Community Call – AI Series | Episode 3: AI and Ecology

Time is in CEST

The Final session of our Ethics and AI series will unpack ecological understandings and enacted practices of ecology in times of AI. Whilst we are experiencing buzzing attention on the need for regenerative agendas,  we need to ensure that it becomes more than a new wrapping for the same old practices. What is the difference between sustainability and regeneration and how do we cultivate an ecology driven agenda as a global maker community?  In this session we will examine tangible frameworks that guide the implementation of ecological and systemic practices and how this relates to the technological decisions we make.

We will learn from organisations that have successfully rooted their organisational structures and practices in a care and commons approach.

Kersti Ruth Wissenbach is a political sociologist with deep roots in the participatory communication and communication rights movement. She is the founder of Cultiva Lab, a socio-ecology driven consultancy and exploration space that is rooted in the permaculture principles of People Care, Planet Care, Fair Share. Cultiva Lab works with citizens, organisations and public sector institutions to embrace all-life-affirming understandings and approaches in their work. Prior to establishing Cultiva Lab, she spent nearly twenty years working at the intersection of digital transformation, sustainability, and justice in the international development cooperation sector and in academia. Kersti has extensively collaborated with activist groups, NGOs, and public sector institutions, leading strategic planning, policy advice, and the implementation of civic participation processes globally.

Isabella Luz is a communication expert and activist with over 13 years of experience in campaigns and project management for cultural, human rights, and socio-environmental causes. Since 2017, she has led organizational and communication strategies for impactful socio-environmental organizations.

Her expertise spans audiovisual production, creative direction, and strategic planning on topics such as education, diversity, and sustainability. Currently serving as Institutional Manager at the Instituto Procomum since 2022, Isabella also collaborates with international NGOs, including WWF, International Rivers, Oxfam, Rainforest International, Greenpeace, ISA Socioambiental, and others.

Bruna Zanolli specializes in community-centered connectivity and digital care, drawing on the principles of intersectional feminism, social and climate justice and popular education. She currently leads the Shaping Connectivity area of the Local Networks (LocNet) project, supporting Communities of Practice, Implementations and Local Services for community networks operating in the Global South, working with the organization Rhizomatica in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). For over 15 years, she has been working to promote community-led radio and connectivity networks, advocating for technologies and media in the public and community interest, especially focused on traditional and vulnerable territories. Bruna is a former Mozilla Open Web Fellow (2018/19) and a member of the Transfeminist Digital Care Network and APC’s Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN). 

Nils Brock is a  journalist and media developer with focus on community media and community networks. Co-coordinator of the open-source digital newsroom Colmena (DW Akademie and partners) co-created and maintained with CSOs in the Global South. He also collaborates with the LocNet project on the exploration of local digital services. Member of the Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) network.