Ancestral AI
Ancestral AI challenges us to slow down, zoom out, look back, and see AI not as ‘new’ or a complete break from the past, but as part of a continuum. It moves beyond the extractive logic of speed and scarcity, searching for a vision of AI rooted in inter-generational care, responsibility, and collective wisdom. Drawing on ancestral data collection, sharing, and decision-making technologies, Ancestral AI explores how alternative temporalities—relational, cyclical, and non-linear—may reshape how we think about and approach AI.
In this research, we ask: What can we learn from non-Western temporalities and data-led ancestral technologies?
The Ancestral AI research is part of the Slow AI project by AIxDESIGN.
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READ THE CHAPTER
The Ancestral AI chapter invites us to rethink the timeline of AI development — showing how modern data practices could integrate ancestral values like community, reciprocity, and collective memory.
From Polynesian navigation systems to knotted-string devices, the chapter highlights approaches that treat data not as a resource to be extracted, but as a form of heritage to be preserved and enriched over time.
Challenging the idea that progress lies only ahead, Ancestral AI argues for moving beyond short-term metrics of “success” and “innovation” to consider the long-term impact of AI systems across generations.
DIVE INTO THE ZINE
Pasts, Presents, Futures - A zine about Ancestral AIThis zine compiles the creative contributions, exchanges, and discussions from the Ancestral AI Zine-making Workshop held on August 10, 2024, at the Stadsarchief Amsterdam. In this workshop, we drew inspiration from decolonial theory, the wisdom and practices from past generations, and our own situated experiences and histories.
EXPLORE THE ARTWORK
The Sea Dreamed of Me by Thiago Britto"Creating prompts comes from attempts and dialogues: simple signs that translate my imagination. Sometimes direct, literal; other times figurative, reaching for the playful. A prompt, after all, is not the conclusion of a thought, but a piece of a series. The complete series is the true prompt.
In the process, I realized that words do not follow a linear logic. Writing a prompt is like observing the beginning finding the end, melting around a central line. It’s thinking in a circular way, where beginning, middle, and end coexist, creating images that fabulate, deconstruct, and return to us the right to imagine." - Thiago Britto
LISTEN TO LIVE CONVERSATION
Gustavo Nogueira de Menezes in conversation w/ Monique Lemos and Thiago BrittoAs part of the Ancestral AI research, we spoke to Monique Lemos and Thiago Britto. How can ancestral knowledge shape the future of AI? What might it mean to be a good AI ancestor?
3 THINGS TO EXPLORE
picked by Gustavo Nogueira de MenezesGot time for another sidequest, we're excited to share three things to deepen your understanding of Ancestral AI. First, explore a recent reading that captivated our research lead, Gustavo Nogueira de Menezes. Second, meet a person of interest making waves in the field. Lastly, watch a compelling snippet to further immerse yourself in the research of the Ancestral AI project. Dive in and explore these curated spotlights from Gustavo.
