Redefining the Concept of AI Success
While the technological capabilities of AI applications are advancing rapidly, we lack a clear understanding of what defines successful AI for society as a whole. We remain collectively unsure about the conditions of possibility for successful AI deployment. The increasing sophistication of AI technologies and systems entail significant promise for economic growth, for new solutions to medical problems, for acquiring new knowledge and various other possibilities for improving human life. The realization of this promise hinges on the development of successful AI applications. However, successful AI has largely been defined in technological and economic terms. It is considered a set of scalable technologies that improve accuracy and efficiency in tasks associated with problem solving and cognition. It’s point is to increase productivity and economic growth. However, AI applications are not deployed in a vacuum. They are conceived, developed, deployed and received in a social context, and as such they both reflect and reinforce existing social (mis)conceptions, biases and faults, as well as aspirations and hopes.
Towards an Holistic Approach to AI Success
Our FORSEE project aims to expand the definition of AI “success” beyond technological and economic efficiency. We seek to emphasise the importance of broader societal impact, sustainability considerations and stakeholder involvement in AI development and deployment.
We are engaging with institutions, civil society organisations and the broader public in order to discern existing criteria of success, highlight potential tensions between existing AI applications and EU priorities, and evaluate impacts on economy and society. In doing so, FORSEE seeks to equip stakeholders and policymakers with the tools to address future risks and opportunities.
Through our research, FORSEE will inquire into institutional understandings of success, including professional bodies, EU and international institutions, expectations and concerns from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as from the broader public. These ambitious and inter-connected research projects will provide in-depth reports on existing success criteria and any (mis)alignments with EU values and priorities.
The Multifaceted Impact of AI
Gender plays a distinct role in enriching our understanding of different success criteria and cuts across different social groups. That is why, FORSEE seeks to evaluate existing gendered criteria for acceptance of AI by engaging with (1) civil society organisations to collect gendered perspectives on impacts, vulnerabilities and criteria for success and engaging with (2) EU Digital SMEs their subjective and positioned perspectives on gendered impacts of AI.
FORSEE also focuses on existing AI applications and the ways they interconnect with developments in the workplace and its impact on sustainable development. FORSEE, aiming to engage with stakeholders, deploys a diverse range of research methods to inquire into employees’ perception of AI, to uncover the “hidden costs” of AI applications and to illuminate the impact of AI infrastructure (such as data centres) on local communities. Following the path of a broader understanding of success, FORSEE inquires into AI supply chains through the lens of digital sovereignty.
Mapping Successful AI Applications to Design Policy Proposals
By highlighting successful AI applications, FORSEE will intervene in the public sphere, raising expectations and broadening the perception of what constitutes success in AI systems. We firmly believe these contributions will guide scholars in future research and help policymakers navigate the complexities of implementing policies and guidelines in practice. FORSEE seeks to expand the impact of these interventions beyond the academic sphere. Policy suggestions and evaluative tools developed by FORSEE will support SMEs and startups in balancing economic objectives with EU values and priorities. By highlighting successful AI applications and the key decisions that shaped their success, FORSEE will foster social and economic resilience, demonstrating how dilemmas—such as sustainability versus efficiency and economic viability versus compliance—can be effectively addressed.
Overall, FORSEE posits that development of effective, human-friendly and sustainable AI systems is the strategic advantage of Europe in comparison to its international competitors. Therefore, FORSEE’s contribution does not limit itself to research reports. Instead, building on these reports, FORSEE will eventually build tools for policymakers, scholars and SMEs to address a broader understanding of success and facilitate the development and deployment of AI systems that align with EU values, while remaining technically and economically efficient.
