Artificial Intelligence and Community Well-being: A Proposal for an Emerging Area of Research

Abstract

We are calling for a new area of research on the nexus of community well-being and artificial intelligence (AI). Three components of this research we propose are (1) the development and use of well-being metrics to measure the impacts of AI; (2) the use of community-based approaches in the development of AI; and (3) development of AI interventions to safeguard or improve community well-being. After providing definitions of community, well-being, and community well-being, we suggest a definition of AI for use by community well-being researchers, with brief explanations of types and uses of AI within this context. A brief summary of threats and opportunities facing community well-being for which AI could potentially present solutions or exacerbate problems is provided. The three components we propose are then discussed, followed by our call for cross-sector, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and systems-based approaches for the formation of this proposed area of research.

Coverage of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning within Academic Literature, Canadian Newspapers, and Twitter Tweets: The Case of Disabled People

“…In a workshop focusing explicitly on "AI for social good", the term "social good" is described as follows: "[social good] is intended to focus AI research on areas of endeavor that are to benefit a broad population in a way that may not have direct economic impact or return, but which will enhance the quality of life of a population of individuals through education, safety, health, living environment, and so forth" [36]. However, what exactly constitutes "AI for social good" [100,101] and what "makes AI socially good" [31] (p. 1) is still debated. Cowl et al argued that the following seven factors are essential for AI for social good: "(1) falsifiability and incremental deployment; (2) safeguards against the manipulation of predictors; (3) receiver-contextualised intervention; (4) receiver-contextualised explanation and transparent purposes; (5) privacy protection and data subject consent; (6) situational fairness; and (7) human-friendly semanticisation" [31] (p. 3).…”

The Potentially Damaging Effects of Developmental Aid and Voluntourism on Cultural Capital and Well-Being

“…The role of ethics in community development, community psychology, and community well-being has recently received attention in research and practice discourses (e.g., Bradley et al 2018;Kesten et al 2017;Musikanski et al 2020); however, more attention could be paid to how ethics link to well-being intentions, processes, and outcomes. Ethics and ethical frames help us define concepts and understand how concepts are operationalized by their processes and impacts (e.g., Dart et al 2010).…”

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Community Planning

“…Community well-being has been defined by several researchers as a set of multidimensional values including environmental, cultural, health, psychological well-being, subjective well-being, work, economic, and education (Bagnell et al 2017;Phillips and Wong 2017;Musikanski et al 2020;Hollander et al 2016). Musikanski et al (2020) assert that individual well-being can influence community well-being.…”

“…Community well-being has been defined by several researchers as a set of multidimensional values including environmental, cultural, health, psychological well-being, subjective well-being, work, economic, and education (Bagnell et al 2017;Phillips and Wong 2017;Musikanski et al 2020;Hollander et al 2016). Musikanski et al (2020) assert that individual well-being can influence community well-being. Several studies have found that individual well-being on social media could be directly impacted by a user's use of subjective well-being language (Yetim et al 2014;Gerson et al 2016; Tay and Diener 2011; Sirgy 2011; Yetim 2011).…”