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[Workshop aims to democratize AI](/index%2Ephp/markdownify/node/4125) January 20, 2026 # Workshop aims to democratize AI ![Three photos related to technology, left photo is a bug with connecting dots and numbers 0 and 1; middle photo is person at desk with cameras facing them and a red word cloud of a person and file; at right, mechanical black box with yellow, red and green buttons](/sites/default/files/styles/1_5_1_large/public/2026-01/DesignTOBanner_0.png.webp?itok=nyyHUD-P) rgb(255,255,255) On Jan. 27, the workshop, [Democratizing AI Futures Through Community Centred Design](https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdesignto.org%2Fevent%2Fdemocratizing-ai-futures-through-community-centred-design%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ckmccarthy%40ocadu.ca%7Ccbfcdf3479fa4dfa28db08de4eed4d31%7C06e469d12d2a468fae9b7df0968eb6d7%7C0%7C0%7C639034978383035854%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C4000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Y017V5mzLSlW5CE7y0injvh6lGXTnge3ioR1wH0cm1A%3D&reserved=0 "https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdesignto.org%2Fevent%2Fdemocratizing-ai-futures-through-community-centred-design%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ckmccarthy%40ocadu.ca%7Ccbfcdf3479fa4dfa28db08de4eed4d31%7C06e469d12d2a468fae9b7df0968eb6d7"), is being held at OCAD U as part of this year’s DesignTO. This session is being led by Chair of Industrial Design **Dr. Peter Coppin** and his team, which includes **David Barter**, **Aileen Dong**, **Amin Forootan** **Zainab Husain**, **Hana Kidwai, Saraf Raidah** and **Senthurri Thiruchenthooran.** OCAD U caught up with Dr. Peter Coppin to learn more about the workshop, which is free and takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 27 at 205 Richmond St. W. **What does “democratizing AI” mean in practical terms, and how does this event translate that idea into real action for communities?** This workshop aims to “democratize AI” through creating a free, welcoming space for Toronto residents of all education levels, experience, and abilities to learn about AI, share concerns, and imagine human-centered uses for the technology. Participants are invited to brainstorm and design possible futures involving this technology and ideate on any interventions that may be required to ensure its safe and ethical use. By learning more about the technology, participants will have more agency in deciding how they choose to engage with it. **What specific challenges or inequities in current AI systems does this event aim to address, and why are they important to tackle now?** Consumer facing AI is being deployed at a rapid scale. AI features are being integrated into many of our everyday products and devices. However, perspectives of diverse users are needed during the technologies’ development to ensure that the technology has long term benefits for all types of users and their needs. People from different educational backgrounds and life experiences, outside of the tech bubble, must be informed and involved. For example, teachers must be involved in how AI will impact education and the guidelines for its use in educational settings. This event responds to this gap by bringing more stakeholders into the conversation. Participants will consider how adoption of this technology will impact their daily life, including work and home life and those around them. **What tangible outcomes or takeaways will participants leave with—such as tools, frameworks, partnerships, or policy recommendations?** Participants will leave with practical knowledge and hands-on experience. They will learn common AI terms, then apply the design process (problem identification, ideation, storyboarding, and prototyping) to develop their own concepts. Attendees will also experiment with accessible AI tools, such as Google’s Teachable Machine, and create a simple prototype (for example, a basic image classifier). The goal is for people to leave feeling more confident discussing AI and better equipped to participate in future community, organizational, or policy conversations. **How does this event fit into broader efforts by the University to use art and design to influence technology, policy, and social impact beyond the campus?** This event reflects OCAD University’s broader approach of using art and design to examine technology’s real-world consequences and help shape more responsible futures. A holistic, creative lens is essential for anticipating indirect impacts (e.g. social, cultural, and ethical) that technical development alone can miss. The workshop also creates space to discuss timely issues such as intellectual property, authorship, and fair compensation for creative work in the age of AI. By convening artists, designers, and community members alongside emerging technologies, the University helps inform future guidelines and policies around this technology that better reflect the public interest. ## Other Recent News [### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027. October 30, 2026 ](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists) [### OCAD U’s Global Centre for Climate Action and EU bring large-scale art to Toronto’s Canada Malting Silos The Light and Melting Temporalities transformed the waterfront into a canvas for climate reflection. October 6, 2026 ](/index%2Ephp/news/ocad-us-global-centre-climate-action-and-eu-bring-large-scale-art-torontos-canada-malting) [### Call for Project Participants: From Our Points of View Encounters with Artists A student-led year-long visiting artist project, under the mentorship of Governor General's Award winning artist Max Dean September 30, 2026 ](/news/call-project-participants-our-points-view-encounters-artists) Related Stories ## Related Stories [### Erased from the playbill: how AI is helping to map Nazi censorship of German music theatre A four-year project led by OCAD U Associate Professor Dr. Helmut Reichenbächer examines how music-theatre programming in Germany was reshaped from the Weimar Republic to the Nazi era. September 16, 2026 ](/news/erased-playbill-how-ai-helping-map-nazi-censorship-german-music-theatre) [### Research investigates how sustained material practices can help people process memory, grief and loss Dr. Nithikul Nimkulrat’s research project is developing a theoretical account of how memory, grief, and loss are experienced not only cognitively or verbally, but through the body, materials, objects, relationships and time. September 4, 2026 ](/index%2Ephp/news/research-investigates-how-sustained-material-practices-can-help-people-process-memory-grief) [### SSHRC funds studies of cultural censorship, and grief and nostalgia through craft One project maps patterns of cultural censorship during the Nazi era while a second is developing a theory of grief and nostalgia through embodied material practices. July 21, 2026 ](/news/sshrc-funds-studies-cultural-censorship-and-grief-and-nostalgia-through-craft)