Nov 6th, Friday | Brooklyn, NY


Design the Future:
Accountable AI Workshop

Register

For workshop participants

Join us for an afternoon of collaborative design thinking, sketching future scenarios and listening to Ignite talks from selected speakers in the community.

Led by the Open Civic Tech team, in collaboration with NYU ITP and SVA IXD, we'll explore how AI systems can be designed responsibly and learn about the Smol Gardens Accountability framework.

We’ll start with an intro to small language models and responsible computing, then work through real design challenges in small groups and cap off the night with selected pitch presentations.

Smol Gardens: Accountable Tech Guide is an initiative by the Open Civic Tech team.

Learn how it got started: smolgardens.com 
Email: community@opencivic.tech

Event Details

  • When: November 6, 2026 | 3:30–7:00 PM

  • Where: NYU ITP/IMA, 370 Jay Street, Brooklyn, 4th Floor.
    Must bring ID to enter.

  • Cost: $20 registration fee. | Ignite Talk presentors and students register for free.

  • Food: Yes, we're providing pizza and drinks


This workshop is best for:

- Builders working for and within their community
- Designers who are testing their ideas and need a platform to present it
- Community leaders who want to collaborate with mission-aligned individuals.
- Those who are looking for a space to discuss Accountable AI principles.

Workshop Schedule

Check-In

12:30 - 1:00 pm

Intro on Smol Gardens

1:00 - 1:30 pm

Guided Group Discussion

1:30 - 2:30 pm

Breakout:
Sketch the Future

2:30 - 3:00 pm

Ignite Talks

3:00 - 7:00 pm

For Presentors

Submit your 7-minute Ignite talk.

We are seeking project presentations for the Smol Gardens Accountable AI for civic tech workshop happening on Nov 6th, at NYU IMA/ITP Brooklyn Campus.

Learn more about Smol Gardens here: https://smolgardens.com

Presentations could be in a speculative format, or from your existing work, and proposed topics chosen must align with Smol Garden’s 10 design principles.
It’s a casual night to pitch your ideas and a chance to meet like-minded people who could be your future collaborators.

Submission Details

  • What: 7-minute presentation

  • Topic: Must align with Smol Gardens principles: http://bit.ly/smoltalk

  • Format: Google Slides (20 slides auto-timed for 30 seconds). What is an Ignite talk?

  • Submission deadline: October 28, 2026

  • What we ask: Your name, school/program, talk title, 2–3 sentence description, how your work connects to Smol Gardens

    To submit, complete the form here

What We Provide

  • Optional speaker prep call to set up your Slides with you. (one week before the event)

  • Perks: You’ll receive free Open Civic Tech merch and complimentary tickets to the event.

  • Project Feature: Selected talks will be published and featured on the Smol Gardens site. Work is credited to you as the author, builder, or team.

Presenter Logistics

If selected, you'll be invited to arrive by 4:00 PM to join the intro talk on Accountable tech, and participate in the breakout sessions to give feedback on other projects. This gives you a chance to engage with the workshop and prep your presentation for the 5:30 PM slot.

Submit your proposal by October 28, 2026.

Submit your proposal

For Mentors and Facilitators

We're recruiting mentors to co-build this workshop with us.

As we expand Smol Gardens into schools this fall and the upcoming year, we're looking for experienced facilitators to guide small-group discussions on accountable AI and support student presenters.

How Mentorship Works

Two ways to get involved:

  • Facilitator (4:30–5:30 PM): Co-lead a breakout group for "Design the Future" — help participants sketch ideas and frame problems around accountable AI.

  • Presenter support (5:30–6:45 PM): Attend sketch presentations and ignite talks, ask thoughtful questions, and provide feedback during Q&A.

You can participate in one or both sessions based on your availability. Flexibility is built in.

What We're Looking For

Experience in design thinking, facilitation, civic tech, accountable AI, or community-centered work. Or just a willingness to think alongside students about how AI systems should be built responsibly.

  • When: November 6, 2026 (arrive by 2:30 PM for prep)

  • Where: NYU ITP/IMA, 370 Jay Street, Brooklyn

  • Preparation: We'll send facilitation guides in advance and meet at least twice before the event. We're keeping this lightweight and collaborative, not prescriptive.

  • Saturday working lunches: Interested in longer collaboration? We're also planning bi-weekly Saturday working sessions in NYC to co-develop SLM examples together.

Why This Matters

The Smol Gardens project is an initiative by the Open Civic Tech team. Learn about how we got started: smolgardens.com 

Who owns an AI-built tool when it fails? Whose data is protected? What happens to communities served by hastily-built systems? These questions go unasked. Large organizations justify AI as cost-cutting, ignoring real harms: data center expansion, environmental costs, unauthorized creative labor use, and loss of community accountability.

For civic tech to actually serve communities, builders need to understand what guardrails matter in the age of Human-AI collaboration. That's what Smol Gardens is about—building intentionally with small, right-sized models instead of defaulting to what Big Tech is providing us.

Ready to mentor? Email community@opencivic.tech with your name, experience, and which session(s) interest you.