factors that support the completion of studies, provide automated interventions and reminders, provide teachers and administrators with greater insights into student competencies, well-being, and learning outcomes, among many other uses. The Education Division of the City of Helsinki, is exploring AI and machine-learning solutions to improve pedagogical and social outcomes for students and teachers, but explanatory and predictive modelling of human behaviour is an inherently complex enterprise. Any use of predictive analytics to inform decisions affecting individuals carries significant ethical, legal, and social obligations. The goal of the Clinic is to assist local governments develop an ethical governance model for the responsible use of AI solutions in educational settings.
Through consultation with relevant stakeholders, students will learn the specific features of the proposed learning analytics tools, help define key risks, goals and metrics, and receive access to preliminary policies for key governance areas. With the assistance of expert mentors, the student cohort will select aspect(s) of the proposed ethical AI governance framework to focus on. Potential topics include the design of stakeholder impact assessments, the organization and responsibilities of an ethics oversight team, and the development of an application-specific risk analysis. We neither require nor anticipate students to create narrowly customized solutions or even endorse a singular approach, but rather hope to present decision-makers in the public sector with carefully considered potential frameworks or approaches.
The Clinic is intended to enable the practical application of the cohort’s collective skills to address specifically articulated challenges from a client. With participants and experts from many disciplines and across the globe, the Clinic will require interdisciplinary collaboration, mutual learning, and open exchange.