Public opinion and engaging with effected stakeholders
One of the core components of algorithmic bias mitigation is engaging with members of the public who might be affected by your algorithmic technologies. This can be particularly challenging, as research has shown the general public have wide ranging views about algorithmic technologies and how they expect their data to be used (Ditchfield et al., 2021). Some questions to consider when engaging with the public include:
- Will the public be given a meaningful way of contributing towards the project? How will their views be taken into account? Can they shape core decisions already made on the project?
- Will the public be informed of how their views are used? Will they be updated on the progress of the project?
- What are the barriers to engaging with the public? How can you handle issues such as sensitive information?
Further resources
Bates, J., Kennedy, H., Medina Perea, I., Oman, S., & Pinney, L. (2024). Socially meaningful transparency in data-based systems: Reflections and proposals from practice. Journal of Documentation, 80(1), 54-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2023-0006
You can find the reports from the Living with Data project, the Living With Data research projects are all concerned about living with data – that is, how datafication is affecting the lives of ordinary people, the relationships between data and agency, and between data and inequalities, and whether ‘good’ data uses are possible.
Patel, R. (2025) A Framework and Self Assessment Workbook for Including Public Voices in AI. Elgon Social Research and ESRC Digital Good Network. Available at: elgon.social/framework-and-workbook
Kaun, A., Larsson, A.O. and Masso, A. (2023) ‘Automating public administration: citizens’ attitudes towards automated decision-making across Estonia, Sweden, and Germany’, Information, Communication & Society, 0(0), pp. 1–19. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2205493.