The workshop "Reclaiming Algorithm Impact Assessments: Towards Participatory AI Governance" was organised as part of the CPDP (Computers, Privacy and Data Protection) 2025 conference, one of the leading international conferences dedicated to legal, regulatory, academic, and technological developments in the field of privacy and data protection. The workshop took place on 21/05/2025. It was organised and led by Alessandra Calvi (LSTS and d.pia.lab), Anastasia Karagianni (LSTS) and Maciej Otmianowski (LSTS and d.pia.lab).
Designed as an interactive and interdisciplinary discussion, the workshop was dedicated to researchers, activists, civil society organisations and practitioners interested in AI governance to brainstorm and propose concrete pathways to rethinking algorithm impact assessments (AIAs) as tools for meaningful public engagement and accountability. Reclaiming AIAs means challenging the paradigm that sees impact assessments as merely expert-driven exercises whereby the contribution of persons potentially affected by AI systems is marginalised. Instead, turning AIAs into collective exercises giving prominence to their inputs would arguably lead to fairer AI systems. Yet, as participation does not mean co-decision, such an approach may mask forms of participation washing. Therefore, it is necessary to find novel solutions for participatory AI governance. As researchers, we have critically analysed AIAs and tried to propose strategies to address these shortcomings.