Call for Practitioners and Researchers
Cooperative AI
November 11–14, 2025 | Istanbul
Cooperative AI, the first global conference on cooperatives and artificial intelligence, held during the UN Year of Cooperatives, centers collective ownership, ecological care, and democratic governance within the broader context of the solidarity economy.
As artificial intelligence redraws the boundaries of economies, workplaces, and communities, Cooperative AI invites both practitioners and researchers to imagine how these technologies might be grounded in radical cooperative principles and values.
Read more on the conference website
Conference Themes
We encourage submissions that engage both—combining analytical depth with practical relevance, or addressing multiple themes that cut across traditional boundaries.
For Practitioners:
- How is AI affecting your workplace—through automation, surveillance, or new forms of competition?
- Can AI be used to support cooperative governance, productivity, or member engagement?
- What role could AI play in cooperative education, training, and organizing?
- How are platform cooperatives building resilience in a changing tech and economic landscape—through governance, market strategy, legal frameworks, or cooperative education?
For Researchers:
- How can solidarity-driven technologies counter platform dominance and harmful AI applications—including militarization—through policy, worker power, and international cooperation?
- In what ways can AI support cooperatives and social enterprises without reinforcing dependence on Big Tech—through data collectives, participatory co-design, or sovereign digital infrastructures?
- How can decentralized governance, digital commons, and cooperative tech alliances offer sustainable and democratic alternatives to proprietary tech ecosystems?
- How are AI-driven platforms impacting migrants, women, and climate refugees—and what cooperative strategies can resist algorithmic injustice and advance social equity?
- What forms of invisible labor sustain AI systems—and how can cooperative models ensure transparency, fair pay, and democratic participation in digital work?
- How can platform cooperatives scale sustainably while resisting Big Tech dependency and market pressures? Case studies on failures and business resilience are especially welcome.
Submission Guidelines
We welcome proposals in a range of formats, including:
- Academic papers
- Workshops
- Case studies or field reports
- Interactive or creative presentations/performances
Please note: Academic papers are welcome, but presentations will be limited to 10 minutes, with full papers shared in advance to support in-depth discussion.
Submissions should:
– Clearly relate to one or more conference themes
– Include a 200–400 word abstract outlining the core argument or contribution
– Provide key references or supporting data (if applicable)
Submit your proposal by May 7 via the submission link.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by May 31.
If selected, full papers or materials will be due by October 17.
W.E.B. Du Bois Prize for Early Scholars
A $500 prize will be awarded to an early scholar (under 35) whose submission demonstrates methodological rigor, innovation, and critical engagement—especially around how digital and AI cooperatives can support marginalized communities.
Contact: pcc@newschool.edu or stefano.tortorici@sns.it