The DCN congratulates its colleagues at the Data Workers’ Inquiry and the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) on its recent recognition by Prix Ars Electronica, one of the world’s most prestigious awards at the intersection of art, technology, and society. As DAIR Research Lead Dr. Milagros Miceli summarised, the jury commended “the project’s commitment to shifting research agency toward data workers themselves and fostering forms of collective, situated knowledge production that challenge dominant narratives about AI”.

The Data Workers’ Inquiry is an action-research project that puts data workers at the center of knowledge production about AI. Since 2024, 35 data workers from 13 countries have joined, acting as community researchers, producing original research that has shaped policy debates, informed decision-makers, and contributed to tangible change. Explore their respository here.