Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are pillars of our democratic society. The work of NGOs will change as a result of digitalisation and AI - but it is unclear how this will happen. The KINiro project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ), provides answers; the project team presented key findings to a broad audience at Europe's leading conference for the digital society.
As part of a well-attended lightning talk, Maximilian Schultz from the KINiro team gave a compact insight into their research: What opportunities does AI offer non-profit organisations? What are the hurdles to its introduction and use? And what do concrete application examples from practice look like? Afterwards, visitors to the OTH Regensburg exhibition stand were able to find out more in person, talk to the research team and try out interactive formats for the practical implementation of AI in NGOs.
Insights into the research: needs, acceptance and implementation
KINiro's research is based on an extensive mix of methods: 343 online surveys of NGOs of various sizes, 15 qualitative interviews with experts from the field, four published working papers - including on the question of how AI can be meaningfully integrated into day-to-day work.
Key finding: Many NGOs are very open to AI, but often lack financial resources, technical knowledge or strategic orientation. Data protection concerns play just as much a role as the desire for ethically responsible solutions that are orientated towards the common good.
Commitment to the transfer of knowledge
By participating in re:publica, OTH Regensburg is underlining its role as an active partner in the social dialogue surrounding new technologies. The presentation of KINiro was part of the official conference programme in the ‘Science & Technology’ series. OTH Regensburg was one of the few universities to represent the BMBFSFJ's ‘Artificial Intelligence for the Common Good’ funding programme.
The project was led by Prof Dr Karsten Weber and Prof Dr Sonja Haug from IST. Together with their team - including Maximilian Schultz and Franziska Hauer - they are committed to ensuring that not only economic, but also ethical and social aspects are considered in the research and development of AI.
Further information and materials
A video of the re:publica with Maximilian Schultz's talk has already been published and is available on the re:publica YouTube channel. All working papers are freely accessible on ResearchGate.
More information can be found on the KINiro project website.
