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.
Research Findings in Depth: The Observatories
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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?
Findings from our 2024 AI in the Street pilot show that few of the societal benefits of place-based innovation are realised in place
