Call for Discussion Papers: 'What are the possibilities of a good digital society?'

The British Academy’s Digital Society programme will comprise of four stages: looking at the Possibilities, Principles, Processes, and Practices of a good digital society:

1. Possibilities. What are the possibilities of a good digital society? What are the competing visions of the digital future that exist across society, including for those who choose not to engage digitally? What futures can provide people with a choice to digitally engage? What does this mean for people’s freedoms, rights, communities, and so on? To what extent are we able to ‘backcast’ from these possibilities?
2. Principles. What are the principles that underpin a good digital society? To what extent can digital technologies including AI-driven models work in the public interest, and to achieve the possible visions? What principles might underpin this aim? What principles might support technology-driven improvements in public services?
3. Processes. What are the processes/mechanisms available to implement the principles of a good digital society? What levers are needed to uphold such principles? For instance, what is the nature of AI regulation in the public interest (Who undertakes the regulation and who decides the principles under which to regulate)? What mechanisms are available for addressing existing and emerging forms of inequality?
4. Practices. What does a good digital society look like in practice? What does a good digital ecosystem that works for the public interest look like? How can this be realised in practice – what links and capacities need to be built to develop the principle-driven mechanisms noted above? Who needs to have a voice on an ongoing basis?

As part of an initial year of foundational activities for our Digital Society programme, the British Academy is seeking to commission a series of discussion papers that draw from expert perspectives in the SHAPE disciplines to suggest key issues and directions of travel, or provide provocations related to the four stages of the programme (Possibilities, Principles, Processes, and Practices). The Academy will also be convening a foundational event series across 2023/24, to scope and develop these four areas into foundational stages of a multi-year programme on Digital Society. Each foundational event will thereby be complemented by a corresponding set of discussion papers.

The Academy is therefore now calling for experts to author a discussion paper(s) that will inform the focus of the first stage of the programme, the possibilities of a good digital society. We are offering £2,500 per contribution.

The discussion papers should:

• identify key areas, questions, and issues relating to these four stages, topics which might be focused on the longer programme of work; or
• offer provocations that highlight the range of perspectives and contributions that the SHAPE disciplines can provide for policymakers navigating the UK’s Digital Society. It is expected that some discussion papers will focus more on the first of these aims, while others will focus more on the second aim.

While current widespread debates relating to AI and large language models require attention, and the Academy has been actively involved in engagement related to the recent AI Safety Summit in the UK, it is also important to recognise that AI models exist in a much larger landscape of digital technologies and systems, including virtual spaces, social media and online communities, media such as gaming, data, digital public services, the so-called Internet of Things (IoT), and so on. We therefore welcome contributions that discuss the following aspects of Digital Society, though these are not exhaustive:

• Algorithmic modelling, including AI, machine learning, large language models and their development;
• Digital environments: digital devices and resources in integrated systems, including social networking, VR and virtual spaces, ‘smart’ systems, and the IoT;
• Digital public services: forms of digital service provision, particularly relating to public service delivery;
• Data generation, acquisition, sharing, usage, and governance (particularly in research contexts).

We ask that contributions consider the potential impacts of digital technology across four areas:

• Health and Wellbeing
• Education and Research
• Growth and Innovation
• Culture and Communities

The matrix framework (see Appendix) below illustrates the four aspects of digital technology on the horizontal axis, and the four areas of social impact along the vertical axis. Importantly, categories on both axes are not mutually exclusive. In other words, a given digital innovation may involve multiple aspects on the horizontal axis, and digital technologies might have related impacts across multiple social areas at once.

The British Academy’s now completed programme on the Future of the Corporation ‘suggested a need to develop a new, more human framework for the corporation around well-defined and aligned purposes.’ This also has relevance for the Digital Society programme, potentially laying groundwork for an exploration of questions that consider what a purposeful technology sector looks like, including identifying the nature of purposeful research, development, and innovation around AI. The notion of purpose in this context speaks to the idea of ‘AI alignment’ in the technology industry, which focuses on the need to ensure that AI systems achieve intended social outcomes. SHAPE disciplines are crucial to not only understanding how to such alignment would work, but also – and, more importantly – to understanding where such values come from in the first place, what they embody, who they represent, and who might be entrusted to monitor and correct alignment over time. We therefore welcome contributions exploring the role of social purpose in the context of the technology sector and national technology strategy.

