Algorithmic systems are becoming increasingly prevalent and powerful in society. Where robots and technologies employing artificial intelligence were once relegated to research labs and factory floors, leading to the development of “Industry 4.0”, they are now appearing in diverse business, social, and environmental settings. The power societies are now granting such systems, increasingly tied with the collection of unprecedented quantities of data, has drawn attention over the last decade, as inequities, privacy challenges, and brittle dependencies introduced by such systems have begun to make headline news in the EU, Australia, and beyond.

The EU has become one of the global leaders in crafting policy to respond to the changes these algorithmic systems bring. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which was legislated by the European Council in 2016 and came into effect in 2018, is one example of this.

The project aims to catalyse the work needed to successfully design technology and policy for an uncertain future. Lab participants will explore what responsible algorithmic development and policy-making might look like in light of future global socio-economic and environmental uncertainties, with a specific focus on relevant upcoming governance challenges and opportunities in the European Union and Australia.

The Lab series will include three workshops:

• Social Responsibility of Algorithms – will focus on algorithmic fairness, explicability/interpretability, trust, privacy, and decision autonomy, with the aim of identifying mutually influential challenges and opportunities for technology and policy-development in EU and Australia.
• Human-machine collaboration in a changing world – will focus on the challenges and opportunities collaborative systems pose for technological development and policy design.
• Algorithmic design for uncertain futures – will explore challenges presented to technological systems by socio-economic and climate change, with the aim of informing how to influence the robustness of these systems through policy creation.

The AFPL is made possible with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The content on this website and any material herein reflects only the author's view. The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency and the European Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Contact: Dr Elizabeth Williams: Elizabeth.Williams@anu.edu.au