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Responsible deployment of disruptive technologies (DTs) such as Artificial Intelligence(AI), Cloud and Local Digital Twins for data-supported decision making must considerapplying ethical principles of transparency, fairness and respect to how we use data.Done correctly, solutions can ensure privacy, autonomy and build the trust needed fordigital decisions to unlock decisions, innovations and opportunities that benefiteveryone. This policy brief aims at guiding public organisations in the trustworthyadoption of disruptive technologies with the aim to increase transparency towardsboth its internal and external stakeholders about how DTs and data are used, what arethe fundamental decisional processes that are followed, and how the potential risksare identified and addressed. AbstractUnLock cluster - POLICY BRIEFdigital culture -embedding ethicalvalues digital inclusion -leaving no one behind digital cooperation -building trust andtransparencyThe Public Sector shouldadopt an ethics-by-designapproach to responsiblyimplement new digitalpolicy making tools. Thisgovernance goes beyondprivacy standards andlegal factors to alsoinclude a focus on:Key pointsNever before has the incredible potential of DisruptiveTechnology (DTs) to be a force for good been clearer thanin the past 2 years. Amid a global pandemic that broughteconomies across the world to a standstill, newtechnologies enabled whole industries to restart, for peopleto connect, to keep critical public services running andeven accelerate vaccine development.As a result many Public Sector organisations across theglobe have come to recognise the transformative potentialof digital solutions including Artificial Intelligence (AI),Cloud and Digital Twins. Solutions that help policy makersextract intelligence and insights from large quantities ofdata and allow those who use them to augment their ownhuman expertise for enhanced decision making. Forexample, where to best locate vaccine clinics; managementof urban mobility and how to reduce urban air pollution.Yet, in the excitement of unleashing new possibilities andinnovations, it should be remembered that whilst thesetechnologies do a lot of good, they do have the potential tobe misused in ways that lead to (unintended)discrimination and bias. IntroductionUnLocking the potential of digitaldisruption for responsible, sustainableand trusted urban decisions

Embracing the potential of digital solutions in an ethicalway begins at home. The ETAPAS project recognisesthat the greatest resource a public administration hasare its employee’s. Their participation in the creation ofan ethical culture at the workplace is essential for thefunctionality and credibility of a stable and trustedpublic sector. New technologies should not be used to introduce moreinvasive forms of control of workplace behavior, sincethis can infringe on privacy and be dehumanizing,demoralizing, and destructive to the mental andphysical health of workers. Instead, new technologiescan and should be used to relieve public servants ofroutine work and make better use of their competences.If a new technology has an impact on the employeesand their working conditions, then its introduction mustbe decided in a participative and co-creative processinvolving them and their organizations. Public servantsshould be offered the education and training needed toimprove their skills in the ethical use and managementof new technologies, with the twofold objective ofupskilling and reskilling. They should also be madeaware of their rights in relation to their own data, if thesemay be affected by their employer’s use of disruptivetechnologies.The UnLock cluster believes that when technologieschange the world, those that implement them have aresponsibility to address the issues in the new worldthey help create. It's vital that the Public Sector stays atthe forefront of the digital revolution to ensure theyadopt appropriate ethical technology governance toprotect people's rights and cause no harm.Leveraging findings fromreal-life deployments ofdisruptive technologies fordecision making, UnLockexplores three key areas ofgovernance focus.1. Digital Culture - Embedding ethical values2. Digital Inclusion - Leaving no-one behindCovid has shown us that the social and economic futureof the planet requires everyone to have access to digital.Yet the demographic group that is rising fastest is theone that is often least likely to use new technologies -older people. The URBANAGE project is working to findways to use technology to better include people inurban planning with the aim of creating more inclusive,age-friendly cities that work for all.By blending technologyand data with strongleadership, engagementand collaboration thevalue of digitaltechnologies for betterdecision making can trulybe UnLocked. Case studies

