Annual report 2019-2020
The International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology (OBVIA) is delighted to share its first annual activity report. This first year results testify OBVIA’s prominent place in the research ecosystem and within the AI community in Quebec and elsewhere in the world. The commitment and dedication of the team, the research themes and function co-heads of the functions and all researchers allow the emergence in Quebec of an interdisciplinary body of knowledge specific to the societal and ethical impacts of AI and digital technology.
About OBVIA
The International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology (OBVIA) is an open research network that brings together the expertise of more than 220 researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Science and Engineering. It is also an open space for discussion and reflection for all stakeholders in the development and use of AI and digital technology.
Centred around a critical interrogation of technological innovations, the Observatory’s mission is to raise crucial issues and identify plausible solutions for the problems and opportunities stemming from the rise of AI and digital technology in Quebec and elsewhere in the world.
OBVIA aims to contribute to the common good that must be pursued through digital innovation. Via knowledge production and research-creation projects, OBVIA addresses technology’s benefits to society and engages democratic institutions. The Montreal Declaration for a Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence serves as OBVIA’s ethical charter and the concept of responsible innovation is central to our work.
