Lead the development of AI systems with the people they affect
Why do some AI systems fail, while others deliver meaningful and lasting benefits for communities? A critical part of the answer is co-creation.
Across civil society, industry and government, leaders are increasingly being asked to commission, govern and evaluate AI systems. They are being asked to build ethical AI. Yet they may have limited visibility into how those systems are developed, where consequential design choices are made, and how affected communities and stakeholders can improve those decisions.
Co-creation means building AI systems with the communities they are intended to serve. It begins with the earliest decisions about which problems should be addressed, continues through the design and development process, and extends to implementation and evaluation. It is fundamentally different from consulting stakeholders only after a product or proposed solution already exists.
This executive AI leadership programme gives non-technical leaders the knowledge and practical frameworks required to accelerate the co-creation of more effective, sustainable and responsible AI systems from the outset. It draws on the real-life lessons of Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, the first global initiative dedicating to harnessing the power of AI for justice.
You will learn:
- how AI systems are built
- why co-creation can determine whether an AI initiative succeeds or fails
- how to involve communities and stakeholders in meaningful processes
- how to lead genuinely participatory AI development rather than extractive engagement.
At a glance
Programme dates29 November – 4 December
Duration6 days
LocationOxford
Cost£10,250*
The programme is designed for senior leaders and practitioners responsible for AI strategy, governance, development or implementation, including:
- private sector executives developing and deploying AI in regulated or high-stakes sectors
- regulators or public policy officials working in AI and delivery of public goods and services
- international development officials and consultants
- solutions architects and responsible AI practitioners senior program and project managers managing AI system development
- humanitarian or development programme leads working with affected communities
- local technologists working on expanding access to public goods and services in the Global South
No technical background is required.
Participants will establish an ongoing connection with the School and become members of our executive alumni community.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
How AI systems are built
Understand how AI models, datasets and technology interventions are developed, and where the decisions that shape their purpose, performance and impact are made.
Co-creation, co-design and co-production
Define co-creation, distinguish it from adjacent approaches, and understand why those distinctions matter when developing AI systems with communities and stakeholders.
Power and extractive engagement in AI development
Analyse the difference between genuine community influence and engagement that supports communities to create legitimacy without giving them meaningful authority over decisions.
Data, models, bias and harm
Understand where bias and harm can originate, how new datasets are created, and how decisions made long before deployment shape the outcomes of an AI system.
Community ownership and shared decision-making
Explore where community input needs to enter the process and how leaders can create the conditions for meaningful influence, ownership and accountability.
Learning from applied co-creation projects
Examine real projects to understand what works, what fails and which decisions matter at each stage. Case studies will include projects involving access to legal information, journalism and information as aid.
When not to build an AI system
Recognise when AI is not the right solution, how to make that case within an institution, and how to rethinks, rebuild or redirect a technology intervention.
Applying co-creation to a live organisational challenge
Apply a practical AI co-creation framework to a live challenge from your own organisation and produce a concrete roadmap to take home.
MEET THE FACULTY
Sara Wahedi
Technology Specialist, The Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice
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THE OXFORD EXPERIENCE
Our programmes immerse you in the intellectual culture of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Its excellence and international profile rivals that of any university in the world, and the University has been educating global leaders for over 800 years.
Our residential programmes, as well as our fellowships, offer opportunities to explore the city and its famous colleges. Many include walking tours of the city’s most important historical and politically relevant places, as well as formal dinners in centuries-old Oxford dining halls. And you will get the best of both the old and the new by being based in the ultramodern, award-winning Blavatnik School building.
When joining us in Oxford, you will be tapping into the extraordinary depth and breadth of research excellence found at Oxford University, as well as its power to convene people from all over the world. All our executive programmes are led by a member of the Blavatnik School faculty, who are leading Oxford professors and associate professors.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
If you have any questions about the programme, please contact us at executive.admissions@bsg.ox.ac.uk.
Please see our terms and conditions and privacy notice.
*A limited number of scholarships are available for civil-society participants.
Apply today
Complete our online application form. Admission to the programme is selective and is based on professional achievements, organisational responsibilities and personal motivation.
Register your interest
Register to receive further information about the programme.