In WP1: State of the art and conceptualization the following actions took place:
● T1.1: focussed on the analysis of social contexts and ethical/legal frameworks in the pilot cities, identifying vulnerable groups and vulnerability variables. This task also involved gathering statistical and demographic data and analyzing AI ethics guidelines.
● T1.2: reviewed guidelines on trustworthy AI from various sources, analyzed Privacy Preserving ML tools, and both collaborated with the other partners for a comprehensive examination of AI compliance and trustworthiness.
● T1.3: focused on best practices in AI technologies for civic participation, evaluating AI applications for their effectiveness in ethical and inclusive values.
● T1.4: reviewed metrics for trustworthy AI evaluation and contributed to the drafting of a review paper on trustworthy AI and privacy-preserving tools.
● T1.5: developed an operational framework for Explainable AI (XAI), identifying key models and tools for e-democracy platforms.
● T1.6: evaluated Personal Information Management Systems (PIMS), focusing on aspects like data collection, organization, and privacy.
● T1.7: established a template for conceptualizing the project's key messages, features, and research needs based on the outcomes of the Tasks T1.1 to T1.6 to refine the ITHACA platform's design and implementation strategy.
In WP2: Algorithmic risk assessment and human-centred design the following actions took place:
● T2.1: created a participant form for selecting individuals for the AI Citizens’ Juries, incorporating insights from the social contexts identified in Task 1.1.
● T2.2: focused on implementing introductory workshops with stakeholders, both online and onsite.
● T2.3: provided the methodology, workshop contents and presentations.
● T2.4: prepared a questionnaire to identify user's requirements, their goals and expectations as part of the 'Algorithmic risk assessment' Workshop with the AI Citizens’ Juries in the two ITHACA pilot cities in Martin and Brasov. The analysis of these questionnaires as well as the preparation of workshops with other stakeholders, such as representatives of the pilot partners as well as with AI specialists, data analysts, and ethical AI advocates which will be carried out at the Begin of 2024 has already started in Project Month 12 (December 23).
In WP5: Conformity assessments tools, policy recommendations and guidelines the following actions took place:
● T5.1: coordinated the distribution of tasks among partners, leveraging each one's strengths and expertise. Progress has been made, and bi-weekly calls have been established to ensure open communication and collaboration across all parties.
● T5.3: A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) template has been developed to identify and mitigate privacy risks in data handling. The team is currently evaluating data collected from workshops to align with DPIA requirements and has introduced consent forms for collecting personal data. The completion of DPIA awaits the finalization of the platform's architecture, which will allow for a thorough assessment of personal data usage and ensure compliance with data protection laws, emphasizing the project's dedication to privacy and security.
