New digital divides in the Algorithmic city

Project title: New digital divides in the algorithmic city: the implications for urban governance
Funded by: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Funding call: Knowledge Synthesis Grant: Envisioning Governance Systems that Work
Call theme: Digital governance and democracy
Call sub-theme: How is the development of novel technologies, such as AI, impacting issues of governance, and vice versa?
Project partner: Western University, Canada
University of Plymouth researcher:
Professor Katharine Willis

Project objectives

Literature review: synthesise peer-reviewed literature on AI literacy and social equity, and identify social impacts of AI in cities on women, gender relations, gender equality and social equity;
Measurement tool compilation: develop a comprehensive spreadsheet of AI literacy measurement scales used in research today;
Intervention evaluation: identify and evaluate existing AI literacy interventions, with a focus on their reach, inclusivity, and effectiveness across diverse populations.

Expected outcomes
The expected outcomes of the project are not only to identify AI literacy interventions that are effective and targeted to specific social groups, but also to highlight gaps in terms of marginalised populations in cities.
We aim to enable knowledge transfer with the stakeholders who can address the implications of this and implement changes at a policy level – through new practices in cities through NGOs and activists who work with AI policy change – and also stimulate new academic knowledge that informs further study.