Author: Praseeda Kalkur

AI for Public Good

27th February 2025

The Web Science for Development (WS4D) workshop, an outreach activity of the esteemed Web Science research initiative at IIIT Bangalore, is a platform that started in 2019 to bring together professionals from domains such as data science and public policy, among others. This year, we are excited to launch the fifth iteration of the workshop with the theme ‘AI for Public Good’.

Keynote Addresses

The keynote addresses this year will be delivered by Dame Wendy Hall (Director of the Web Science Institute, University of Southampton), and Prof. Noshir Contractor (Faculty, Kellogg School of Management, and Director of the Science of Networks in Communities (SONIC) Research Group, Northwestern University)

Workshop Activities

As part of the workshop, we are announcing a call for extended abstracts for researchers from across the country to present their work on the theme of AI for Public Good during a dedicated workshop session. Apart from this, interactive sessions are planned over the day.

We are interpreting the broad theme of the workshop to include:

• AI for accessibility
• AI for inclusion and mainstreaming of marginalised voices in knowledge production and dissemination
• AI for safety, diversity and mitigation of bias, as some of the possible directions.

Why Should You Attend?

The workshop aims to foster a vibrant community of practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, students, and policymakers to meet the challenges and opportunities in harnessing the power of AI for the Public Good.

Registration details will be updated soon.

We are excited to announce a call for extended abstracts for the upcoming in-person WS4D 2025 workshop to be held on 27 February 2025. The workshop will be focused on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in promoting social impact. This workshop aims to explore innovative applications of AI that enhance accessibility, inclusion, and representation while addressing critical issues such as safety and bias mitigation.

Workshop Themes

We invite contributions that align with, but are not limited to, the following themes:

AI for Accessibility: Exploring how AI technologies can be leveraged to create more accessible environments and tools for individuals with disabilities.

AI for Inclusion: Discuss strategies and applications that ensure diverse populations are included in AI development and deployment processes.

AI for Mainstreaming Marginalized Voices: Investigating how AI can facilitate the representation of marginalized communities in knowledge production and dissemination.

AI for Safety: Examining the role of AI in enhancing safety measures across various sectors, including public safety, cybersecurity, and personal security.

AI for Diversity and Mitigation of Bias: Addressing the challenges of bias in AI systems and proposing solutions to foster diversity in AI applications.

Submission Guidelines

We welcome abstracts from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and advocates. Submissions should include:

• Title of the presentation
• An extended abstract (2 pages) outlining the key ideas and relevance to the workshop themes
• Author(s) name(s), affiliation(s), and contact information

Selected authors will be invited to present their research during a dedicated session as part of the workshop. The option of online presentations for authors unable to travel to the workshop will be explored, and we will keep you posted regarding the same.

How to Submit

Please submit your abstracts as PDF files using this Google Form.

Ensure that your submission is in PDF format and that it follows the guidelines outlined above.
For any inquiries, please contact wsllabiiitb@gmail.com