Community-Centered AI

The Community-Centered AI: Methodological Innovations for Environmental Justice, Labor Equity, and Data Sovereignty Thought Summit addresses the urgent need to reimagine artificial intelligence development away from extractive, environmentally harmful practices toward community-controlled approaches that center environmental justice and data sovereignty.

Bringing together researchers, practitioners, and community members, the three-day convening will tackle AI’s core problem – its massive carbon footprint, displacement of local expertise, and violations of community consent – through collaborative workshops, participatory algorithm auditing, and solution-generating discussions.

The summit will produce immediate practical resources including a Community-Centered AI Toolkit, methodology guides, and case study databases, while establishing longer-term strategic outcomes such as a research consortium, policy recommendations, and a five-year roadmap that positions community-controlled AI as both a recognized field of practice and an ethical alternative to mainstream technology development that serves rather than exploits the communities most affected by environmental and social inequities.