Date & Location: August 27, 2025, Umeå University, Västerbotten, Sweden

On 27 August 2025, more than 100 participants joined the AI Policy Lab workshop Responsible AI Self-Assessment: Start with Question Zero at Umeå University and online. Together, we tested and debated the Responsible AI Self-Assessment Tool, designed to help organisations pause, reflect, and ask why before moving into AI adoption.

📄 You can explore the current version of the tool here:
Responsible AI Self-Assessment Tool (PDF)

Highlights from the discussions

The workshop brought together voices from academia, industry and the public sector, sparking vibrant conversations around responsible AI. Participants reflected on questions such as:

• Should a clear AI clarification step be required before entering Question Zero (“Why do you plan to adopt an AI system?”)?
• Should organisations complete a process pre-assessment before starting with AI?
• What kind of work should remain human-only?
• How can transparency and ethics be maintained when deciding between automation and augmentation?
• Why might other non-AI solutions not solve the problem at hand?

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined, shared perspectives and challenged assumptions. Your input is vital to shaping a practical, responsible approach to AI adoption.

Next steps

The tool is still a work in progress. Feedback from this workshop will be implemented directly into the next version of the tool. Future workshops will continue to stress-test and evolve it, ensuring it meets the needs of diverse organisations working with AI.

As Virginia Dignum, Director of the AI Policy Lab, put it:

“Responsible AI isn’t AI-first, it’s people-first. It starts by asking why, not rushing to deploy.”

👉 Interested in taking part in upcoming sessions? Keep an eye on our website and LinkedIn page for updates.