Trustworthy AI in Public Services: Transparency, Accountability, and Crisis-Resilient Communication – MT 03 2026

27 May 2026 | 14:00 - 15:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi
Consolidated programme 2026

Proposals: #5, #7, (#12, #15), #28, #34, #41, #42, (#48), #55, #58, #61, #63

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Session teaser

Building on the European normative framework, governments are rapidly integrating AI into public services. However, it is critical to ensure these systems are transparent, explainable, and accountable as the reliance on automated decision-making (ADM) and artificial intelligence (AI) systems poses risks to public trust, transparency, and accountability if not in line with legal standards. Although AI can enhance citizen engagement, research has also demonstrated that algorithmic bias reflects and even exacerbates existing social inequalities, thereby undermining principles of good administration, respect for the rule of law, and fundamental rights.

The session will explore whether these challenges can be addressed, in particular by utilising different tools and by bias testing via the AI Regulatory Sandboxes to ensure 'human-rights-by-design' from the earliest stages of development, or if it requires a more fundamental shift toward human-centric governance, fostering active participation through 'anticipatory governance' and 'civic AI'.

Session description

As European governments increasingly integrate artificial intelligence into public services, the need for transparency, accountability, explainability, and inclusion becomes more urgent. While AI offers significant potential to improve efficiency and citizen engagement, its use in decision-making processes – particularly automated decision-making – raises critical concerns related to the enjoyment and exercise of fundamental rights, such as equal treatment, right to privacy, and the right to good administration.

The European normative framework, including instruments such as the AI Act, provides an important foundation for safeguarding fundamental rights. However, the practical implementation of these principles remains a challenge. Ensuring that AI systems are human-centric and inclusive by design requires not only regulatory compliance, but also governance approaches that actively address bias, accessibility, and representation, while anticipating risks and involving diverse groups of citizens. Guiding questions

1. How can public services balance efficiency gains from automation with the need to maintain human oversight, accessibility, and democratic control?
2. How should public administration approach the “zero question”?
3. How can governments ensure transparency, accountability, and accessibility when deploying AI in public services?
4. How can AI systems be designed to be inclusive and avoid reinforcing existing inequalities or biases?
5. What are the limitations of current regulatory approaches in addressing real-world implementation challenges, particularly for vulnerable or underrepresented groups?
6. How can anticipatory governance help identify and mitigate risks related to exclusion, discrimination, and unequal access?
7. How can AI be used to investigate AI bias and discrimination?
8. What role can “civic AI” and citizen participation play in ensuring inclusive and accessible public sector AI systems?

Format

• 5 min – Welcome and orientation
• 30 min – Expert inputs (3 × 10 min presentations)
• 35 min – Moderated discussion with the audience, guided by key questions
• 15 min – Agreement on key messages

Further reading

• Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act)
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• European Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030
• Data Act
• Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI (European Commission)
• Declaration on European Digital Rights and Principles
• OECD AI Principles
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)
• UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

People

Please provide the name and affiliation/institution of all people you list here like this:

• First Name Last Name, Affiliation/institution

Programme Committee member(s)

• Desara Dushi, EU Policy Counsel at the Future of Privacy Forum
• Milica Vesović, Programme Manager in the Digital Development Unit, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law at the Council of Europe

The Programme Committee (PC) supports the programme planning process throughout the year and works closely with the Secretariat. Members of the PC give advice on the topics, cluster the proposals and assist session organisers in their work. They also ensure that session principles are followed and monitor the complete programme to avoid repetition. 1-2 PC members have signed up to each session and will compile the messages.

Co Focal Points

• Eglė Celiešienė, Vilnius Business College
• Gabija Skučaitė, CEO Vilnius Business College

Focal Points take over the responsibility and lead of the session organisation. They work in close cooperation with the Programme Committee and the EuroDIG Secretariat and are kindly requested to follow EuroDIG’s session principles

Organising Team (Org Team) List Org Team members here as they sign up.

• Ayca Dibekoglu, Council of Europe
• Valeriia Filinovych
• Menno Ettema, Council of Europe
• Aldan Creo
• Karen Mulberry, Senior Manager, Public Affairs, IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA)
• Concettina Cassa, Agency for Digital Italy (AgID)
• Ebba Ossiannilsson

The Org Team is a group of people shaping the session. Org Teams are open and every interested individual can become a member by subscribing to the mailing list.

Key Participants

• Representative from the Digital Development Unit of the Council of Europe (TBC)
• Nele Roekens, The European Network of Equality Bodies (Equinet)
• Ebba Ossiannilsson, Professor; Expert in Open and Online Learning; Open Education Global Award for Open Leadership (2022); ICDE Honorary Member (2025)

Moderator

• Ayça Dibekoğlu, Council of Europe

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Messages

The Programme Committee is responsible for taking notes during the session and to formulate 3 (max. 5) bullet points that are presented at the end of each session. The audience shall agree on the messages in (rough) consensus.

Messages should:

• reflect the discussion in the particular session
• relate to European Internet governance policy
• be forward looking and propose goals and activities

Video record

Will be provided here after the event.

Transcript

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