<aside> ℹ️ This presentation at PAIRS 2026 Online on 17th February 2026 17:45 UTC. Registered participants will receive zoom links to join the session via e-mail.
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This presentation will provide a situated analysis on the political economy of AI participation at the organizational level and its articulation with AI governance narrative-building at the national and global levels. In particular, in a context of largely unsuccessful economic rollout of AI systems (only 5% of organizations see measurable return on investment according to MIT Nanda State of AI in Business 2025), this presentation will explain how the implementation of participatory practices around AI can harness the logic of effectiveness nested in political and management discourses to socialize knowledge and practices dealing with AI technologies, rejuvenate social intermediaries (e.g. unions) and equip citizens to effectively engage in AI governance at a local or broader scale.
This argument is grounded in a comparative analysis of a selection of participatory methodologies, frameworks, and tools, especially the ones designed by French unions and public institutions (DIAL-IA, LaborIA, CNNum…) and the ones conceived by international stakeholders (European Trade Union Institute, Partnership on AI…). These methodologies, frameworks, and tools will be evaluated in light of the practice of the author as a trainer and consultant for the elaboration of participatory approaches within organizations (one higher-education academic institution, one environmental advocacy NGO and one social business SME) to facilitate the deployment and adoption of safe, responsible, and trustworthy AI systems.
Based on this dialog between these foundational resources and the experience of participatory practices within various organizations, the presentation will identify (1) a pragmatic set of guidelines to enable appropriation and adaptation to their local context of the general frameworks and toolboxes by the participants, (2) the articulations between knowledge transfers, capacity-building, socialization, and legitimization at the level of an organization and at the level of a society, building off foundational works by, among others, Karl Polanyi (and his concept of “double movement”) and Alain Supiot (and his work on labor in the 21st century).
Beyond their conceptual value, these articulations can be operationalized in collective political narratives as well as replicable, adaptable, and scalable strategies for CSOs as a way to exploit and subvert the “imperative of efficiency” (Marcello Vitali-Rosati), promote individual and collective (e.g. through unions) empowerment, reduce the digital divide, and transform the adoption of AI systems from processes to alienation to opportunities of meaningful community-building.
Acknowledging the importance of local and national labor laws, cultural norms, and political institutions, this presentation will conclude on an agenda-setting effort to further institutionalize this empowerment dynamic not just within the initial geographic focus, but, in a post-colonial approach, to other countries, with a particular focus on Global South countries who are mostly excluded from AI governance while playing a crucial role in AI systems’ value chains (e.g. raw materials extraction and transformation, data labeling, click-workers…), harnessing multilateral organizations, transnational corporations, international development institutions, and international CSO networks.