{"id":7052061,"date":"2026-08-30T23:35:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T23:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/activist\/6-thoughts-about-ai-a-workshop\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T23:35:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T23:35:34","slug":"6-thoughts-about-ai-a-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7052061","title":{"rendered":"6 Thoughts About AI + a workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Ok fine. Let\u2019s talk about AI.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\n

BUT FIRST<\/em>, we have a\u00a0free online workshop\u00a0<\/strong>you can join where participants will get to use a new AI-based tool we\u2019ve developed.<\/p>\n

Make the Dream Real with a Strong Objective<\/strong>
In unstable times, clear goals and specific, detailed outcomes give us a sense of direction and purpose where creativity can take root.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We\u2019re offering a free workshop that will give you that clarity!\u00a0More on that below.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"icon<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Lately we\u2019ve been doing a lot of internal reading, meeting, and discussing about AI.<\/strong> We believe creative activists deserve access to the best tools available. So at the Center for Artistic Activism we feel we have a responsibility to scan what\u2019s out there and study, consider, and experiment. We get philosophical. We get practical. It\u2019s required \u2013 the landscape of our work is always changing and research is one way we stay ahead.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019ve been talking about AI; what\u2019s good, what\u2019s bad, what has potential, what has real liablities for us and our work. We\u2019re not done, but we wanted to share 3 thoughts that have come up from our recent conversations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Thought #1: When it comes to AI, there are real concerns.<\/h3>\n

The current AI infrastructure comes with a serious environmental cost. Data centers that demand energy are often cited in communities that already bear more than their fair share of industrial burden. Many of the major players in this space have made promises they\u2019ve broken on privacy, pricing, and climate commitments. (They can also just be a bit\u2026 creepy?) Some have aligned themselves with governments and power structures that should alarm anyone with a conscience. And the possible labor implications, in the current capitalist system, for everyone from career union screenwriters to entry level office jobs can feel staggering.<\/p>\n

Thought #2: There are echoes in history<\/h3>\n

Looking historically, the current economic situation was explained by Marx\u2019s Crises Theory in the 1800\u2019s<\/a>. And movements through time always had to adapt to technological change.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve sat in one of our workshops, you know this story: the Civil Rights Movement used photography<\/a> and television to drag what was happening in the South into full public view around the world. Similarly, the Zapatistas in the mid-90s were early adopters, using the internet to broadcast their cause globally. Go back decades and even early labor organizers used the telegraph to coordinate strikes.<\/p>\n

It goes on. There are activism histories connected to the printing press, radio, the photocopier, cellphones, and social media. And hey, Moses used stone tablets! Anyway, the details of each are complex, but these examples show us similar paths have been navigated before by those bringing new technologies into alignment with their values. We can use those insights and perspective.<\/p>\n

Thought #3: A diversity of strategies can be a strength<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve long believed we don\u2019t win long term victories by everyone doing the same thing \u2013 the same strategy, the same tactics, the same targets, the same methods.<\/p>\n

Some people and organizations are well-positioned to organize around AI \u2013 pushing utilities, businesses, and governments to address energy consumption, establish real data protections, and build regulatory frameworks for this new era. That work is critical. It needs to happen. (We can help, get in touch!)<\/p>\n

Others need to be using the technology \u2013 building with it, applying it, shaping it toward activist ends. Developing the knowledge and muscle that comes from practice. Advancing campaigns with it now. This article argues Socialists should want to use AI, wrest it from the hands of capitalists, and free us all from mindless drudge work so everyone has a better life.<\/a> That work also needs to happen. (We can help, get in touch!)<\/p>\n

In our meetings, we realized we support both. We can resist the pull toward an insistence that there is one correct position and that everyone else is complicit or na\u00efve. We all don\u2019t have to agree on which approach is right. At this point, we can stay open, consider what\u2019s possible, and where we can have the most impact. We can move forward, gather information, and re-assess. Movements have always required different people taking different approaches, absorbing different kinds of risk. This is no different. And at early stages, when nobody knows which approach will ultimately win, a diversity of strategies can be a strength.<\/p>\n

