Our Focus

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Exploring institutional structures and policy mechanisms that guide the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. This research examines how different governance approaches can balance innovation with ethical considerations, addressing challenges of accountability, transparency, and power distribution across diverse contexts.
Investigating methodologies that place local communities at the center of AI development and implementation. This work examines how AI solutions can be designed with and for communities facing complex challenges, ensuring technologies reflect local needs, values, and knowledge systems while distributing benefits equitably.
Researching alternative paradigms for data governance based on indigenous knowledge systems and rights. This work explores how traditional approaches to knowledge stewardship can inform more equitable data practices, challenging conventional frameworks while supporting communities' rights to control information that represents their identities, territories, and cultural practices.
Examining how processes can enhance the design and implementation of AI-enabled peace monitoring. This research focuses on creating inclusive spaces for diverse stakeholders to shape technology applications in conflict settings, ensuring systems are conflict-sensitive and responsive to complex local dynamics.

NYU PREP’s collaboration with UNDP in Malawi is developing innovative communication technology that allows populations without internet access to participate in peace and security monitoring using local languages. This partnership creates more inclusive crisis monitoring systems that help bridge the digital divide while preserving linguistic diversity and supporting conflict prevention in underserved communities.

NYU PREP is working with indigenous communities in the Philippines, and an indigenous university to develop culturally appropriate oversight mechanisms for AI. This work examines how AI deployment affects local innovation ecosystems and sovereignty, creating frameworks that enable meaningful community participation in technology governance while respecting traditional knowledge systems and norms.

NYU PREP is investigating the concept of digital sovereignty and participatory approaches to AI governance in the Global South, focusing on how communities can meaningfully engage with technologies affecting their lives. Our work in Kenya brings together academic institutions and policy leaders to develop practical oversight mechanisms that address power imbalances in AI deployment.