Artificial Intelligence promises to improve many areas of society, but trust remains a challenge. According to a recent EU survey, 84% of Europeans believe that AI must be carefully managed to protect privacy and ensure transparency.
To guide this development, the European Union has published the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, which highlight four core requirements: fairness, accountability, inclusivity, and transparency. Together with data protection laws like the GDPR, they form a strong framework for making sure AI respects citizens’ rights.
But guidelines only matter if they are put into practice. That is exactly what the ITHACA project is doing. As part of Horizon Europe, ITHACA is building a civic participation platform that integrates these principles from the very start.
For example, ITHACA follows a privacy-by-design approach:
At the same time, the platform is being designed with explainability and fairness at its core. This means that algorithms powering the discussions are not hidden — citizens will understand how their contributions are being processed, and why certain outputs are generated.
Particularly important is ITHACA’s focus on vulnerable groups. Too often, technological systems reinforce existing inequalities. ITHACA addresses this by embedding inclusivity into the design process, ensuring that underrepresented voices are amplified rather than silenced.
The result is more than just a digital tool. It is a demonstration of how technology can earn public trust by aligning with European values and citizens’ expectations. By combining ethical guidelines, legal safeguards, and real-world pilots in Slovakia and Romania, ITHACA shows that trustworthy AI is not only possible but essential for the future of democratic participation.
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Europe Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
