From Group Chats to AI: Reimagining Inclusive Digital Spaces
How many group chats do you have? I know. I have a group chat with my travel friends, my cousin's group chat, and a work group chat. I could go on. The gems and insights in these chats are next level. For example, knowing which local and global cities welcome single Black moms with a child on the spectrum is as important as knowing which brunch spot can make a good mimosa. The specificity, context, and problem-solving that’s within these groups is unmatched. And usually, Vegas rules apply; what's said in the group chat stays in the chat. Digital platforms try to reflect the essence the group chat but often leave us questioning whether these spaces offer safety. After the 2024 election, platforms like Bluesky and Spill experienced a spike in users (2 million and 10x increases, respectively) because people seek culture, creativity, and community to fuel the algorithms over divisiveness.
As we move into an era of AI agents, can they be a solution that bridges the gap between group chat, inclusive data, and innovation, making new things possible? That’s left to be determined. While AI can make the creative process more efficient, it lacks the empathy and human discernment to be autonomously creative. Creativity involves imagination, emotion, and cultural context — elements AI cannot replicate, and 75% of creators and digital content contributors feel this way. As we look to the next wave of Inclusive and Tech for good or for all digital spaces to be innovative, the main requirement is to involve marginalized or impacted communities in research, continuous consent, multilingual capacities, and cultural nuances. When inclusive practices are consistent and foundational, the space can evolve, and these practices can transform systems into relational, organizational, and accountable tech infrastructure.
What is an AI agent? An AI agent is software that can complete complex tasks autonomously. To be clear, AI agents are not humans, but they can be programmed to understand and execute given tasks. For example, you can customize Agents by name, personality, and tone. In July, Meta rolled out AI agents. AI Studio is touted as a place for people to create, share, and discover AIs to chat with – no tech skills are required, meaning it is accessible. Creators can also make an AI as an extension of themselves to answer DMs and story replies, helping them reach new people. This development opens exciting possibilities for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and rising creators as they look to stand out and build relationships with potential clients. At the same time, we are seeing safety teams and researchers object to being part of places that walk back practices that serve both AI development and humanity.
I shared this sentiment in an article I wrote about AI & Afrofuturism principles, and I believe it still holds true. I challenge the idea that data exists outside our experiences. Humans are the data. We can shape AI agents as they learn from us. As cultural beings, we must generate new data by fostering personal connections, outside of our inherent biases and what makes us comfortable and create opportunities for connective improvisation.
Right now, only a handful of companies are leading in the AI Agent space: Microsoft, Salesforce, OpenAI, and Meta. These companies have an opportunity to partner with and license data across a handful of partners that can provide cultural nuance and digital safety. We know there is no single source of truth when it comes to data. These collaborations can put cultural innovation at the forefront of AI, making new agents more inclusive, culturally adaptive and enabling them to provide accurate and relevant information. The time is now.