Intermediaries

Mitigating the main risk of AI FORA: The Safe Spaces concept

The main risk of the AI FORA project concerns a failure of the successfully engaging local stakeholders in technology co-design, and of appropriately organizing inter- and transdisciplinary interfaces. The risk is that individual stakeholder groups might not equally speak their minds and contribute their specific perspective and expertise being cautioned or cowed by their surroundings. This risk is likely to appear when participative formats and venues are not neutral but are representing one involved actor’s interest thus failing to enable horizontal and integrative communication. The AI FORA project uses the so-called “Safe Spaces” concept to mitigate this risk within a dedicated stakeholder reconciliation approach in technology co-design. Multi-stakeholder workshops with specifically-developed interactive and participative formats are organized at places of local intermediaries, i.e. network organizations specialised in interreligious, intercultural and inter-societal communication within and between societies.

Kylemore Abbey, Ireland
Representative Mother Abbess Sr. Maire Hickey OSB and Sr. Mariangela Bator OSB

Abbey Montserrat, Spain
Representative Abbot Fr. Manel Gasch Hurios OSB

Saccidananda Ashram Shantivanam, India
Representative Fr. Prior Dorathick OSB Cam