For four years, Feminist.AI has been doing community-based educational work around the unquestioned uses of artificial intelligence, and reimagining alternative technologies. Now, we are launching a new series of educational workshops that center BIPOC and LBGTQIA+ womxn and non-binary folks, where participants will critically learn about AI and create their own social technologies or AI. Invest in the power of technology and community, and help us continue this work of critical resistance! Note: Donations for Feminist.AI made through Gofundme will be eligible for a tax deduction through our fiscal sponsor Gray Area. We also welcome donations via Cashapp: $FAImutable and Venmo: FAImutable. <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51322122_1601236426240227_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="51322122_1601236426240227_r.jpeg" /> Our Commitment Feminist.AI works collaboratively with our community members to reimagine technologies and build alternatives to increasingly predatory algorithms that put people in danger. We model alternative ways of creating algorithms and consenting to data collection that are informed by intersectional feminist principles, and engage people from all levels of technical expertise, privileging life experience over formal education or work history. We demonstrate that algorithms don’t have to be exploitative and exclusive — they can be designed by and for communities and informed by the people who are most impacted by their prevalence. Our work is to empower each other to recognize and challenge the role of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives. We care about our autonomy and we will not accept its erasure without our consent. Who We Are - Mission: Feminist.AI works to put technology into the hands of makers, researchers, thinkers, and learners to amplify unheard voices and create more accessible AI for all. We create spaces where intergenerational BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ womxn and non-binary folks can gather to build tech together that is informed by our cultures, identities and experiences. We engage with intersectional feminism to spotlight our stories, inventions, designs, and leadership, and to co-create more equitable futures. Our Vision: We believe that all individuals should be able to understand and participate in how technology affects their daily lives and communities. Our projects and programs are for people at any level of exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) thinking. We approach each project by questioning the assumptions traditionally embedded in AI and machine learning (ML), while creating our own adaptive technologies together, in order to advance an understanding of AI’s role in everyday life. History: Feminist.AI has functioned as a volunteer-run organization for over four years. During that time, we expanded knowledge about emerging technology by holding workshops, hosting artists and educational events, and engaging in longer-term research and art projects. Many of these events were hosted in our collaborative downtown Los Angeles space, while other events were hosted on-site in other locations or virtually.   What We Do - Past Programming: Our programming centers around year-long critical making projects. Our previous projects include: using community AI programming to look at bias in voice design in Thoughtful Voice Design (2016-2017); Inclusion and Access in Intelligent Protests (2016-2017); re-imagining mental wellness in Contextual Normalcy (2018), presented at Stanford University; and community rule creation for smart devices and microcontrollers in Learning Here (2019).  Current and Upcoming Programming: This year, our focus is on Algorithms of Oppression, inspired by the work of Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble. This programming includes our education modules and co-creating with the community in a book club with The Women’s Center for Creative Work in alliance with The Free Black Women’s Library LA. The critical making that results from this project will be shown in a series of rotating art exhibitions. In October 2020, we will also be participating in Power Up, a free series of digital youth workshops with POWRPLNT. In 2021, we will continue our Algorithms of Oppression-centered programming through art and critical creative coding in collaboration with various arts and culture organizations, and the community centered socio-tech design tool, poieto. What We’re Fundraising For  Right now, our operations are dependent on our dedicated volunteer team who has been developing and running our programs for over four years. Our team began in the Los Angeles area, but has grown to include members from around the world. In the wake of a global pandemic, with the help of our partners, we have used our limited resources to adapt and expand our operations to include virtual programs that can be reached by a larger audience. Our most recent programming, the Algorithms of Oppression book club, was co-presented with The Women’s Center for Creative Work in alliance with The Free Black Women’s Library LA. It has engaged with thousands of participants and viewers, and collaborated with close to thirty speakers, including the book’s author, Professor Safiya U. Noble, multidisciplinary vocal artist Mandy Harris Williams, and artist and curator Sage Adams. Now, our work can’t continue without your support. Your contribution will go towards, well, everything — but most importantly, it will enable us to carry out the rest of our planned educational programming inspired by Algorithms of Oppression, and continue keeping our community programs free for BIPOC participants as part of our commitment to equity. We’ve had thousands of people in our community engage with us and our work, and now we’re asking for your help to secure our future.  <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51322122_1601185228502377_r.jpeg" alt="51322122_1601185228502377_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /> Your investment of:  $25: Pays for 1 month of our subscription to the live platform Crowdcast, so we can continue hosting virtual education courses $50: Covers the cost of workshop supplies for one participant $75: Sponsors a ticket to one of our workshops so a community member can participate free of charge $150: Pays for a stage manager to run one of our virtual workshops and/or courses $200: Pays for ASL interpretation at one of our virtual workshops and/or courses $500: Pays for design and exploratory research for one of our workshops and/or courses $1,000: Pays for speaker fees for one of our panel events $5,000: Pays for two three-month artist-in-residence fellowships $10,000-30,000: Pays for us to develop and deliver an educational mini-course (number of sessions, staff and TAs contingent on funding) Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently planning on running virtual or socially distant events for the foreseeable future. Our downtown LA space will be used to share Algorithms of Oppression-inspired artwork via webcam and appointment, and we will open the space for larger gatherings only when safe to do so. In addition to this fundraiser, we are seeking other sources of funding that will allow us to expand our operations moving into the future. This additional funding will allow us to hire key staff members to make our operations sustainable in the years to come, including a Critical Data &amp; AI Equity Director, Program Director, Social Media and Marketing Manager, and more. We hope to hire subject experts in their fields while also drawing from our community for some of these roles. As well, this additional funding will enable us to develop additional educational courses beyond what is listed above, as well as provide hardware and software for our researchers, core team and community.

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Help Feminist.AI Reimagine AI for Everybody

Help Feminist.AI Reimagine AI for Everybody

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