Co-designing accessible AI resources with marginalised communities… …Collaborating with Lantern Trust

Introduction

The Public Involvement in Education and Research (PIER) partnership collaborated with the Lantern Trust to involve people with lived experience of homelessness and vulnerable housing in shaping new artificial intelligence (AI) learning resources for the public. Building on the learning developed through the Research Engagement Network (REN), the project invited participants to engage with research beyond the immediacy of their own lives, and as a citizens, to reduce health and social inequalities. This case study illustrates the mutual benefit of inclusive research approaches. The workshop formed part of a Google Academic Research Award funded project, involving researchers from Bournemouth University’s Faculty of Media, Science and Technology, to co-design accessible, community-driven AI learning materials.

This project involved working with people from marginalised communities to create free learning materials about artificial intelligence (AI). Instead of experts deciding what should be taught, the project listened to communities first to co-design resources based on what they felt was most important for understanding and using AI safely and responsibly.

The Lantern Trust has been supported by Bournemouth University’s PIER (Public Involvement in Education and Research) Partnership on the “I am more than…” project that was funded by NHS England as part of the Dorset Research Engagement Network (REN) Programme. A key aspect of the REN programme has been to develop the capacity and confidence of community and voluntary service organisations and the communities they serve to be involved in research.

Aim

The project aimed to co-create resources to help everyone benefit more from AI, and identify ways to avoid harm or unfair treatment. These co-designed resources will be produced in different formats, including:

• Professionally designed, print-ready versions (good for organisations and training)
• Print-at-home versions (for anyone to download and use)
• Interactive digital versions, including videos (for online learning and workshops)

By taking part, people will have the opportunity to:

1. Understand, question and use AI in daily life with confidence
2. Spot ethical issues in how AI is used by companies, services and the economy
3. Understand how the public can shape AI systems, not just tech companies
4. Build confidence and skills to make decisions about technology that affect society

The workshop

When: 26th March 2025

Who: Seven Lantern clients, including new and established creative writing group members

Facilitators: Lantern Trust (Tanya) and PIER (Kate)

When initially asked, one of the groups members from the I am more than project said ‘If it’s with BU, it’s a yes”

BU PIER has pre-established relationships with Lantern and their clients, many of whom are familiar with the ‘I am more than…’ way of working. Guided by the team at Lantern, the workshop activity was planned to take place as part of a regular creative writing session.

The workshop was co-designed drawing on the creative writing group’s usual format including time, place, and the provision of regular snacks and breaks and the premise that each member is involved on their terms. Using the usual flexible structure supported a sense of familiarity and safety reducing barriers for involvement in research.

Workshop structure

• Usual Creative Writing Group format (Tanya and Kate planned the workshop to fit with the familiarity)
• The Creative Writing Group topic and research activity were shared with all in advance
• Warm-up (short piece of free writing and opportunity to share)
• Introduction to workshop as a research study
• Group Work (small group activities and whole group discussion/reflections):
  1. Brainstorming ‘what is learning?’ using large sheets of paper
  2. Explored words such as ‘artificial’ & ‘intelligence’ and associated emotions
  3. Examined our current understanding and use of AI
  4. Writing Activity: “What do you picture in your mind when you hear the term ‘AI’?”
• Familiar ending of the group, reinforcing the safe space

Ask Kate from PIER

• We captured rich insights to add to outputs from other workshops with different marginalised communities.
• The workshop was an opportunity to show researchers as ‘normal people’ and that research can be engaging and fun.
• We held a space which felt safe enough for people to be honest and openly curious.
• All contributions were equally valued and we heard incredible responses, suggesting that everyone felt safe to share different perspectives, to challenge, and comfortable to say when they did not understand or have anything to contribute.

This is AI on our terms. We’re rewriting the AI conversation from the ground up — starting with our words, our experiences, and our communities. Learn. Debate. Decide. Together.

Ask Tanya from Lantern

• Wow – reading through the responses is quite incredible, and to see how much ‘data’ was gathered from the process and session. I’m impressed! It has helped me see the structure worked quite well – if I say so myself. I was quite blown away by what they produced. It shows what can happen when you do the planning to make something accessible and you give someone space to share.
• There is always limited time, and there is a need to stick to boundaries for safety and allow time for settling, flexible breaks to pace on their terms and still finish on time and achieve everything. It is important to trust the process, just use the approach and framework.
• It worked seamlessly co-facilitating together and drawing on each others strengths.
• This has had a huge impact on me personally – I feel I can create a new dynamic.
• Relationships were developed across all that attended, further building the capacity and confidence for the Lantern Trust and their clients to be involved in research.
• The Lantern Trust and their clients are keen to stay involved in more research.

Participant perspective

• Everyone was engaged throughout and there was real enthusiasm for sharing ideas and perspectives and hearing and reflecting on what others thought.
• Having attended this workshop one of the clients has subsequently been involved in an unrelated paramedic focussed project.
• One client attending the creative writing activity for the first time returned to the group in subsequent weeks increasing their enagagment with The Lantern Trust.

What participants shared

What thoughts come to mind?

Artificial

• manmade
• contempt
• preservatives
• fake
• inferior
• controlling
• manufactured
• plastic
• constructed

Intelligence

• growth
• smart
• evolution
• mindful
• aware
• wit
• programmed
• sneaky
• education
• power

What emotions come to mind?

Artificial

• contempt
• anger
• distant
• untrustworthy
• trepidation
• curious
• concerned
• dubious
• confused

Intelligence

• ambivalent
• content
• happy
• fulfilled
• buzzing
• trusting
• aspirational
• developmental
• motivated

Complete this sentence. AI is…

“… like a human, can help you but need to check it’s right. It depends who wrote it as to how safe it is.”

“… scary it can teach us wrong.”

“… like a malevolent machine mind. It permeates almost all of 21st century life. It deprives people of meaningful jobs and threatens our future safety.”

“… like a ‘new’ maybe ‘new’ phase in evolution but to me some of the implications are a bit disturbing.”

“… like being watched without your say so creating paranoia taking over human use.”

“… like a computer that acts like a human and learns stuff fast. I personally think it’s not in control enough because it learns by itself, and they are smarter than the human brain. And It’s scary!”

“… like a pretend human it can help with writing, but it cannot always be right. It can make mistakes. Sometimes uses robots. I don’t really understand it as such to say more, it’s confusing me.”

“… like forced collection, control and manipulation of data regardless of your wishes, intent or control.”

“… like a boa constrictor once it’s got its grip on you there’s no freeing yourself and its grip only gets tighter.“

What next?

Everything captured was combined with outputs from 4 other workshops with different marginalised communities and shared with the research team. The team identified themes and prepared visual elements for use in the resources.

In spring 2026 we will return to all 5 community groups to hold co-design workshops to shape the interactive digital open educational resources, including recording the audio components. Once these are ready, everyone involved will have the opportunity to try out and play test the interactive digital open educational resource that we have made.

This will involve time to ask questions, give feedback and find out what’s next.