AI and the Future of Social Welfare: Recent Developments and Future Prospects

Thursday, 4 June

10:30-11:00 Welcome

Timo Fleckenstein, London School of Economics (co-chair)
Neil Gilbert, University of California, Berkeley (co-chair)
Douglas Besharov, University of Maryland (co-chair)
Sergei Zelenev, International Council on Social Welfare
Kirk Foster, University of Texas-Arlington

11:00-12:15 Using AI in Policy Systems

Moderator: Berry Lalioti, professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Varieties of Digital Ecosystems: Benchmarking AI-Driven Public Service Transformations
Jacqueline O’Reilly, University of Sussex
Paper Presentation
The Adoption of AI in Public Employment Services and Its Implications for Social Welfare Delivery
Stewart Butler, Independent Researcher
Paper Presentation
AI-Driven Personalized SMS Interventions for Social Welfare: A Unified Policy Framework Across Climate-Health, Domestic Violence, and Elderly Care
Sandya Venugopal, Venugopal Eco Health Advisory Services
Paper Presentation
Designing AI for Reduced Harm: Interdisciplinary Coordination in Modern Social Welfare Systems
Layal Bou Harfouch, Reason Foundation
Paper Presentation

12:15-13:45: Lunch (on your own)

13:45-15:30: AI in Service Delivery

Moderator: Antonio López Peláez, professor, UNED; and executive director, International Council of Social Welfare
AI-Enabled Social Care in Cyprus: Digital Front Doors, Service Navigation, and the Next Step Toward Predictive, Accountable Provision in Child Protection
Despina Cochliou, University of Nicosia
Paper Presentation
Reducing Social Workers’ Burnout Through AI-Supported Digital Interventions
Tammie Ronen, Tel-Aviv University; and Yair Dangoor, Tel-Aviv University
Paper Presentation
Supporting communication in paid live-in care settings: understanding factors for the routinization of an AI-supported translation and messenger app
Birgit Trukeschitz, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business; and Ulrike Schneider, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business
Paper Presentation
Between Organisational Change and Digitalisation: The Dual Transformation of the German Labour Administration
Michaela Schulze, University of Applied Labour Studies
Paper Presentation
Transforming Intermediate Microeconomics Education: Integrating Generative AI as a Pedagogical Tool for Teaching Intuitive and Quantitative Concepts
Nandita Dasgupta, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Paper Presentation
AI as a Mediating Force: Advancing Pro-Social and Integrated Welfare Policies for the 21 st Century
Sergei Zelenev, International Council on Social Welfare
Paper Presentation

15:30-15:55: Coffee Break

16:00-17:00: AI in Systematic Reviews

Moderator: Douglas Besharov, professor, University of Maryland
Paper Evaluating the Efficacy of Two Large Language Models in Literature Reviews
Weilin Li, Child Trends
Paper Presentation
Using Artificial Intelligence in Evidence Syntheses for International Development: Experiences from Three Systematic Reviews
Thomas de Hoop, American Institutes for Research
Paper Presentation
Mobilising Evidence Through Artificial Intelligence and User-Informed Synthesis
James Thomas, University College London
Paper Presentation

17:00-17:30: Close: AI as Policy Actor: Rethinking Expertise and Deliberation in Public Welfare

18:30: Dinner

Friday, 5 June

9:00-9:15 Welcome

Timo Fleckenstein, London School of Economics
Antonio López Peláez, professor, UNED; and executive director, International Council of Social Welfare (discussing possible publication plans)

9:15-10:30 AI in Qualitative Research

Moderator: Elisabetta Mughini, research director, INDIRE
Personalizing Prompts for Qualitative Coding: Aligning Large Language Models with Social Science Research Designs
Zeqiang Wang, University of Surrey
Paper Presentation
Too Big to Code? Limits and Possibilities of ChatGPT for Large-Scale Political Text Classification
Jakub Sowula, University of Tübingen
Paper Presentation
Integrating Large Language Models into Text-as-Data Research: Methods, Workflows, and Standards for Social Science
Zachary Courser, Claremont McKenna College
Paper Presentation
This Candidate is [MASK]: Prompt-based Sentiment Extraction and Reference Letters
Fabian Slonimczyk, Higher School of Economics
Paper Presentation

10:30-10:55 Coffee Break

11:00-12:30: AI in Education

Moderator: Guido Merzoni, professor, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Personalisation and Generative AI: Supporting Teachers in Developing Students' Potential
Jessica Niewint-Gori, INDIRE; and Sara Mori, INDIRE
Paper Presentation
Evaluating the Impact of AI in Education: Developing Informed Policy
Sara Mori, INDIRE
Paper Presentation
AI and the Evolution of Innovative School Systems
Lydia Zampolini, INDIRE
Paper Presentation
Contextualising School Staff Digital Competences. The Case Study from Text-Based to LLM-Personalised Scenarios
Margherita Di Stasio, INDIRE
Paper Presentation
AI as a Pedagogical Tool Looking for Critical Thinking in Social Work Education
Antonio López Peláez, UNED; and Gloria Kirwan, RCSI
Paper Presentation

12:30-14:00: Lunch (on your own)

14:00-15:15: Governance of AI Systems

Moderator: Fernando Burgos, professor, Getulio Vargas Foundation
Governing AI in Welfare Decision Systems: A Multi-Layer Ethical Framework for Bias Mitigation and Accountability
Imen Ameur, Hult International Business School
Paper Presentation
Who Governs AI for Social Welfare? Workforce Capacity, Institutional Design, and the Erosion of Democratic Oversight
Deb Doing, University of California Berkeley
Paper Presentation
Bridging the Gap: AI Governance for Equitable Adaptive Social Protection in the Face of Climate Shocks
Stiene Praet, SPRI Global
Paper Presentation
What the Data Inherited: Trans and Nonbinary Refugee Resettlement, Predictive Welfare AI, and the Long Life of Binary Data Infrastructure
LJ Connolly, University of Central Florida
Paper Presentation
Beyond Standardizing Language: How LLMs are Changing the Role of Social Workers
Janne Petroons, KU Leuven
Paper Presentation

15:15-15:55: Coffee Break

16:00-17:30 Ethical Considerations for AI in Social Welfare

Moderator: Sagrario Segado, professor, UNED
Exploring the Ethical, Legal and Societal Issues (ELSI) of Medical AI in South Korea
Saebyoul Yun, University of Edinburgh
Paper Presentation
How Artificial Intelligence is changing welfare provision: trends in the applications of decision-making algorithms in Dutch social security
Erwin Gielens, TU Delft
Paper Presentation
Algorithmic Fairness as Administrative Compliance
Georgia van Toorn, University of New South Wales
Paper Presentation
Will AI Increase Ambivalent Feelings and Experiences with Digital Welfare for Women in Vulnerable Contexts?
Fernando Burgos, FGV EAESP
Paper Presentation
The Generative Balanced Move to Humanistic Welfare in the AI-Era
Kyungbae Chung, SES
Paper Presentation