"Data collectives and cooperatives, which let creators control the collection and distribution of their data, are emerging as preferred alternatives to big tech companies."
Fed up with Big Tech, communities turn to data collectives for control
Data collectives and cooperatives, which let creators control the collection and distribution of their data, are emerging as preferred alternatives to big tech companies.
Collective action strategies in the age of AI w/ Nick Vincent from Data Leverage - The Blockchain Socialist
I spoke to Nick Vincent, assistant professor of computing science at Simon Fraser University and author of the Data Leverage substack, about what it actually means that AI systems are built on the collective output of humanity’s digital labor and what we can do about it. Nick has spent years researching how data functions as a bargaining tool, […]
Collective Bargaining in the Information Economy Can Address AI-Driven Power Concentration
This position paper argues that there is an urgent need to restructure markets for the information that goes into AI systems. Specifically, producers of information goods (such as journalists, researchers, and creative professionals) need to be able to collectively bargain with AI product builders in order to receive reasonable terms and a sustainable return on the informational value they contribute. We argue that without increased market coordination or collective bargaining on the side of these primary information producers, AI will exacerbate a large-scale "information market failure" that will lead not only to undesirable concentration of capital, but also to a potential "ecological collapse" in the informational commons. On the other hand, collective bargaining in the information economy can create market frictions and aligned incentives necessary for a pro-social, sustainable AI future. We provide concrete actions that can be taken to support a coalition-based approach to achieve this goal. For example, researchers and developers can establish technical mechanisms such as federated data management tools and explainable data value estimations, to inform and facilitate collective bargaining in the information economy. Additionally, regulatory and policy interventions may be introduced to support trusted data intermediary organizations representing guilds or syndicates of information producers.
Join | Mozilla Data Collective
Mozilla Data Collective is rebuilding the AI data ecosystem with communities at the centre.
Join | Mozilla Data Collective
Mozilla Data Collective is rebuilding the AI data ecosystem with communities at the centre.
Building a Solidarity Ecosystem for AI (SSIR)
How cooperatives, public institutions, and social movements can come together to intentionally build a practical, community-owned alternative to extractive AI systems. <meta property=
We Need A New Kind Of Data Rights
Associational data rights would empower communities to reclaim power from Big Tech
EU's data centre expansion will fast-track profits and power for US Big Tech and investors
The global competition to ‘win’ the AI-race is driving an unparalleled expansion of large-scale data centres across the world. Cloaked in a narrative of pursuing European tech sovereignty and adopting AI widely and rapidly, the EU is now proposing to fast-track data centre development across the region in what appears to be a gift to […]
Democratizing AI Companies — The Collective Intelligence Project
As AI reshapes society, the companies behind these technologies face a critical challenge: how to build corporate governance structures that prioritize public benefit over profit maximization;.
Harnessing Crowds: Mapping the Genome of Collective Intelligence
Over the past decade, the rise of the Internet has enabled the emergence of surprising new forms of collective intelligence. Examples include Google, Wikipedia,
Collective action strategies in the age of AI w/ Nick Vincent from Data Leverage
Podcast Episode · The Blockchain Socialist · March 4 · 1h 3m
Data Feminism
Today, data science is a form of power. It has been used to expose injustice, improve health outcomes, and topple governments. But it has also been used to d...
Generative AI and the Digital Commons — The Collective Intelligence Project
The aim of this paper is to build models of governance for generative foundation models that enable broadly shared benefit. Our initial hypothesis is that data is a high-value lever of governance. Many of these models are trained on publicly available data and use public infrastructure, but 1) may d
In the face of rampant AI, is ‘data poisoning’ a new form of civil disobedience?
Boycotts, sabotage and other types of civil disobedience have long served collective action against injustice.
In the face of rampant AI, is ‘data poisoning’ a new form of civil disobedience?
Boycotts, sabotage and other types of civil disobedience have long served collective action against injustice.
"Powerful AI can statically help human decision-makers, but can harm collective knowledge building... it can lead to what we call “knowledge collapse” whereby in the long-run all human knowledge is ultimately destroyed.” economics.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2026-02/A…
