1. AI4PG
  2. Research

Four open problems.

Four research threads that shape the AI4PG agenda. The workshop and the grants programme converge on this structured map of open problems in the design of allocation mechanisms for public goods — under realistic assumptions about evaluator capacity, measurement error and strategic behaviour. Visual artifacts — timelines, infographics, essays — live in Field Notes.

  1. Thread 01

    Ex-ante versus ex-post allocation

    What are the comparative properties of prospective allocation mechanisms (including quadratic and matching-fund designs) versus retrospective, impact-based reward mechanisms, under realistic assumptions about evaluator capacity, measurement error, and strategic behavior?

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  2. Thread 02

    Impact evaluation at scale

    How should the outcomes of funded work be measured, attributed, and rewarded when the volume of funded projects grows faster than the supply of qualified evaluators? What mechanisms can credibly distinguish impactful work from plausible-looking work, especially when results unfold over years?

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  3. Thread 03

    Evaluation under AI-mediated contribution

    How should provenance, attribution, and reviewer effort be incorporated into allocation mechanisms when a growing share of submitted material is machine-generated? What mechanisms can preserve informativeness when the cost of producing plausible submissions approaches zero?

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  4. Thread 04

    Network and dependency structure

    How should resources flow through networks of dependency and influence — software libraries, scientific citations, organizations delivering services to shared beneficiaries? Shapley-value and cooperative solution concepts, their computational tractability on real networks.

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