Participatory AI: Forging Shared Frameworks for Action

Jamillah Knowles & We and AI / Better Images of AI / People and Ivory Tower AI 2 / CC-BY 4.0

One thing worse than not involving different publics in decisions on how data and AI systems are made is doing it badly. The Participatory AI Research & Practice Symposium, held in Paris before the official Paris AI Action Summit on February 10-11, 2025, gathered over 200 people from various sectors to discuss participatory approaches to AI. As authors of this piece, we explored complementary frameworks that can address how we build, buy, govern, and, when necessary, resist the unfolding impacts of these fast-moving technologies.

Better frameworks can help us step back and be more considerate about how we approach participation for real-life impact. Who is involved in deciding what technologies we develop and adopt, and for what purposes? How, why, at what stage, and what are the consequences? How is participation linked to governance and our civil and political rights? And across all these questions, how is power being shared?

The case for participatory AI rests on both principle and pragmatism. On principle, it stems from a commitment to democracy, human rights, and autonomy. At the same time, participation is a strategic move to align technical development with a robustly discerned public interest, and to build the mechanisms and mobilized publics that can hold AI's developers and governance bodies accountable.

Meaningful public involvement is needed at every level, but participation can't happen everywhere at once. We need clear processes, practical tools, shared approaches, and common language so that efforts on the ground and efforts at scale align and multiply their impact.

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Read the Participatory AI: Forging Shared Frameworks for Action essay on Tech Policy Press.