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Building AI literacy in parliaments

Summary

15:00–16:00 CEST (Geneva time)

Members of parliament and parliamentary staff occupy a unique position, simultaneously being regulators and democratic guardians of AI technology, and users of the technology. AI literacy among members and staff of parliaments is a precondition for effective parliamentary action on AI. This webinar will explore how parliaments can provide training and resources to support AI literacy. 

The IPU Guidelines for AI in parliaments emphasize that AI literacy must extend beyond IT departments to reach all parliamentary roles. MPs need sufficient knowledge for oversight and legislation; research staff require deeper familiarity with AI analytical tools; IT teams need technical implementation expertise.

AI literacy doesn’t require understanding complex algorithms. Rather, it means grasping fundamental concepts for critical evaluation: What can AI actually do versus marketing hype? What are its limitations and risks? How do you recognize hallucinations and bias? How do we ensure that humans remain at the centre of decision-making?

This webinar is targeted at members of parliament, parliamentary managers and staff who are responsible for or involved in developing AI literacy training and resources for members and staff.

Speakers:

  • Natalie Foster, Clerk Assistant, House of Commons of Canada (moderator)
  • Christoph Konrath, Head of Department, Research and Support in Parliamentary Matters, Parliament of Austria
  • Mwaula Solopi, ICT Director, National Assembly of Zambia
  • Aurélie Zoude Le Berre, Head of the General Secretariat Division, National Assembly, France

Language(s): English, French, Spanish, Arabic

The event is part of the Transforming Parliaments webinar series.

This webinar is hosted by the IPU’s Centre for Innovation in Parliament.

The video recording will be published on the IPU’s Innovation in Parliament playlist on YouTube.

IPU’s work on artificial intelligence: www.ipu.org/AI