Objectives

The overarching question that discussion papers should explore is: What are the possibilities of a good digital society? We are seeking contributions of no more than 4000 words. These should add depth, context and practical elements to the evidence base on digital society. The objectives of the discussion papers are to:

• Provide evidence from SHAPE disciplines around one or more of the aspects detailed in the above section.
• Prompt engagement and debate among policy audiences, by posing challenging questions that highlight gaps and opportunities for policy where the evidence points to these (noting that these are not opinion-pieces but should include useful conclusions building on the evidence referred to)

Audience

The target audience for this programme is policy and policymakers; as such, the discussion papers should be policy-relevant and presented in form and language accessible to policymakers. We note that policy can be defined as the system of ideas and processes which govern behaviour and practice to achieve defined goals, within an organisation or community, in other words, including business and other institutions.

While the Digital Society theme aims to draw out SHAPE-informed insights relevant to UK policy contexts, we welcome contributors to draw upon experience, evidence, and knowledge relating to other national or international contexts if they can demonstrate relevance to UK policy.

Deliverable

Reflecting the objectives listed above, the expected deliverable is a short, robust, evidence-based, well-referenced, and balanced discussion or provocation paper that responds to the objectives and addresses the audience identified above. It should also be evidence-based and meet usual academic standards. All papers will be subject to peer review, which will be facilitated by the Academy.

We expect the work to draw from existing knowledge, research, and analysis on these topics; this call is not intended to fund new research. Authors can draw on their previously published material, as well as a wider evidence base, but the discussion paper should be an original work that has not been published elsewhere already.

As highlighted above, these are not opinion-pieces, but should include useful conclusions, and where appropriate, proposals, areas for further discussion, or gaps and opportunities for consideration.

The discussion paper will be an important input to an active programme of policy work at the Academy. Following our peer review, the discussion paper will be published in the author’s name by the British Academy, either individually or as part of a series.

Expected author profile

Contributors (jointly authored papers will be accepted) must have demonstrable expertise, via experience in relevant academic, policy, or practice contexts or roles. This expertise should enable them to contribute authoritatively to the public debate on this issue. We welcome a range of perspectives and backgrounds from across the SHAPE disciplines, as well as relevant non-academic expertise.

This is a paid commission with fixed terms. The fee paid for each paper will be £2,500. Payment will be made in two tranches, with 50% upon receipt of good-quality first draft submitted before the stated first-draft deadline and 50% on completion.

Proposals must be submitted by Friday 22 December 2023. We expect to inform applicants of whether they have been successful by Wednesday 10 January 2024. First drafts of discussion papers must be submitted by Wednesday 6 March 2024. Feedback to first drafts will be provided by Wednesday 13 March 2024 and final drafts must then be submitted by Wednesday 27 March 2024.

Interested contributors are encouraged to submit a proposal as soon as possible. After receiving your proposal, we will respond to inform you of when you can expect a decision.

To respond, please submit a proposal comprising a brief CV, and a short outline or abstract that describes the paper you would like to contribute to the series. These should be sent by email to: [email protected] by Friday 22 December 2023.

Please ensure that your outline/abstract describes how your paper will respond to the objectives and the framing set out in these Terms of Reference.

Your proposal will be evaluated by the Digital Society theme’s Working Group, alongside members of the Academy’s Public Policy team. Assessments of expressions of interest will be based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of the paper to the framing and objectives set out in these Terms of Reference;
• Quality of the proposed approach and robustness of the ideas presented;
• Relevance to the policy and research landscape; and,
• Alignment of the delivery date with our timetable (see ‘Timeline and Fees’).

If you would like to discuss any aspect of this call in advance of submitting your proposal, please contact [email protected].