AI Civics is an approach to public education and engagement that treats AI as a domain of civic life rather than a tool to be mastered, one in which people have rights, responsibilities, and avenues for collective action. We recognize the public not only as AI users, but as civic actors who can and should play a role in steering the course of this consequential technology. By surfacing civic tools the public can use to exert political power over AI systems and tech platforms — especially at the community level — this program builds people’s capacity to have a voice in how these technologies are designed and deployed, and helps to build democratic power over the institutions that create and promote them.

Through this program, we are partnering with organizations across a range of sectors that are integral to the health of our communities and civic fabric, beginning with libraries. Our inaugural partner is the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), which works with American libraries to ensure equitable access to knowledge in the digital age. We are laying vital groundwork for a national civic coalition dedicated to ensuring that people and communities know how to influence local decision-making about how AI is used in and around their daily lives. 

Organizations interested in being part of the program can reach out via this form.

This work was made possible through the support of the Humanity AI, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Humanity AI is a broad coalition of philanthropic leaders dedicated to making sure our future with AI is shaped by and for people.