Care, Wisdom, and Civics: Value Sensitive Design of Large Language Model Support for Online Moderation

Human–computer interaction (HCI) and natural language processing (NLP) research increasingly explore large language model (LLM) support for online content moderation tasks. This study conducts a value sensitive design process with volunteer moderators of two heavily moderated subreddits (history Q&A, and legal advice). Through an empirical investigation using iterative interviews and a conceptual investigation centered in virtue ethics, we find moderators center values of care, wisdom, and civics in their work. A technical investigation then matches these values to the known capabilities and limitations of LLMs. We find current LLMs potentially well-suited to supporting care in managing sensitive content and wisdom in bridging content to context. However, many aspects of civic community-building are challenging to support with today’s models. Our study provides guidelines for designing LLM support for moderation tools and demonstrates value sensitive design methods to connect work practices, values, and the possibilities and limits of automation.