Category: Topic: Social Movement

  • Aula Convening Guideline 2025 Ed.

    Aula Convening Guideline 2025 Ed.

    The Aula Convening Guidelines, 2025 ed.

    These Aula Convening Guidelines are for people working on tech governance and AI in society, these are 6 guidelines for convening communities for legitimate collective decision-making on how AI is implemented in society.

    Since our founding in 2023, Aula Fellows have hosted and participated in 100s of conversations in more than 30 countries and regions on AI. We have spoken with people who have a variety of needs, spanning through Learning AI, Living with AI, Working with AI, and Shaping AI.

    We have worked through 3 project phases, to develop these guidelines, from the common elements that make for conversations in which communities make decisions about AI. Our goal is not a new type of consultation, but rather to see to it that community convenings are conductive to collective decision making on AI.

    In 2026 we will be reaching out to partner organizations to continue to refine these guidelines and to bring them to more groups of people.

    They are complete and available now under a Creative Commons license, in this V.01, 2025 Edition.

    Link to the PDF.

  • Call for Book Chapters: OUR AI PROBLEMS

    Call for Book Chapters: OUR AI PROBLEMS

    Call for Book Chapters: Our AI Problems (Edited Volume)

    We believe that there are no easy answers when it comes to artificial intelligence and society. Across jurisdictions and decision-making bodies, those who develop or enforce regulations are confronted with difficult questions. These challenges arise for many reasons: the issues are often embedded in complex sociotechnical systems, lack straightforward solutions, or involve tensions between competing values and needs.

    The editors hold that AI can be of great service for humanity. At the same time, current regulatory frameworks lag far behind what is needed to ensure just, safe, and equitable access and outcomes. 

    Policymakers and subject-matter specialists are increasingly converging on a shared set of especially challenging issues.  Society is learning to join in the conversations. Accordingly, the proposed volume is envisioned as addressing the following areas: Economics and Power; Democracy and Trust; Risks Large and Small; Building Bridges and Inclusion; Media and Art; Environment and Health; Justice, Security, and Defense.

    If you are interested in contributing, we would be delighted to hear from you. If you know colleagues or collaborators who might wish to participate, please feel free to share this call with them as well.

    Deadline for chapter abstracts (250–300 words): 15 January 2026
    Deadline for chapter draft submission (8000–10,000 words; US English; APA style): 31 March 2026
    Deadline for final revisions: 15 May 2026

    Edited by Tammy Mackenzie, Ashley Elizabeth Muller, and Branislav Radeljić

    For more info about the editors, please see: Fellows
    Submissions and questions: Contact Branislav Radeljić, Ph.D., Director of Research.

  • A Response to Government of Canada’s AI Strategy Task Force

    A Response to Government of Canada’s AI Strategy Task Force

    The Aula Fellowship is proud to join over 40 civil advocacy organizations in an open letter to the government of Canada. Let’s lead the world in crafting tech governance that works for all. Thank you to Alex Tveit of the Sustainable Impact Foundation for intellectual and operational leadership in this space.

    See more on LinkedIn

  • Whose Identity Counts? / Keynote

    Whose Identity Counts? / Keynote

    Whose Identity Counts? explores how AI shapes whose voices are heard and whose are overlooked. Drawing on her research at the University of Cambridge, Hannah highlights the role of language and culture in building more inclusive technologies.

    See the presentation here.

  • Dataset: Curated database and methodology for Modern Slavery Context Analyses

    Dataset: Curated database and methodology for Modern Slavery Context Analyses

    This dataset is not yet available for collaborations. We expect to report on it in December, 2025. Please contact our research Director, Dr. Branislav Radeljic, Ph.D., for more information.

    More Information.

  • AIMS Hackathon Against Modern Slavery

    AIMS Hackathon Against Modern Slavery

    We are proud to announce that an Aula Team has joined the AIMS Hackathon 2025: AI Against Modern Slavery in Supply Chains. This is an issue that touches everyone on earth, and that everyone can take part in fixing.

