Community-Centered AI
May 18 - May 20
Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

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.
For more information visit: communitycenteredai.org
Organizers
Jenny Goldstein
PI
Assistant Professor, Global Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Michael Charles
Co-PI
Assistant Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Chris Csíkszentmihályi
Co-PI
Associate Professor, Information Science, Cornell Bowers Computing and Information Science
Participants
Grandell "Bird" Hallett Logan
Tonawanda Seneca Nation
