In the coming months we will be brining regular updates from the different sub-projects of the ADD project enhancing knowledge sharing and encouraging dialogue and feedback. Blogs are a great way to bridge the gap between academic research and broader audiences. In the blog series, we would like to share findings in an accessible way, ensuring that our work reaches beyond our own circles. Engage with society and stakeholders across multiple institutions and sectors are one of the major milestones of the ADD project. We hope this initiative will create a space for constructive debate and feedback on research topics. The first blog is about knowledge brokering as a methodology and tool for better science communication.
By Prof. David Budtz Pedersen & Ulrikke Dybdal Sørensen, Department of Communication and Psychology at Aalborg University, ADD Knowledge Broker Unit.
Every day, news headlines and social media overflow with stories about how our social reality is increasingly shaped by algorithms. Whether it is for social benefits or social harms, artificial intelligence is deeply woven into the fabric of democracy, influencing everything from political ads to public discourse. Recent debates on AI bias, misinformation, and surveillance have raised urgent questions: How can we ensure algorithms serve democracy rather than undermine it? Can data-driven tools be designed to empower citizens instead of manipulating them?
In this blog series, we will explore research from the ADD project, revealing how scholars are tackling these challenges and creating nuances and new spaces for inquiry, controversy and conversation. From algorithmic transparency to combating digital biases, the insights gained from multidisciplinary research are essential for our future and our collective readiness to understand, utilize, implement, and regulate algorithms.
However, most research on algorithmic democracy and the consequences of artificial intelligence on collective decision-making are technical in nature, and sometimes hard to access and translate into wider societal conversations. That is why, the ADD project has a built-in Outreach Programme, managed by the think-thank Mandag Morgen, with the purpose of hosting open public events, lectures, podcasts, conferences, and organizing stakeholders and policymakers in ways so they can take advantage of the research produced within the programme. Active, multi-stakeholders, and two-way science communication is part of this effort. Conferences, papers, books, media appearance, policy testimonials, jointly organized seminars – and now blogposts – are some of the ways in which we are contributing to a wider academic and social debate about the future faith of democratic participation and decision-making in an algorithmic era.
In addition, the ADD project contains a designated Knowledge Broker Unit. Knowledge brokering is emerging as a leading methodology for translating, mobilizing and implementing research-based advice and solutions in practice and policy. By actively seeking to reduce the distance between producers and users of research-based outputs, knowledge brokering is a vehicle to generate and accelerate research impact.
A consistent feature of contemporary democracies is the necessity of developing common frameworks for describing and explaining the regulatory, ethical, cognitive, and technical consequences of AI technologies. Facilitating exchange and translation between academic institutions and public policy may seem straightforward, but it often involves a number of advanced steps: establishing a joint problem space, promoting open knowledge exchange, building trust and creating a sense of mutual learning and problem-solving.
While much literature and policy discourse on the science-policy-interface focuses on a clear division between supply (researchers) and demand (policymakers, citizens, industries), it is equally important to emphasize the need for facilitation and mediation. Connecting, interacting, and coordinating activities are important if we want to bridge the gap between the academic and social and political culture.
For this reason, we have set up an intermediary research unit, which is facilitating knowledge exchange, policy engagement and advisory processes to help ensure that ADD advice and expertise become relevant and actionable. A crucial feature of knowledge brokering and knowledge mobilization is the ability to navigate different communities, such as the politico-administrative culture, the scientific culture, and the culture of civil discourse. Knowledge brokers and facilitators should ensure that scientific knowledge is effectively communicated and utilized by stakeholders to inform decisions. They can help enhance policy outcomes by:
- Translating scientific knowledge: Knowledge brokers interpret and translate complex scientific data into accessible language, making it easier for policymakers to understand the implications and limitations of scientific findings. This translation is essential because policymakers often lack the time or technical background to engage with raw scientific data (van Eerd & Saunders 2017, van Eerd et al. 2020).
- Building trust and expanding networks: Knowledge brokers can help establish relationships and create networks between scientists and policymakers, designing channels for regular interaction and feedback. By building trust and understanding across communities, intermediaries help ensure that the scientific advice is perceived as credible and relevant (SAM 2019, SAPEA 2019, OECD 2020).
- Facilitating co-creation of knowledge: In some cases, knowledge brokers help involve policymakers in the research process itself, either in framing questions or shaping methodologies. This co-creation can make the resulting advice more directly applicable to policy needs and increase the likelihood of its adoption (Stier & Smit 2021, Tellmann & Gulbrandsen 2022, Pedersen 2024).
- Maintaining rigour and independence: Intermediaries can help maintain the independence of science advice by managing potential biases and avoiding untimely interference. This can involve synthesising diverse scientific perspectives or presenting a balanced view when findings are uncertain, supporting a more transparent decision-making process (Pielke 2007, Gluckman 2014, Pedersen 2023).
- Adapting recommendations to contexts: Knowledge brokers build capacity to understand policy constraints, including economic, social, and political factors that impact decision-making. They help scientists tailor their recommendations in ways that align with policy realities, making scientific advice more actionable (Davies et al. 2015, Gluckman, Bardsley & Kaiser 2021).
In the ADD project we work with these methodologies to enhance social uptake and policy impact of our research. Our role is to promote evidence-informed decision-making and to make research accessible to stakeholders, media and citizens in a way that is timely, relevant, and trusted by the different parties involved. Communicating and translating research-based knowledge into real-world scenarios and recommendations not only hold the potential of improving the quality of decision-making; it also strengthens the relevance and impact of science in society by informing our research agenda with input from society.
We hope the ADD blogpost series will become a valuable of inspiration and a very concrete way of practicing knowledge brokerage in the wild. We pass on the invitation to you to interact, comment, and share our findings and methodologies. The next blogpost will be published on December 15, 2024 by Prof. Sine Nørholm Just, the principal investigator of the ADD project.