From Civil Rights to Cultural Rights with AI

In this powerful and deeply personal talk from the Artificial Unintelligence Conference, Erin Reddick, founder of Chat Black GPT, explores how the fight for civil rights has evolved into a new frontier — the fight for digital rights.

Reddick connects historical struggles for equity and representation with today’s challenges in artificial intelligence, reminding us that technology is never neutral. From biased datasets to algorithmic exclusion, she calls for cultural awareness and inclusion to be built into the very foundation of AI systems.

Key ideas explored:
• How civil rights history informs the digital rights movement
• Why AI systems can reinforce — or disrupt — structural bias
• The importance of representation in data, design, and deployment
• How culture shapes ethics, fairness, and AI accountability
• The work of Black technologists redefining what “responsible AI” means

This session reframes AI through the lens of justice, visibility, and empowerment — showing that building equitable technology isn’t just possible, it’s essential.