Applications
We will explore a range of application areas for citizen-centric AI systems.
Smart Energy
AI systems can manage the demand and supply of energy, including for electric vehicle charging. Here, involving citizens is critical to predict and manage end-use demand, and to provide incentives for shifting energy use based on individual citizens’ preferences and constraints. Fairness is important here, to ensure citizens are given equitable access to a critical resource.
Smart Transportation
In future transportation systems, access to shared autonomous vehicles and public transport will be provided seamlessly via convenient apps. Here, citizens need to be involved to offer personalised services that match each individual’s needs, but ethical issues such as equitable distribution of services or uncontrolled peak pricing need to be considered.
Disaster Response
Allocating limited resources or first responders during a disaster based on historical and real-time data is a promising application of AI technology. However, such data is often inherently biased due to the way it is collected, there is significant uncertainty and missing information. Here, involving citizens via a process of crowdsourcing may add valuable additional data and increase trust, but can introduce new biases or allow strategic manipulation.
Knowledge Transfer & Impact
An important aspect of our work is to collaborate with our partners to create real-world impact, for example through products, apps and by developing general tools that can be applied to a range of use cases.
One example of such an application is EVSatNav, a tool for helping electric vehicle drivers find personalised charging stops on long journeys.