Semester 2: Weeks 2-3

This week we had our inclusive society intensive. It was so cool to see how different start-ups are approaching societal issues. It is easy to get carried away with these more significant wicked problems in our society, and breaking down these problems into inclusion matters is a great way to tackle them. There is so much value in the sharing and understanding of different perspectives. Since these issues span multiple spheres of society, you need various spheres of knowledge to remedy the problem.

My project partner Grand Bequest was in attendance – the Founder, Katherine Gunderson, was a presenter. It was great to hear my classmates’ thoughts on the project and their concerns and excitement over what is happening at GB. One key takeaway I had from my group (Data Activism) is that it is important to remember who the data is coming from and how it will be used. In the case of GB, the data comes from local councils and locals themselves. It is crucial that during the datafication process, we keep the integrity of these voices. One of my biggest concerns is that their voices will be lost in some AI algorithm, and their data will be used against them is come capacity. I know that this is not the goal of GB and that they are very concerned about how to approach and involve the community. We need to find some community champions to help get the GB message across and act as a marker for the GB team regarding how deliverables are being produced.