Thought #4: Disengagement has a cost<\/h3>\n

At the Center, we read a\u00a0recent piece in The Forge making\u00a0a compelling case that \u201cour movements opting out of AI is not a strategy.\u201d The authors \u2013 Lee Anderson and Oluwakemi Oso, Black organizers and technologists at re:power<\/a> \u2013 make the case that AI is a terrain of power<\/em> and that ceding that terrain to billionaires and autocrats doesn\u2019t protect anyone. It just leaves the architecture of the future in their hands.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s some choice quotes:<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\u201cProgressive grassroots organizers must treat AI the same way we treat policy, narrative, and strategy: as a site of struggle. As something we can study, contest, reimagine, and reshape.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cDisengagement does not protect us. It just reinforces the systems we are trying to dismantle.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cRefusing to invest in AI literacy, experimentation, and infrastructure does not reflect caution. It reflects abandonment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Thought #5: What can happen when ethics are aligned?<\/h3>\n

One thing that\u2019s shifted our thinking: seeing what this technology looks like when it\u2019s built by people who are actually in the fight.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. DebunkBot<\/a><\/strong> is AI chatbot that functions as an\u00a0evidence-based solution for disinformation.<\/li>\n
  2. The Patients Union<\/a><\/strong> used an AI text tool to get\u00a0new audiences involved in healthcare advocacy the moment they joined.<\/li>\n
  3. Change Agent AI<\/strong> and\u00a0Thaura<\/strong> <\/a>are AI providers that come out of movements and communities who are fighting for the underdog.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  4. Syrian Archive<\/a><\/strong> is a Syrian led effort that used machine learning to identify illegal weapons and build evidence to prosecute war crimes.<\/li>\n
  5. Fair Count<\/a> <\/strong>(in our\u00a0recent Field Tests program)used AI-generated video to test which content style \u2014 gospel song, sermon, comedy, or educational presentation \u2014 best moved Black church communities in rural Georgia and Mississippi to commit to vote.<\/li>\n
  6. Packard Jennings<\/a><\/strong> (artist, alumni) used AI to craft a polished, modern\u00a0country song designed to slip under the radar on all the streaming platforms. It has all the trappings of a country hit, except the title: I\u2019m a Cowboy, Not a Nazi<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These case studies are not\u00a0all perfect solutions. However, they do show that the field isn\u2019t monolithic. Values-aligned alternatives are being built by people with real stakes in getting it right.<\/p>\n

    Thought #6: Could this work for us?<\/h3>\n

    After experimenting in developing AI-supported tools for activist training and coaching, we think so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Inspired by Debunkbot, we decided to try building a tool that would help people with one of the most challenging parts of our curriculum: teaching people to articulate clear outcomes. Solid objectives are critical for strategy \u2013 but in our work around the world, we\u2019ve found wrestling one into shape is\u00a0a major struggle<\/em> for individuals and organizations of all sizes. It\u2019s counterintuitive, but a strong objective clears the fog. When you can see where you\u2019re going, creative ways of getting there start to flow.<\/p>\n

    AAAAAAAND, you can try this new tool in our upcoming objectives workshop<\/a>! It\u2019s a chat-based coaching tool that guides you through defining\u00a0a clear outcome \u2013 the starting point for projects and campaigns\u00a0that actually work, whether you\u2019re planning a national push or a creative intervention down the street.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Upcoming Online Workshop<\/h4>\n

    Make the Dream Real With a Strong Objective<\/h2>\n

    Every campaign starts with a dream. Turning it into something you can actually act on, measure, and win is a different skill \u2013 and we built a new AI-powered tool to help you do it<\/em>.\u00a0 The Center for Artistic Activism has been training activists for over 15 years. That experience is baked into this tool.<\/p>\n

    Join our virtual training<\/strong> with\u00a0Vivian Peng<\/a> (Alumni and Board Member) and Steve Lambert<\/a> (Co-founder and Artistic Director)
    March 25th, 8\u20139pm ET<\/p>\n

    Learn the process, try the tool, and leave with a clear path forward you can start on this week. Free.<\/p>\n

    \n

    We shared some of our thoughts. What are yours? Let us know what you\u2019ve been thinking about all this.<\/a><\/p>\n

    \n
    \n

    Looking forward,<\/p>\n

    Steve Lambert
    Co-Founder, Artistic Director<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
    \"Steve