About

‘Desirable Digitalisation: Rethinking AI for Just and Sustainable Futures’ is a collaborative research program between the Universities of Cambridge and Bonn, led by Dr Stephen Cave from the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at Cambridge and Professor Markus Gabriel from the Center for Science and Thought at Bonn, and funded by Stiftung Mercator in Germany.

The new research project comes as the European Commission negotiates its Artificial Intelligence Act, which has ambitions to ensure AI becomes more “trustworthy” and “human-centric”. The Act will require AI systems to be assessed for their impact on fundamental rights and values. The researchers on the Desirable Digitalisation project collaboratively investigate the many questions that arise from these plans, such as: What exactly does a “human-centric” approach to AI look like? How can we meaningfully assess whether and how AI systems violate fundamental rights and values? And how can we foster awareness of discriminatory practices and how to stop them?

A colorful image of tree-machine hybrid in the shape of a human

This image was created with DALL•E 2

The project is divided into three parts:

  • In this part of the project, we will investigate foundational, anthropological questions concerning the human in the digital age, such as: how do different ideas of ‘the human’ shape different cultures’ views of desirable digitalization? Our team at Bonn will work with colleagues across Europe and with partners in Asia and Africa.

  • Drawing on lessons from history, political science, and cultural studies, in this part of the project our team at Cambridge will investigate how structural injustices of the past influence today’s technologies and how these new technologies impact fundamental rights.

  • In this part of the project, researchers from Bonn and Cambridge will work with the AI industry to develop design and education resources that put environmental sustainability and social justice at the heart of technological progress.