5 Ways Cooperatives Can Shape the Future of AI

AI development is dominated by a handful of powerful firms, raising concerns about equity, accountability, and social harm. AI cooperatives-democratically governed and community-owned-offer a promising alternative through five key interventions: 1) Democratizing data governance by giving individuals control over how their data is used; 2) Bridging research and civil society by grounding AI debates in public needs, not elite institutions; 3) Advancing education to equip members with the knowledge to influence AI systems; 4) Building alternative ownership models to keep AI value creation in stakeholder hands; and 5) Adapting AI for cooperative ends, ensuring systems support solidarity and worker power. Though cooperatives face barriers in scale and resources, these strategies point to a viable, inclusive path for AI aligned with public interest.