{"id":25,"date":"2025-06-14T13:03:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T13:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/?page_id=25"},"modified":"2026-05-20T09:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:05:18","slug":"democratic-control-for-algorithms","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic Control for Algorithms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-29\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/verkeerskruispunt.001-1024x576.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/verkeerskruispunt.001-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/verkeerskruispunt.001-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/verkeerskruispunt.001-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/verkeerskruispunt.001-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/verkeerskruispunt.001.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-heading-font-family has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cHuman beings introduce friction in the democratic system, and that is not a bug; it&#8217;s a feature. Friction equals reflection, compromise, safety. The most efficient government is necessarily dictatorial.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-heading-font-family has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>-Carissa V\u00e9liz<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Watch the Project Pitch (in Dutch)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"1080\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1920 \/ 1080;\" width=\"1920\" controls src=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/beteretake_SIDN-Call-RUGTGL.m4v\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This project develops a public, scalable tool to help policymakers, designers, and citizens implement smart technology in a transparent, equitable, and verifiable manner. <br><br>The tool will take the form of a quickly assessable evaluation model (in Dutch: &#8216;Kijkwijzermodel&#8217;). The first use case chosen is the democratically responsible deployment of intelligent traffic lights (in Dutch: intelligente verkeersregelinstallaties, or iVRI&#8217;s).<br><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why AI in Public Space Needs Democratic Control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From smart traffic lights to predictive algorithms in social services, AI systems increasingly make decisions in our public spaces. These decisions shape access, mobility, safety, and opportunity, yet they\u2019re often treated as purely technical or operational matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But algorithms make choices. Who gets the green light first? Which route gets priority? What is flagged as \u201cnormal\u201d or \u201crisky\u201d? Without public debate, such systems may silently shift power and values, often without oversight or accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This project develops an evaluation model for democratic control. Not just for iVRI systems, but for any AI infrastructure used in public governance. The model turns abstract principles into concrete questions: <em>Who sets the rules? Which values count? Can people understand, challenge, or change the outcomes?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-523ac13015c609a699f5d054f41550f2\">Our Evaluation Model for Democratic Control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The model will take the form of the Dutch &#8220;Kijkwijzermodel&#8221;. The Kijkwijzermodel is an evaluation model of movies&#8217; level of violence, coarse language, fear, and more to assess their suitability to different age groups. This model allows for individual yet comparable assessments, without the need to conform to the highest attainable goal (indeed, it is unclear what that would be, given we desire differences between movies for children and adults). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same holds for algorithmic systems. Although each system requires a form of democratic control, perhaps not all systems should meet the same requirements of democratic control. The Kijkwijzermodel therefore allows for plurality between algorithmic systems, while still providing a comparable evaluation method. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In our paper &#8216;Meaningful Democratic Control as Non-Domination: Material System Choices in Public-Sector AI&#8217; we propose three general requirements: addressability, public defensibility, and structural revisability, visualized in the picture below. We are currently investigating how to adapt the age level of the Kijkwijzermodel of movies to the Kijkwijzermodel of democratic control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"507\" data-id=\"136\" src=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2026-05-20-om-10.42.33-1024x507.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2026-05-20-om-10.42.33-1024x507.png 1024w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2026-05-20-om-10.42.33-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2026-05-20-om-10.42.33-768x380.png 768w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2026-05-20-om-10.42.33.png 1418w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First Use Case: Smart Traffic Lights (iVRI&#8217;s)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our first use case is intelligent traffic control systems (iVRI&#8217;s): smart traffic lights that use real-time data to prioritize certain road users. Through literature research, expert interviews, focus groups, and pilot projects, we investigate which values \u200b\u200band decision points are crucial in iVRI design, and how they can be publicly legitimized. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Stoplicht_plaatje-724x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-107\" style=\"width:110px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Stoplicht_plaatje-724x1024.png 724w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Stoplicht_plaatje-212x300.png 212w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Stoplicht_plaatje-768x1086.png 768w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Stoplicht_plaatje-1086x1536.png 1086w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Stoplicht_plaatje.png 1414w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0b1ff286 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These insights feed into the broader model, which can then be applied to other municipal AI applications, such as smart enforcement or data-driven mobility services. Thus although our initial focus is on smart traffic lights, the model applies to any use of AI in public infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upcoming<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>17-6-2026: Summer knowledge sessions organized by Wijkmakers Academie voor Dorps- en wijkontwikkeling. Presentation \u2018De smart city is waardevol &#8211; of niet?&#8217; [English: The Smart City is valuable &#8211; or not?]. Link: <a href=\"https:\/\/wijkmakers.nl\/agenda\/zomerkennissessie\">https:\/\/wijkmakers.nl\/agenda\/zomerkennissessie<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>21\/22-9-2026: EDDY Conference: Digital Democracy: Bridging Theory and Practice. In this conference we will pilot the &#8216;Democracy Test of AI&#8217;, a practical assessment method for public-sector AI systems. <em>(abstract acceptance pending).<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Past<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>19\/20-5-2026: OZSW Conference: Dutch Philosophy Conference. Presentation of the paper &#8216;Meaningful Democratic Control as Non-Domination: Material System Choices in Public-Sector AI&#8217;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>7\/8-5-2026: Workshop on Political Philosophy &amp; AI: Democracy, Freedom, and Resilience. Presentation of the paper &#8216;Meaningful Democratic Control as Non-Domination: Material System Choices in Public-Sector AI&#8217;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Publications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Paper 1: Meaningful Democratic Control as Non-Domination: Material System Choices in Public-Sector AI <em>(under review)<\/em>. In this paper we provide a theoretical account of democratic control to inform our evaluation model. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meet the Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Led by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rug.nl\">University of Groningen<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thegreenland.eu\">The Green Land<\/a>, this initiative blends academic insight with on\u2011the\u2011ground expertise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/veluwenkamp.net\">Herman Veluwenkamp<br><\/a>Assistant Professor<br>University of Groningen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/4-1.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jonne-maas-b518071ba\/?originalSubdomain=nl\">Jonne Maas<br><\/a>Digital ethics advisor<br>The Green Land<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get Involved: Help Shape Democratic AI in Public Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The city of Groningen is participating, and we are looking for others to join. Whether you work in policy, research, civic tech, or public advocacy. Together, we can make sure smart mobility strengthens democracy instead of sidelining it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By testing this model in real-world situations, we aim to learn what works, what needs adjusting, and how to scale it to other domains. While we begin with mobility, the approach is intended to grow beyond it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong>Let\u2019s design systems that serve the public, not just manage it.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"mailto:h.m.veluwenkamp@rug.nl\">Get Involved<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Project Funding <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This project is funded by the SIDN Fonds under the Theme call &#8216;Responsible AI in Practice&#8217;. The project runs from 1\/9\/2025 to 31\/8\/2027. For more information, see de <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidnfonds.nl\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.sidnfonds.nl\">SIDN website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch the Project Pitch (in Dutch) About the Project This project develops a public, scalable tool to help policymakers, designers, and citizens implement smart technology in a transparent, equitable, and verifiable manner. The tool will take the form of a quickly assessable evaluation model (in Dutch: &#8216;Kijkwijzermodel&#8217;). The first use case chosen is the democratically [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138,"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25\/revisions\/138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/democratieinhetverkeer.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}