Is meaningful participation and accountability in AI possible?

The release of ChatGPT and similar chatbots like Google’s Bard and Anthropic’s Claude has re-ignited the discussion around artificial intelligence (AI) in social, work, financial, health, education, law, and most other spheres. A common challenge with these and other AI and machine learning (ML) systems is their lack of transparency and accountability. Algorithms decide what we see in our social media feeds. CV screeners select who moves forward for a job application. Automated decisions in our financial systems determine who is accessible for a loan. All of these opaque decision-making systems are out of reach for most of us; yet they are having huge impact on our lives and our societies.