NSF Award
2427699
The transportation industry has seen rapid technological change over the past decade, much of which has been enabled by the advancement and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) — from route planning and dispatch to autonomous vehicle technology. This project builds on the team’s in-depth research across roadway transportation modes (taxi, transit, and logistics) to inform a set of responsible AI practices for the sector. Specifically, the research focuses on the development of a framework and set of tools for participatory labor impact assessment — or, comprehensive analysis of how the introduction or expansion of AI technologies will affect workers within the industry from the perspective of those set to be most impacted (namely workers, but also bus and taxi passengers, residents of neighborhoods surrounding logistics clusters, and other community stakeholders).<br/><br/>Over the two-year planning grant, the multi-disciplinary team, spanning the fields of human-computer interaction, social informatics, and sociology of work, will convene taxi, transit, and logistics workers and their representatives to assess AI awareness, on-the-ground needs and to specify participatory labor impact assessment tools. This process will result in the following contributions: (1) a comparative analysis of how AI is used and regulated across different transportation modes; (2) a participatory framework for evaluating existing AI systems and identifying opportunities to enhance safety and equity, and finally; (3) a transferable set of design principles for responsible AI development and implementation that considers the needs and concerns of workers. This project will provide valuable insights into the diverse application of AI within transportation, and its significant effects on the industry’s workforce and, in turn, on other stakeholders such as customers and service recipients. It will propose novel methods for assessing labor and labor-driven impacts and a set of responsible AI design principles, offering a foundation for future research and policy development.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
