If the public debate about generative AI has done anything, it’s reminded us that we’re not very good at talking about technology as a society. The discourse around AI is both breathless and polarised, with evangelists declaring “this changes everything” every few days while gloomier prophets tell us that AI is nothing but hype, or even worse an existential threat. We think it’s important that we find ways to talk calmly and collaboratively about the potential civic applications of a technology like AI.

We think our society is missing a space where people can meet to learn about the civic applications of AI. If charities and other civil society organisations have more opportunities to explore AI in safe environments, then we can have more constructive conversations about how to shape the direction of these technologies.

So far, society doesn’t seem to have found space for this. We’ve had a lively debate about how to regulate AI, and about AI’s possible second order social implications – from job losses to cheating on exams. But when it comes to civic applications of this powerful technology, the debate seems to be taking place mostly within the silos of individual organisations, each having to find their way through.

Nesta is partnering with Newspeak House to establish the Civic AI Observatory. Rather than being just another AI initiative, the Observatory will be a space in which people can come together to learn about AI calmly and safely, and talk about relevant work.

The Civic AI Observatory will host events tailored to diverse groups from civil society, from leaders, to funders and capability-builders, to practitioners. There will also be a newsletter and an online community: ways to stay abreast of developments in AI of relevance to civil society.

We can’t predict the outputs of the work but we have some outcomes in mind. If the Civic AI Observatory works well, people in civil society will:

• have a better understanding of AI technologies
• have a better grasp on the kinds of value that AI can add, while being well-informed about trade-offs and risks
• be better connected to people asking similar questions.

We will track these outcomes in regular feedback surveys and we’d love to hear direct feedback from people as we go.

This is a fast-moving area, and we’re not sure what will prove valuable, so we’re running the Civic AI Observatory as a six-month trial.

If our hypothesis turns out to be true, we’ll extend the Observatory beyond six months, probably either spinning it out as an independent entity or migrating the Observatory to a host organisation well-suited to the role. If it turns out this space is not needed, or if we realise something different is needed, we’ll wind up the Civic AI Observatory or evolve it.

if you’re interested in this work, here are some ways to stay in touch:*

• subscribe to the newsletter
• share your thoughts – issues for discussion, links to share
• follow Nesta or Newspeak House on Twitter.

* If you decide any of these steps might be useful to you, then someone else might think so too. So please do share this post on social media or with colleagues to help build the community.