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DAIR

  • We cut through the AI hype.

    AI has become more than just a buzzword. We show what “AI” can really do (and what it can’t).

    See our work

  • We ground our research in community.

    If we want technology that addresses real problems, we need people who understand those problems firsthand. All of our innovation is driven by local expertise and community need.

    See our work

  • We imagine alternative futures.

    Whose technological imagination are you living in? We cultivate dreaming as a discipline. If we want to build a better world, we need to imagine it first.

    See our work

WHO WE ARE

The Distributed AI Research Institute is an independent organization conducting community-rooted research. We are a globally distributed group of academics, activists, and engineers who believe in technology that benefits everyone.

Our work is centered on lived experience.

We believe that research should center the people most impacted by technology and should be rooted in community needs. As a globally-distributed team, we're able to remain embedded in our communities worldwide, and to include a greater diversity of perspectives and lived experiences to inform our research and other projects.

Our research is comprehensive and principled.

We take the time to do it right and don’t make assumptions. Our deliberate, comprehensive research processes generate findings that lead to meaningful results and offer pathways for building technological tools and systems that communities want and need.

We invest in healthy, thriving researchers.

We reject academic burnout. We support families, take time off, and participate in our local communities. Our best work happens when we have the freedom and support to live full and connected lives outside of work.

We build the technologies we want to see in the world.

People want and deserve to see themselves reflected in technology. We believe that the suite of tools known as “artificial intelligence” can include thoughtful, supportive, and inclusive technologies that benefit our communities. However, we also believe that AI is seldom the solution and its advance should not be treated as inevitable.

Our research areas

Data for Change icon

Data for Change

We use quantitative and qualitative methodologies to equip historically marginalized groups with data to advocate
for change.

3 projects

The Real Harms of AI Systems icon

The Real Harms of AI Systems

We expose the real harms of AI systems while countering AI hype.

9 projects

Alternative Tech Futures icon

Alternative Tech Futures

New technological futures reflective of everyone being able to see themselves centered design, safety, joy, and beyond margins.

6 projects

Frameworks for AI Research & Development icon

Frameworks for AI Research & Development

We build frameworks for non-exploitative community rooted in our research practice.

4 projects

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