Seminar: Artificial Intelligence for Social Assessment
Dozent:innen: Prof. Dr. Petra Ahrweiler; Blanca Luque CapellasKurzname: S Techniksoziologie
Kurs-Nr.: 02.149.16911
Kurstyp: Seminar
Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches
Zielgruppe:- Bachelor Studierende im Studiengang Soziologie (Kernfach) [po 2011, 2016]
- Bachelor Studierende im Studiengang Soziologie (Beifach) [po 2016]
- Bachelor Studierende im Studiengang Wirtschaftspädagogik (Schwerpunktfach "Sozialwissenschaften")
Stellung im Studiengang:
- B.A. Soziologie Kernfach: Modul "Wahlveranstaltung Soziologie (Vertiefung)" [po 2011]
- B.A. Soziologie Kernfach: Vertiefungsveranstaltung im Modul "Vertiefungs- und Wahlveranstaltungen 1" [po 2016]
bzw.
- B.A. Soziologie Kernfach: Vertiefungsveranstaltung im Modul "Vertiefungs- und Wahlveranstaltungen 2" [po 2016]
- B.Sc. Wirtschaftspädagogik Schwerpunktfach "Sozialwissenschaften": Modul "Aufbaumodul Soziologie"
Anwesenheitspflicht
Wer in der ersten Sitzung unentschuldigt fehlt, gibt damit seinen Platz frei. Eine vorherige formlose Entschuldigung bei der Lehrperson per Mail genügt. Es ist kein ärztliches Attest erforderlich.Inhalt
Description:This seminar focuses on the research Project AI FORA, running from 2020 to 2024 and funded by the Volks Wagen Foundation. By trying to close the gap between expert-driven technology development and society, social scientists worked with computer scientists to find out about systems of artificial intelligence (AI) used for selecting beneficiaries from non- beneficiaries in welfare provision decisions, a process called ‘social assessment’. Research used participatory methods that involved stakeholders from policy, industry, law and many other societal domains including civil society, and here especially vulnerable groups.
In AI-based social assessment for public service provisions, technology has to deal with the role of culture and context and be sensitive to the huge heterogeneity of worldwide fairness concepts. The project was based on nine empirical case studies for cultural comparison that collected data on social assessment practices and respective AI use in the welfare systems of Spain, Estonia, Germany, Iran, India, Nigeria, Ukraine, China, and the USA. Social scientists partners belonging to each of these countries led the different case studies.
The project aimed to answer the following research questions:
- How were social assessment routines for distributing social services organised and institutionalised in different international societies prior to any AI use, which societal norms and values were used as reference for these social assessment routines, and which policies or institutional infrastructures supported these context-specific social assessment practices?
- How and up to which degree have conventional social assessment processes in different international societies been replaced or changed by AI, where do non-AI and AI processes differ, especially with regard to implemented social assessment values, and how do societal stakeholders, policy, public discourse and institutional infrastructures respond?
- How will AI change public service provision and its underlying societal value systems in future, how context- and path-dependent are these changes, and what will be likely effects and impacts for living conditions and well-being in international societies?
- Which policies, behavioural changes and institutional developments are necessary and appropriate to prevent or support certain scenarios?
- How to create better, i.e. more responsible AI technology that engages with societal norms and values of stakeholders, and that is responsive to sociocultural settings and societal needs?
Within this seminar, the chapters of the book presenting the results of this interdisciplinary project will be the basis for the discussion.
After the empirical data collection, agent-based models were developed. This part of the research project was led by computer scientists belonging to each of the case study countries and is presented in a second book that will not be part of this seminar, but which main results will also be commented.
Learning outcomes:
This course brings the participants to dive in cutting-edge research in the field of AI and society, not only regarding the topic but also regarding the methodologies implemented. On the theoretical side, it will provide systematic knowledge on the interaction between AI and societal contexts, on the conceptualization of vulnerable people and why the need to be included in empirical research, and on the ethical considerations of implementing research within different cultural settings with the same research objectives. On the methodological side, the course delves into a solid qualitative participatory and modeling methodological framework (including interviews, group discussions, gamification, world cafés, modelling sessions, among others) and, at the same time, offers a tour through the different practical implementations of these methodologies on the practical case studies, thus illustrating how the planned research needs to be adapted to each context and situation.
Zusätzliche Informationen
In den Modulen 09 und 10 (Kernfach) bzw. Modul 06 (Beifach) müssen jeweils ein Vertiefungsseminar und eine Wahlveranstaltung belegt werden. Pro Modul muss in einem der Seminare eine Hausarbeit geschrieben werden. Das Thema der Hausarbeit ist im Vorfeld mit der Betreuungsperson abzusprechen. Die Annahme von Hausarbeiten, deren Thema nicht im Vorfeld besprochen wurde, kann abgelehnt werden. Dies ersetzt nicht die Anmeldung zur Prüfungsleistung in Jogustine. Weitere Informationen zu den Vertiefungs- und Wahlveranstaltungen finden Sie hier: [url] https://www.soziologie.uni-mainz.de/studium/studierende/bachelor-studium[/url] Weitere Informationen zur Anfertigung einer Hausarbeit finden Sie hier: [url] https://www.soziologie.uni-mainz.de/downloads[/url]Termine
| Datum (Wochentag) | Zeit | Ort |
|---|---|---|
| 28.10.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 04.11.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 11.11.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 18.11.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 25.11.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 02.12.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 09.12.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 16.12.2025 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 06.01.2026 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 13.01.2026 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 20.01.2026 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 27.01.2026 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 03.02.2026 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 10.02.2026 (Dienstag) | 10:15 - 11:45 | 02 731 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |