海角社区 researchers win prestigious NFRF 2024 grant to transform public engagement with AI
海角社区 researchers have received a prestigious 2024 New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Exploration Grant for an interdisciplinary project that examines how artificial intelligence can reshape public participation in decision-making. Co-led by Dr. Jiangbo Yu (Civil Engineering) and Dr. Sameer Borwankar (Desautels Faculty of Management), and in collaboration with scholars from Concordia University and MIT, the project explores new, more inclusive models of civic engagement鈥攑articularly for communities often excluded from traditional consultation processes.
Titled 'Asynchronous Participation for Inclusive Community Planning', the initiative will develop an AI-powered participatory platform that enables citizens to engage in public planning at their own pace, in their own language, and through multiple modes of interaction. By introducing AI-assisted facilitators and digital representatives to support dialogue, counter misinformation, and amplify diverse voices, the project aims to make governance more equitable, accessible, and human-centered鈥攑ositioning AI as a partner in democracy rather than a substitute for public agency.
