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Short Abstract

The amai! program in Flanders demonstrates a four-phase funding model for inclusive, citizen-driven AI research. It combines public calls, co-creation, and citizen juries to foster inclusive governance, empower citizens, and ensure societal relevance in AI innovation.

Abstract

The amai! program in Flanders (Belgium) offers an innovative funding model for citizen science projects in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing inclusivity, societal relevance, and democratic governance. This contribution presents a case study of a four-phase approach that actively involves citizens in formulating research questions, co-creating project proposals, selecting projects through public voting and citizen juries, and implementing the funded proposals in a participatory manner.

The funding structure is based on an open call for proposals, inviting consortia from the quadruple helix (academia, industry, government, and civil society) to submit proposals for societally relevant AI R&I based on citizen-generated ideas. Projects are evaluated on their societal value, AI innovation, and degree of citizen participation. The combination of expert review, public voting, and citizen juries in the selection of proposals ensures both quality and societal legitimacy.

During the workshop, we can reflect on the strengths and challenges of this model and explore how the amai! protocol can inform broader guidelines for sustainable funding in citizen science; as well as formulate challenges we encountered specifically related to the long-term sustainability of funded projects, such as securing follow-up funding, maintaining stakeholder engagement beyond the initial project phase, and embedding results structurally within policy or practice.