Engaging with older adults in urban co-design workshopsin Flanders, Santander and Helsinki, URBANAGE foundthat in general older adults do not refuse the use oftechnology as generalised by popular culture, rather theytend to attach greater importance to its practical addedvalue than other generations. The research found thatthere needs to be a strong and sufficient reason for olderadults to turn away from more traditional modes ofcommunication and engagement in neighborhoodactivities. Answering the question why it cannot be donein a traditional way or explaining the advantages of thenew technology over the traditional alternatives istherefore recommended. This can be done by informingthem about the practical benefits or the ease of use, andby helping them understand the technology (especiallywhen the technology is still in the early adoption phase). Findings also indicated that the need for social contact isa strong motivator for engagement in new technologies,and as a result it is strongly recommended to introduceand implement this element in a gamified way forincreasing engagement and take-up. However, it should be noted this approach is not apanacea to solving inclusion challenges. Technology isnot a means to an end. Making older people feel valuedby engaging them in co-creation processes to developtechnology solutions for the challenges they face, ratherthan the challenges others assume for them, is the key tosuccessful inclusion.The PoliVisu and subsequent DUET initiative harnessesthe power of data and Cloud to advance policydevelopment through the design, integration andimplementation of trusted, scalable and transferableDigital Twins. To achieve the vision for data-driven,collaborative decision making, early emphasis was putinto creating an ethical framework that helps to instigategreater trust and transparency.DUET recommends that cities should strive to developofficials’ ability to understand, interpret and useautomated decision-making systems. They shouldunderstand at least the basics of the underlyingalgorithms and the data used through a targetededucation and training programme. 3. Digital Collaboration - Building trust and transparency

Citizens should be informed about the fact thatautomated decisions are being taken about them andwith the help of their data. To the extent possible, citiesshould strive to make sure that data subjects alsounderstand the underlying algorithms, to the extentpracticable.Algorithms and automated decisions should be fair andproportional. They should not prejudice citizens. Eventhough some bias may be inherent in data, thealgorithms and the data they use (or train on) should notcreate or perpetuate material biases (racial, ethnical,sexual, political, religious, etc.).Deployed in Flanders, Athens and Pilsen, DUET puts greatemphasis on human control and understanding. In anydeployment of new technology, especially where AI isconcerned, it's important to ensure the cities fullyunderstand the capacities and limitations of the newsystem and are able to duly monitor its operation, so thatsigns of anomalies, dysfunctions and unexpectedperformance can be detected and addressed as soon aspossible. Conclusions and PolicyrecommendationsInsights from the UnLock cluster of projects can help guidecities towards the creation of a trustworthy framework forthe responsible deployment of new technologies fordecision-making support, taking into account ethical, socialand legal considerations.This framework should consist of a set of rules, governancemechanisms and tools aimed at guiding the design,development and deployment of DTs which deliver benefitswhilst protecting the human rights of all citizens.UnLock can provide support for this ethics-by-designprocess in three ways:1) The ETAPAS project provides a Code of Conduct whichincludes ten fundamental principles to guide the correctimplementation of disruptive technologies. As additionalsupport. ETAPAS also provides a risk framework with adetailed mapping of all the risks public bodies mightencounter when adopting DTs. In particular, it identifieseight risk categories which can be traced back to the 10ethical principles of the Code of Conduct.

Learn more about theUnLock's Cluster projects: DUETcitytwin.eudigitalurbantwins.euETAPASetapasproject.euPoliVisupolivisu.euURBANAGEurbanage.euSusie Ruston McAleer Pavel Kogut 21c - DUET & URBANAGECommunicationsinfo@21cconsultancy.comCarolina Beniamina RuttaNoemi Luna CarmenoIntellera Consulting -ETAPAS Communicationscarolina.beniamina.rutta@intelleraconsulting.comContactsThis document has beenproduced by ICONS in thecontext of the HorizonResults Booster servicesdelivered to PoliVisu (GA N.769608), URBANAGE (GA N.101004590), ETAPAS (GA N.101004594) and DUET (GA N.870697). This product doesnot reflect the views of theEuropean Commission.Facilitates an ethical digital cultureEnsures everyone is able to participateBuilds trust in the technologies and their results2) URBANAGE provides a set of citizen engagementguidelines for the inclusion of older adults in public sectorpractices and digital tool use. Input to the guidelines camefrom both academic research and focus groups with 33older adults in the cities of Santander in Spain, Helsinki inFinland and the region of Flanders in Belgium. Theguidelines provide practical recommendations formanaging expectations and providing motivation for oldermembers of society in order to leverage their vastexperiences for more sustainable urban planning. 3) DUET shares real-life Digital Twin simulations and casestudies from Flanders, Athens and Pilsen to showcase howdata-driven decisions can be created and used forcollaborative policy exploration and experimentation. Thesesimulations are all underpinned by a set of EthicalPrinciples for broad consideration by public sector DigitalTwin projects. The principles were derived from smart citydesk research, DUET pilot and partner interviews andextrapolation from high level, legal requirements andstandards.These three resources will help public sector organisationsconsider what to include in their own Trust Framework so itmay support them to effectively improve trust, reduce risks,obtain efficiencies, and adopt DTs in a more fair andtransparent way that: ETAPAS Code of Conduct for DTSURBANAGE User Engagement Infographic DUET Ethical Principles for Data Driven DecisionsBibliography