AI in the street

Lessons from everyday encounters with AI innovation

One year on from AI in the Street project, this new report discusses what we learnt about how local communities and everyday publics make sense of data-intensive and AI-based technologies in their everyday environments.

Through engagements with participants in four locations across the UK and at one site in Australia, our research found that there is a persistent perception that government discourse on the societal benefits of AI is disconnected from the needs of local communities in the urban environments where AI innovation takes place.

The report reflects on future opportunities for public participation in AI governance and offers recommendations aiming to grow public trust and deliver better outcomes.

Blog post
Full Report (PDF)

Research Findings in Depth: The Observatories

  • A collage of a polaroid photo of a busy city street

    Cambridge, UK

    What data do disabled people need to move through the street, and how does urban infrastructure interact with the lived experience of access needs?

  • Street Camera

    Coventry, UK

    How does the AI infrastructure needed for autonomous vehicle trials impact other human and more-than-human users of the street - and how might we see and hear the effects?

  • A collage of photos of a black box raised up above a pavement.

    Edinburgh, UK

    Engaging with residents and users of Leith Walk, seeking to capture everyday encounters with AI and understand people’s views of AI’s impact on the street.

  • A Collage of Maz, a greengrocer from Logan, talking about drone delivery. He is on a yellow map of Logan, and overlaid with a mesh of drone icons.

    Logan, AUS

    Logan is one of the world’s largest drone delivery trial sites. But what do locals feel about the presence of commercial and autonomous drone delivery systems in their neighbourhood?

  • Polaroid Image of a Cluttered Street

    London, UK

    How does AI fulfil expectations, desires and requirements in the street, and what complications does it create? Might innovation emerge from community-driven (rather than industry-led) design?

Can Innovation Places be good places to live and work?

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