Mission
AImpower.org research and co-create empowering technologies for and with marginalized communities to dismantle barriers, create benefits, and seek social justice.
Principles
Community oriented, not technology oriented
We believe research and development of technology should center the experiences and needs of marginalized communities, and should be driven by the goals of the communities, not the advancement of technology itself or the interests of the technology developers.
Build for empowerment, not engagement
We believe in the power and capacities of the communities we serve, and consider technology a means for self-efficacy. We will conduct extensive research to understand the community’s intrinsic goals and subjective experiences with technologies, beyond what is typically observed and measured by product developers. We will not optimize for time spent or user growth with the technologies we co-develop with the community, but design for long-term economic, emotional and social outcomes for the communities we work with.
Inclusion by design, not after-thought
We believe that technology should be designed and optimized for marginalized and intersectional groups from Day One, with members from these groups actively involved in the conceptualization and prototype testing of the technology rather than as a secondary or optional user group.
Proactive & pragmatic, not complicit
We operate based on the best interest of the community we serve, and will not submit to external pressure when it disaligns with our principles and mission. We will frequently and proactively evaluate the ethics of our research methods and outcomes throughout our project cycle, keeping an eye on potential conflict of interests with the community. For example, when collecting data about the community, we will explore creative and effective methods for data collection while prioritizing the community’s full agency and control of the data.
Open and transparent
We will publish all the research and open source our technical work to make them as open and accessible as possible. We will not let monetary costs stop marginalized communities from participating and taking advantage of our work.
Emphasize intersectionality
No community is a monolith. We acknowledge the structural hierarchy within marginalized communities and are committed to prioritize the needs of those on the margin of the margins. We will emphasize intersectionality in all aspects of our work, through methods such as: dedicated efforts to recruit and engage with intersectional groups within the partnering community; proactive partnerships with experts and organizations studying and addressing multiply marginalizations within marginalized communities; overweighing the inputs from people with intersectional identities when co-creating and evaluating solutions to challenges faced by the community.
Kind and respectful
We treat our team members and partners kindly and respectfully. We embrace authenticity and vulnerability. We prioritize the well-being of our staff and people we work with. We respect each other’s boundaries, values, and priorities.
Scope of Work
Research
We study and uncover structural barriers and systematic challenges for a marginalized community in different technical or non-technical contexts.
We also research and evaluate existing technological experiences, especially ML/AI-powered technologies, for potential biases and discriminatory impact to a marginalized user group.
Build
We redesign and rebuild existing technologies to make them more inclusive and enjoyable for traditionally marginalized users.
We also design and develop new technologies centered on the needs and empowerment of structurally marginalized communities.
Advise
We advise and support marginalized communities to collectively resist technological suppression and extend agency of their technological experiences.
We reserve time and resources to serve other governmental and community organizations as expert witness, technical consultant, and technical mentors.
Interested to learn more about us?
Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you up-to-date on our work!
About Us
We are AImpower, a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to center the marginalized and oppressed in technology investigation and development.
News
Contact
contact@aimpower.org
AImpower.org 