    We will be examining problems in this space and, among other things, an open data set of 15,000+ annual corporate reports and Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index, for ways to identify, mitigate, and eradicate modern slavery.

    We are seeing what we can do to help. How do you see it? Want to check out the data and let us know? We’ll be sharing, returning, and building collaborations. Thank you and all honour to the Hackathon conveners, and director Adriana Eufrosina Bora:

    Fundación Pasos Libres: project link https://lnkd.in/gdsczfKc
    Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute: project link also includes links to all of the open data sets and studies done so far: https://lnkd.in/dAApAvqu
    QUT (Queensland University of Technology) (QUT): https://lnkd.in/ehG66MXs

    The business reports database on GitHub, built and hosted by The Future Society: https://lnkd.in/eUa6an9s

    There’s a world-class group of trainers. Numerous other partners are providing support, including The Future Society, Walk Free, UNESCO, the International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC, Australian Red Cross, and governments of Australia, Canada, the UK. And many more to come.

    Get to the heart of the matter by hearing from survivors: Faith, Love, and Human Trafficking: The Story of Karola De la Cuesta. On Goodreads and available at most online retailers in EN and SP (ask your library): https://lnkd.in/eitSUk4c

    If like us you are also working on these issues, we welcome your interest in potential collaborations. Check out “How to Get Involved”.

    Infographic from Respect International: https://lnkd.in/exRb_NNA

    AIMS Hackathon

  • Tech Tool: the Survivor’s Dashboard

    Tech Tool: the Survivor’s Dashboard

    A dashboard of curated information for survivor’s of modern slavery and the people who work to rescue others. This tool is available for collaborations. Please contact our Technical Director, François Pelletier, for more information.

  • West Island Women’s Center

    West Island Women’s Center

    Presenting a workshop on navigating the hard and strange questions on AI in society and in our lives.

    More Information

  • Shaping AI Justice Together: Join Canada’s First Black Consultation on Responsible AI Governance

    Shaping AI Justice Together: Join Canada’s First Black Consultation on Responsible AI Governance

    Announcement by Jake Okechukwu Effoduh: “I’m convening 40 brilliant minds at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law to ensure Canada’s new AI governance framework centers racial equity, accountability, and justice.

    Shaping AI Justice Together: Join Canada’s First Black Consultation on Responsible AI Governance

    Calling all Black and racial justice experts working at the forefront of algorithmic fairness: this is your invitation to help define Canada’s AI future.

    If you or someone you know is doing this critical work, step forward. Share widely, and be part of this historic conversation.

    Read more about this on LinkedIn

  • Nature Opinion: The path for AI in poor nations does not need to be paved with billions

    Nature Opinion: The path for AI in poor nations does not need to be paved with billions

    NATURE

    Researchers in low- and middle-income countries show that home-grown artificial-intelligence technologies can be developed, even without large external investments.

    More Information

  • Developing the Permanent Symposium on AI (poster): Presented at Engineering and Public Policy Division (EPP) Poster Session

    Developing the Permanent Symposium on AI (poster): Presented at Engineering and Public Policy Division (EPP) Poster Session

    A multidisciplinary, reflective autoethnography by some of the people who are building the Permanent Symposium on AI. Includes the history of the project.

    RQ 1: Challenges that unite AI policy & tech

    RQ 2: How to design the PSAI?

    RQ 3: What factors influence the adoption and scalability of the PSAI?

    This is the Flagship project of the Aula Fellowship.

    Read the Poster

  • Presenting to the United Nations

    Presenting to the United Nations

    Our Director, Tammy Mackenzie, was honoured to present our recommendations to the United Nations Committee on the Formation of a Scientific Panel on AI. We recommended that the committee include civil society in these works and that meetings should be held in countries where safe travel can be guaranteed for delegates. You can consult our recommendations here.

    See the PDF of the Consultation here: Google Drive