SHERPA aims to address the ethical dimensions of Smart Information Systems (artificial intelligence and big data). SIS may yield lots of benefits, yet it raises many ethical and legal issues and it is important to achieve a balance between the advantages of SIS and the ethical issues involved. In this field of competing rights and interests this is only possible with the expertise of a large variety of stakeholders who will be consulted to gather their views on existing threats, risks and possible solutions to achieve a better balance between the potential benefits of the new technologies and their impact on ethics and human rights.

Stakeholders offer different perspectives and varying expertise related to how different Smart Information Systems impact ethics and human rights. It is important to integrate these views into the project to ensure that the project encompasses all current and future technological challenges. For the purpose of the project, the focus will be on representatives of industry and civil society organisations, policy, professional bodies, researchers and media.

Based on the stakeholder views, SHERPA will develop guidelines for research and innovation in and with Smart Information Systems.

SHERPA will engage with stakeholders in two ways:

  1. The Stakeholder Board, is a permanent body and an ongoing source of feedback for SHERPA. It comprises individuals who are thought leaders in the various areas of relevance to the project. The stakeholder board members will comment and contribute to all activities of the project
  2. The Network of stakeholders, will be constituted by around 1000 stakeholders.

The main activities of the network of stakeholders will be:

  • 45 individual semi-structured interviews,
  • an online survey with around 1000 respondents, and
  • a Delphi study with 60 experts.

SHERPA is a great opportunity for stakeholders to bring their interests and perspectives in the discussion on Smart Information Systems. To maximize impact the SHERPA consortium will undertake targeted activities to ensure that the findings and results of the project are delivered to its stakeholders, and pave the way for future policy-building that adequately address ethical and human rights concerns of current and future SIS technological innovations.

SHERPA aims to address the ethical dimensions of Smart Information Systems (artificial intelligence and big data). The SHERPA project will guide the ongoing debate and develop actionable recommendations to make sure that SIS is for the public good. This is not possible without the expertise of stakeholders.

Do you want to get involved and bring in your expertise? Then fill in the provided form and become a member of the SHERPA network. You can participate in an online survey and interviews.