Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Designing AI-Based Solutions for Migrants’ Integration: REBUILD Project

The analysis of migratory flows towards Europe shows that, although far from the 2015 figures, the migratory crisis triggered by the reactions to the Arab Spring and the Middle East conflicts has not stopped. On the contrary, new phenomena are being generated as a result of the most recent implemented policies. In addition to individuals and families fleeing war and persecution (from Syria, Eritrea and other African countries), there are also migrants leaving their home countries because of social and economic instability. For this reason, the importance of actions that provide comprehensive solutions for economic migrants as well as asylum seekers, without distinction between different legal statuses, must be stressed. The problem of forced migration confronts the whole society with the need to find solutions to improve the integration of citizens coming from countries with different cultures, religions and life patterns (Garito, 2017). REBUILD1 aims to design and develop a Digital Companion that will support migrants and refugees in Europe in accessing existing services, and, at the same time, will enable local service providers who interact with migrants and refugees, and regional and national authorities who plan reception and integration processes, to improve their processes and service delivery (see also Project Outlines). An AI-based chatbot service is at the heart of the Digital Companion, which will support more effective communication between public administrations and migrants. The various reception structures often ignore the level of education, professional skills and state of health of the immigrants they interact with. Knowing more about migrants’ life is necessary to start an effective process of real integration. The technological ambition is to use artificial intelligence-based solutions (user profiling, skills/needs matching, chatbots) for the development of a usable, accessible and intelligent ecosystem for both target groups, while the methodological challenge is to adopt a participatory design approach, involving both target groups from the very early stages of the project, taking into account users’ needs, limitations and expectations, as well as perceived gaps, cultural differences and ethical issues.