Adaptive AI for self-determined creative participation of people with intellectual disabilities

Project idea in development – POLNORIS
Priority: Social inclusion and resilience

Working title: Adaptive AI environment for self-determined creative participation of adults with intellectual disabilities

Research question: Can an appropriately designed adaptive AI system reduce cognitive and technological barriers so that adults with intellectual disabilities can make meaningful creative decisions and produce music and audiovisual content independently, without the system displacing their creative agency?

The proposed approach combines participatory design with end users from the outset and the development of an AI-supported creative environment for music and audiovisual content. The system would use an easy-to-read interface, multimodal interaction and graduated levels of assistance adapted to individual support needs.

The research would examine whether adaptive AI can increase creative self-determination compared with standard assisted practice. Potential evaluation measures include task performance, the proportion of creative decisions made independently, the level of external assistance required, perceived authorship and ownership, and the quality and reception of the resulting works.

A key element of the concept is real-world validation. Through Crave Digital, selected project outputs could be tested beyond laboratory settings, with the possibility for participants' works to be published and reach real audiences.

Ethical and legal considerations would be integrated into the research design from the outset, including supported decision-making and accessible informed consent, data protection requirements for sensitive personal data, safeguards relevant to the use of AI with vulnerable persons, and clear rules concerning authorship, intellectual property and rights in AI-assisted works.

CRAVE's proposed role:
CRAVE intends to participate as a Polish SME and creative-sector Project Partner, contributing expertise in digital music distribution, audiovisual production, creative workflows, AI-enabled tools and real-world validation. CRAVE would also contribute to the exploitation and dissemination of project results within the cultural and creative sectors.

Partners sought:

• a Poland-based research organisation willing to act as Project Promoter and scientific lead, preferably with expertise in special education, psychology, HCI, cognitive accessibility, disability research, assistive technologies or human-centred AI;

• a research organisation from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein to join as the mandatory Donor State research partner, with relevant expertise in HCI, inclusive/universal design, intellectual disability, assistive technologies, participatory design or human-centred AI;

• potentially, an NGO or other organisation representing adults with intellectual disabilities as an end-user and co-creation partner.

We are looking for partners interested in jointly developing the research methodology, consortium structure and full POLNORIS proposal.