3. Workshop zu ‘Public Interest AI’

Das Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft (HIIG) wird auf der 49. Deutschen Konferenz für Künstliche Intelligenz in Bremen einen Workshop mitveranstalten. Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Einreichungen bis zum 1. Juni 2026. Der Workshop befasst sich mit der rasch wachsenden Zahl von KI-Projekten, die dem Gemeinwohl dienen sollen, und setzt sich mit Herausforderungen hinsichtlich Transparenz bei ihrer Umsetzung und ihren Wirkungen in Bereichen wie Gesundheit, Mobilität und Justiz auseinander. Der Workshop findet auf englischer Sprache statt.

3rd Workshop on ‘Public Interest AI’

11 August 2026
Co-located with the 49th German Conference on AI (KI 2026)
Messe Bremen (Exhibition Center) Bremen, Germany
Hosted by Theresa Züger & Hadi Asghari

Call for Papers
Deadline for submission: 1 June 2026

The number of AI projects aiming to serve the common good or a public interest is increasing rapidly. AI4Good is presented as a theme by companies such as Google and Microsoft, the ITU and also reached the political sphere, such as the AI Action Summit in 2025. However, discursive spaces are missing which discuss concrete impacts, their assessment and the conceptualisations of “good” and collective benefits these projects aim to achieve. 

In this interdisciplinary workshop, we will connect public interest theory to the debate about AI projects and foster exchange amongst existing projects that use AI with the aim to serve the public interest to explore common challenges, methods, and standards. It builds upon the lively discussions we had in the KI2023/and 2024 edition. This includes discussing the concept of public interest AI / AI for the common good and bringing together researchers and practitioners in the field. The aim is to host a discussion on the criteria, necessary processes, and societal conditions for AI systems to serve the public interest. It will also provide room to learn from other projects and their experiences of AI for the public interest in practice. 

The motivation to use AI for a common good is claimed widely. Aside from the popularity of the claim, the qualities that stand for the common good or public interest of AI are rather fuzzy. We hope this workshop can contribute to an exchange of recent empirical and conceptual research findings in this area and spark a discussion on public interest AI and the economic, organisational, and technological conditions underpinning its success and sustainable impact. 

This workshop addresses AI from an interdisciplinary perspective bringing the goal of serving public interest to the forefront. We encourage submissions that report on work in progress, case studies, tools, or present a synthesis of empirical insights on AI for the public interest. Topics of interest can touch upon the following list and need to also include an explicit public interest discussion:

• AI for democracy
• AI for accessibility
• AI for digitalisation of public administration
• AI for equality & equitable AI
• AI for journalism & culture 
• AI for mobility
• AI for public safety
• AI for public health and medicine
• AI for sustainability & SDGs
• AI in service of studying systemic risks and harms
• Critical assessments of (‘fake’) public interest AI systems
• Data governance of public interest AI systems
• Evaluation and auditing of public interest AI systems
• Human agency and human oversight for AI in the public interest
• Issues of fairness, accountability, and transparency (in public interest AI)
• Theoretical discussion on public interest AI

Organising Chairs 

• Dr. Theresa Züger, primary contact: zueger@hiig.de
• Dr. Hadi Asghari, secondary contact: hadi.asghari@tu-berlin.de

Program Committee

• Dr. Hadi Asghari – Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet & Society (Germany)
• Dr. Theresa Züger – Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet & Society (Germany)
• Dr. Anna Colom – Data Tank (UK)
• Dr. Sami Nenno – TU Dresden
• Dr. Laura State – Alexander Humboldt Institute for Internet & Society (Germany)
• Prof. Daphne Ezer – University of York
  
• Lea Rogliano – FARI – AI for the Common Good Institute
• Dr. Carl Mörch – FARI – AI for the Common Good Institute
  
• Lena Winter – Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet & Society (Germany)

Submission

If you would like to submit a paper, please go to the call for papers and follow the link to EasyChair until 1 June 2026 (deadline for submission).