Civic Care as an Antidote to Polarization

Episode Summary

In this episode, Dr. Caroline Green is joined by Ambassador Audrey Tang to introduce the “6-Pack of Care” framework—a practical architecture for embedding civic care into AI governance. Moving beyond abstract debates about AI futures, Tang and Green explore how attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness, solidarity, and symbiosis can form the foundation for AI systems that strengthen human relationships rather than undermine them. From real-world applications in social care to global policy discussions, this conversation offers hopeful, actionable pathways for creating technology that supports pluralism, community, and relational health.

Guest Bio – Ambassador Audrey Tang

Ambassador Audrey Tang is a Fellow of the Institute for Ethics in AI's Accelerator Programme, and is a Taiwanese digital minister, civic hacker, and global advocate for digital democracy. As Taiwan’s former Minister of Digital Affairs, Tang pioneered radical transparency, open government, and participatory digital tools that brought citizens directly into policy-making. Known for their leadership in building pluralistic, collaborative frameworks for technology governance, Tang continues to advise international bodies, research institutes, and civic groups on AI ethics, digital rights, and democraticinnovation. Their work bridges philosophy, policy, and engineering, focusing on how technology can nurture civic participation and collective flourishing.

Topics Covered

• Moving from the vision of plurality to the architecture of civic care
• Defining civic care as designing AI around relational health and community needs
• The 6-Pack of Care framework:

1. Attentiveness – noticing needs before optimising outcomes
2. Responsibility – public pledges, accountability, and alignment assemblies
3. Competence – delivering support that strengthens, not weakens, human relationships
4. Responsiveness – designing adaptable systems that empower those closest to harms
5. Solidarity – building infrastructures of cooperation, interoperability, and portability
6. Symbiosis – bounded, community-rooted AI (the kami metaphor) instead of singularity

• Applications of civic care in social care systems and family caregiving
• The role of AI in co-production and amplifying unheard voices in policymaking
• Tang’s reflections on telepresence, co-presence, and re-presence in diplomacy and civic life
• Practical tools such as alignment assemblies, sense-making, and WEVAL.org
• Why plurality, solidarity, and symbiosis must guide AI policy and global governance

Resources and Links

• The 6-Pack of Care microsite – https://6pack.care
• Accelerator Fellowship Programme – Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford
• WEVAL Wiki Evaluation Platform) – https://weval.org
• Dedicate (AI care assistant for family caregivers) – https://dedicate.life
• Collective Intelligence Project – https://collective-intelligence-project.org