ITHACA PROJECT AIMED TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL OF AI TO ENHANCE CIVIC PARTICIPATION

The ITHACA consortium was currently preparing an online discussion with Representatives of Vulnerable Social Groups which took place on July 4th, 2023. This will be followed by two participatory Introductory Workshops with the Citizens’ Jury, which, will be carried out in the ITHACA pilot cities, Martin (Slovakia) and Brasov (Romania) in September 2023.

The aim of these activities is to facilitate the participation of all citizens in the co-design of the online democratic platform that it will be deployed and test in the municipalities of Brasov (Romania) and Martin (Slovakia). Given the Socially Vulnerable Groups’ Representatives expertise and their day-to-day interaction with socially vulnerable citizens they have very good knowledge of citizens´ particular needs and requirements when it comes to digital tools, inclusion and civic participation. Their contribution will be helpful to design a more inclusive platform.

In the first part of the Online Introductory Workshop the project and the topic of AI use for civic participation it was introduced. In the second part, a discussion was initiated with all the participants, where the representatives had the opportunity to provide feedback and examples from their own experience. This discussion aimed to identify the potential goals, motivations, facilitators and barriers for the socially vulnerable citizens in order to engage more in civic participation.

After the online discussion, , the experts filled-in a Survey to provide feedback on the materials that will be used to engage with the citizens, and will also participate in a Delphi Study to help us establish comprehensive list of opportunities, facilitators, and barriers.

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