These past few years, the topic of AI and its potential applications is increasingly permeating Social Work as well. This development opens up chances such as efficiency increase and new learning methods, but it also contains risks including bias, data protection problems, black box effects, and the danger of dehumanising professional relationships. Therefore, embedding AI – while adhering to strict ethical guidelines (EU AI Act, NASW) – is indispensable in order to maintain the values of Social Work and design responsible application scenarios.

The master project pursues two goals: First, to develop an overview of the uses of artificial intelligence in central fields of Social Work in Austria, including documented experiences, chances, risks, and regulatory frameworks (EU AI Act, GDPR) on the basis of literature and surveys. Second, to develop a prototype for an AI-assisted web avatar as a client for practising conversational situations in a protected framework. In this context, another focus is on developing a structured feedback concept to promote reflection and the building of competence. The results are disseminated, e.g., via the Social Work Science Day and other specialist events.