Aalto University joins forces with researchers and institutions in India to pioneer innovative approaches in algorithmic literacy and digital citizenship.
According to the principal investigators, Professor Teemu Leinonen (School of Arts, Design and Architecture-ARTS), and Professor Nitin Sawhney (School of Science and Engineering - SCI), “Participatory learning was an effective methodology in allowing young learners to develop their own vocabulary for articulating critical notions of algorithmic engagement and creative approaches for designing responsible concepts for AI.”
Building upon these efforts, the project now shifts its focus to Living Labs as a methodological approach to further engagement and capacity building. Living Labs are envisioned as participatory infrastructures where stakeholders collaboratively develop and test innovations through co-creation and prototyping. Spearheading the Living Labs project are researchers Uttishta Varanasi, Rūta Šerpytytė, and Oleksandra Sushchenko from Aalto University. According to Varanasi, “A major challenge in both the Finnish and Indian contexts is accounting for increasingly diverse populations in the design of digital services. By analysing how marginalised communities participate in the City of Espoo, we hope to create generative solutions that can create more equitable and inclusive services.”