P-AIA: Participatory AI for Alternative Sustainable Futures

About the project

Emerging artificial intelligent (AI) technologies are instrumental in the green transition towards more inclusive and sustainable futures, with a pivotal role in managing natural and green energy resources in diverse cultural contexts. Yet, the technologies are designed based on Westernised values, principles and models of prediction that challenge local participation, agency and empowerment. Addressing the urgent need for humanistic research for driving technological innovation and green transitions, P-AIAdevelops design anthropological approaches to explore and codesign decolonising forms of AI based on diverse local values, knowledges and lifeworlds in Namibia and Denmark. Through two complementary cases of net zero communities, responsible AI, and sustainable energy collectives, P-AIAcontributes with novel knowledge, methodologies and frameworks for developing everyday green automation for sustainable AI futures in highly culturally diverse local and global contexts.

Project Partners

Project Founding

Project Publications

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Nguno, V., Till, S., Indongo, N., Kandjengo, S., Rodil, K., Smith, R. C. & Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, H. (2026). Co-Designing a Web-Based Interface for an AI-IoT Hydroponics System with an Indigenous Community in Namibia. In International Conference on Emerging Trends in Networks and Computer Communications (ETNCC) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.

Jensen, R. H., Smith, R. C. & Hirsch, L. (2026). Designing for 'Last-Mile' Climate Resilience with Communities.

Indongo, N., Smith, R. C. & Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, H. (2026). Mirror of Reflections: Creating Relatable AI-generated Motivational Stories from San Youth Experiences and San Elders’ Wisdom. In 2025 International Conference on Emerging Trends in Networks and Computer Communications (ETNCC) IEEE.

Smith, R. C., Huybrechts, L., Simonsen, J. & Loi, D. (2025). Contemporary Participatory Design: Research Agendas for Societal Crisis. In Proceedings of the Sixth Decennial Aarhus Conference: : Computing X Crisis (pp. 182-201). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3744169.3744183

Auala, S., Mbinge, U., Ndjao, L., Van Niekerk, K. C., Nathingo, N., Nehoya, R., Smith, R. C., Rodil, K., Kapuire, G. K., Maasz, D. & Winschiers-Theophilus, H. (2025). Creating a Responsible AI Framework for Cultural Validity: Exploring Heritage Futures with an Ovahimba Indigenous Community of Namibia. In S. Lazem, O. Anya, M. Saleh, M. S. Nkwo, A. M. Gamundani, A. A. Ogunyemi & O. E. Isafiade (Eds.), Proceedings of the 5th Biennial African Human-Computer Interaction Conference, AfriCHI 2025 (pp. 358-368). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3757232.3757268

Martin, A., Liu, J., Paudel, S., Jensen, R. H., Smith, R. C., Bardzell, S., Soden, R. & Lin, C. K. (2025). Datafication of Climate Change: From Prediction to Participation. In Adjunct proceedings of the sixth decennial Aarhus conference: Computing X Crisis (AAR Adjunct 2025) (pp. 1-4). Article 31 Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3737609.3747099

Indongo, N., Smith, R. C., Kandjengo, S., Mbinge, U. & Winschiers-Theophilus, H. (2025). Designing Responsible AI Systems with Indigenous Communities: A Participatory Approach with Ovahimba and San Communities in Namibia. 1-14. Paper presented at Participatory AI Research and Practice Symposium (PAIRS), Paris, France.

Jensen, R. H., Smith, R. C. & Rasmussen, M. A. (2025). Participation in Datafication of Green Energy Futures: Position Paper for AARHUS 2025 workshop on Datafication of Climate Change: From Prediction to Participation. Abstract from The sixth decennial Aarhus conference, Aarhus N, Denmark.

Smith, R. C., Till, S., Jensen, R. H., Fog, B. V., Wilson, T., Wanvig, R., Feddersen, M. Ø., Klausen, O. G., Johannesen, G. D., Bertelsen, C. L., Muashekele, C. P. & Winschiers-Theophilus, H. (2025). Retrofitting AI-driven hydroponic micro-farming across Global South(s) and North(s). Abstract from SANORD 2025: Knowledge Economies in a Changing World, Aarhus, Denmark. https://conferences.au.dk/sanord2025/program/panel-2