The IDEMS Podcast: Alternatives to AI Empires

Inspired by Karen Hao’s book "Empire of AI" and the "Earthkeepers versus AI Empires" convening in Zambia, this series explores alternative approaches to the social and technical realities of the AI boom. Drawing on over a decade of experience building technology-enabled systems for social impact, David Stern and Kate Fleming reflect on questions of community ownership, data governance, interoperability, human expertise, and collaboration. Together they explore what it would take to build AI that strengthens communities rather than concentrating power, and what a more democratic and community-centred technological future might look like.