AI systems have been promised to reduce CO2 emissions, monitor biodiversity, support
accessibility, or help analyse human rights violations. They are often seen as a crucial part of the
solutions needed in our times ranging from addressing the climate crisis, public health, to
improvement of social services, or urban planning. We find the reference to artificial intelligence
(AI) in many documents and debates of the policy realm, assigning it a strong potential to
contribute to all these domains. AI for the public interest, and its close relatives, AI for (common or
social) good, have become a common theme not only for tech companies, but also for political
actors in the EU, including for instance international NGO networks. However, most often the
definition of the public interest in the best case is limited to references to AI ethics. Yet, the
practical meaning of what a good use of AI and a purpose “for good” entails in its development and
implementation is unclear. What is often missing is an understanding that spells out in practice
what it means for the process of development and deployment of AI systems to serve the public
interest, let alone a holistic view on the conditions for AI to best serve the collective well-being.
