Description

The $100,000 grant to GovLab will contribute to our efforts to foster civic participation and increase trust in government. Co-founder and NYU research professor Stefaan Verhulst has observed that government policies are grounded in assumptions about the needs of communities and the solutions to problems. Policies are not the answers to open and honest questions framed by stakeholders but rather the embodiments of conclusions already reached. 
Verhulst proposes a new “science” of question formation that can shape policymaking in more equitable and inclusive ways. This will be especially important in an era of AI-driven decision-making, which depends upon the prior framing of questions to guide artificial intelligence in its answers. The grant will be used to convene scientists, policy experts, activists, and artists to begin to define this new field. The project team will produce working papers and guides for policymakers that reflect the thinking and conclusions of the working group.