Many cities are increasingly turning to AI-based surveillance technologies to achieve a variety of public benefits, raising important questions regarding privacy, accountability, and ethical governance. From CCTV cameras to “smart” streetlights to environmental monitoring systems, what does using smart technologies in urban environments entail? How does the adoption of such technologies complicate our conceptualization of privacy? How can we encourage meaningful public engagement and embed justice and accountability into systems often criticized for their opacity? This workshop uses principles of co-design to address these three questions regarding AI-based urban surveillance and ethical governance in the digital era. It is based on extensive research into how various cities around the world use surveillance technologies.
Given the context-specific nature of privacy as a social value, we first invite participants to define the multifold meanings of privacy against the backdrop of urban surveillance. Using the theoretical framework of contextual integrity, we then ask participants to work in small groups to explore ethical issues in using surveillance technologies as represented in three fictional vignettes based on a series of actual events. Finally, participants will assess and generate creative solutions while working through an in-depth case study of one city using drone-based systems.
Objectives for the participants
