Between and Beyond: Artificial Intelligence, Identity & You

Civil society organisations, educators, social workers and community organisers, join us on May 26 at FARI for a workshop on digital systems

"Between and Beyond: Artificial Intelligence, Identity & You".

You are invited to a participatory workshop that explores how digital systems, including AI, classify people and influence access to rights, services, and representation, based on the realities you encounter in your daily work. Starting from your day-to-day experience working with communities, participants will share concrete situations where digital tools or administrative systems have reduced or misclassified individuals, and discuss the implications for equality, non-discrimination, and inclusion. This workshop is co-organised by the Citizen Engagement Hub of FARI – AI for the Common Good Institute, Skin Mutts and researchers from and Université Libre de Bruxelles, University of Amsterdam, Trinity College Dublin and The Berlin University of Arts/Weizenbaum Institute.

Practical infos

📍 Location: FARI, Cantersteen 16, 1000 Bruxelles

📅 Date: Tuesday 26 May 2026

⏰ Time: 08:45 - 13:30

🗣 Language: English (with support available for non-English speakers)

🥐 Complimentary vegetarian breakfast & lunch included

👥 25–30 participants

You don’t need any knowledge of artificial intelligence to join this workshop.

What matters is your experience, as someone who works with and for communities, workers, and citizens your day-to-day work.

Registration is free but mandatory; we are funded by the ERDF and the Brussels Capital-Region.

Why this workshop?

Many digital systems, including AI, rely on categories to understand people: gender, age, background, preferences. These categories are often too rigid. They simplify who we are and or overlook people’s lived realities, especially for those whose identities do not fit into fixed labels. This workshop creates a space to reflect on these issues together and to imagine alternative approaches grounded in real experiences.

This workshop is part of an ongoing research process on Human-Computer Interaction exploring how technology relates to identity, and how different ways of working and living can be better reflected in these systems. We would like to create a space to continue the discussion with those working closely with communities most affected by these systems.

What will we do together?

This is a participatory workshop where you will be invited to contribute in different ways, depending on what feels comfortable to you.

Together, we will:

• Share experiences from your work, including moments where systems or tools may have misrepresented people
• Create a visual collage exploring the difference between how AI systems see you and how you would like to be seen
• Co-design ideas for AI systems that better reflect the complexity of people’s identities
• Contribute to a collective manifesto with concrete proposals addressed to society, policymakers, and technology developers

The workshop combines discussion, creative activities, and group work in a small and informal setting.

What to expect

• A small group setting (25–30 people)
• A mix of discussion and creative activities
• Space for different perspectives and experiences
• No expectation of technical knowledge
• Vegetarian breakfast and lunch will be provided, with time for informal conversations.

How this connects to the research

This workshop is one step within a broader collaboration between researchers, designers, and community actors. The aim is to create dialogue across different experiences and perspectives.

Some of the reflections and materials created during the session may inform ongoing work and a publication by Skin Mutts. Participation in any form of documentation will always be optional.

Who is it for?

• Civil society organisations, educators, social workers, community organisers.
• Non-discrimination public institutions, equality bodies.

If you have any accessibility needs or preferences, please feel free to let us know. We will do our best to ensure the workshop is accessible and comfortable for everyone, including providing support for participants who may not feel comfortable speaking in English but still wish to take part.

We look forward to your participation.

We reserve the right to deny access to our events to any individual who does not comply with our guidelines or whose behavior compromises the safety and respect of participants.