Sanjay Kumar

Title: Computational argumentation theory for the support of deliberation processes in online deliberation platforms

Supervision Team: Jane Suiter, DCU / Luca Longo, TU Dublin

Description: This project focuses on argumentation, an emerging sub-topic of artificial intelligence aimed at formalising reasoning under uncertainty with conflictual pieces of knowledge. The project will deploy argumentation theory, a paradigm for implementing defeasible reasoning, with the key focus on conflict resolution. In recent years deliberation has emerged as a key component of democratic innovation enabling decision making and reason giving, helping the public make more enlightened judgements and act accordingly. This is an inter disciplinary project which will utilise this computational approach to examine real-world deliberative public engagement activities including key citizens’ assemblies. In detail, the aim of this research is to deploy formal argumentation in the modelling and analysis of deliberative discourses of people in deliberative events, for example, including discussion on the topics of climate change or immigration. Thus from a collection of conflictual points of views of humans, this will enable the automatic extraction of the most deliberative views on a topic. These can then be justified and explained to the public, in turn supporting understanding and decision-making.