The critical role of citizen science in digital transformation in urban health

Citizen science, as a ground-up approach, is gaining increasing interest in multiple disciplines such as public health, environmental sustainability, urban planning, and policy-making. There is empirical evidence that citizen science brings critical value to digital technology projects through piloting and testing prior to deployment and leveraging “real-world” communities to address complex socio-technical challenges. However, current citizen science initiatives face several key issues that undermine their effectiveness. Common problems include uneven representation of citizens, a mismatch between those in need and those capable of participating, and a lack of holistic perspective. The implementation of AI technology, particularly generative AI driven by large models (which are inherently biased toward certain socio-economically privileged populations), may exacerbate these issues, raising concerns about the fairness, effectiveness, and accountability. Similar concerns and realities plague citizen science. Our perspective paper calls for a paradigm shift in citizen science to focus more in understanding its true value, i.e., its return on investment. Finally, we identify fundamental principles to ensure efforts to advance citizen science contribute to genuine empowerment of marginalized communities rather than mere rhetoric.