Curated Themes
We will examine the intersection of AI and the open web, addressing governance, alignment, privacy, ethics, and sustainable funding models. Through actionable insights and cross-disciplinary collaboration, we’ll explore how to fund and steward the open web’s foundational tools, ensuring they remain accessible, equitable, and resilient in an AI-driven world.
Join us as we explore artificial intelligence and digital infrastructures as tool, expression, and shared resource of the commons.
This interdisciplinary gathering leaders, researchers, builders, and policymakers for discourse on bold ideas, actionable solutions, and coordinated interventions in funding and governance for open technologies.
Talks and panels on key challenges in AI and open technology
Small-group office hours for focused discussions
Collaborative unconference spaces and workshops
Speakers
Samuel Klein
Co-Founder, Omnipedia & Public AI Network | Researcher, Harvard Berkman Klein Center
A longtime advocate for open knowledge, Samuel Klein helped scale Wikimedia’s global platforms and expand access to free information. Now, through Omnipedia and the Public AI Network, he’s developing AI-powered tools that improve how knowledge is created, verified, and governed.
Dazza Greenwood
Founder, MIT Computational Law Report
Dazza Greenwood develops legal frameworks for AI-driven systems, focusing on smart contracts, digital identity, and automated governance. His work at MIT has helped shape policies and technologies used by governments and businesses adapting to rapid digital transformation.
Shady El-Damaty
Co-Founder Holonym
Shady El-Damaty is advancing cryptographic identity solutions that enable verification without exposing personal data. His work at Holonym is setting new standards for decentralized identity in finance, governance, and beyond.
Allison Duettman
President, Foresight Institute
From AI ethics to cryptographic security, Allison Duettman leads initiatives that align emerging technologies with public benefit. At Foresight Institute, she connects researchers, funders, and policymakers to develop resilient, open digital infrastructure.
Amber Case
Author & Researcher, Calm Technology
Amber Case has redefined how we interact with technology. A pioneer of “Calm Technology,” she has worked with Fortune 500s and governments to design AI, automation, and digital systems that integrate seamlessly into daily life without overwhelming users.
Vincent Weisser
Founder, Prime Technology
At Prime Intellect, Vincent Weisser is designing knowledge-sharing networks and incentive models that ensure decentralized ecosystems remain efficient and scalable. His work bridges AI-human collaboration, governance, and open digital infrastructure.
Barry Threw
Executive Director, Gray Area
Amber Case has redefined how we interact with technology. A pioneer of “Calm Technology,” she has worked with Fortune 500s and governments to design AI, automation, and digital systems that integrate seamlessly into daily life without overwhelming users.
Raymond Cheng
Founder, Open Source Observer
Amber Case has redefined how we interact with technology. A pioneer of “Calm Technology,” she has worked with Fortune 500s and governments to design AI, automation, and digital systems that integrate seamlessly into daily life without overwhelming users.
More to be announced soon!
How can we balance creativity and safety to protect, steward and design digital and human systems?
How can we center ethics, accessibility and scientific rigor across development and deployment?
How we can fund, govern, and align these transformative technologies to serve as public goods?
400+
PARTICIPANTS
200+
STREAMING
60+
SPEAKERS
The Venue
Internet Archive
Housed in a Classical Revival building designed by architect Carl Werner and completed in 1923, the Internet Archive embodies the power of shared knowledge. With millions of free books, films, and software, it highlights the importance of open access and collective stewardship. As a space dedicated to preserving and expanding public resources, it aligns perfectly with conversations about funding and governing technologies for the common good.
Photography courtesy of the Internet Archive
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Why attend?
Testimonials
This type of event is great because it brings not just experts of technology but also the conversations that can happen at the intersections of different expertise. [..] It's something that anyone can be a part of
Aya Miyaguchi
Executive Director @ Ethereum Foundation
I'm super excited about UNICEF's relationship with Funding the Commons, and we see eye to eye when it comes to values and the things we believe in. [..] thinking about technology in a positive way, that technology actually can do something for good.
Chris Szymczak
UNICEF Office of Innovation
What I really like about the FtC community is that people openly talk about failures-- talking about issues that are instrumental, things that really didn't work. [...] it brings together not just the visionaries but also the actual engineers that can make such visions even more feasible for future generations.
Audrey Tang
Former Minister of Digital Innovation in Taiwan
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