Mothership AI: Centering Black and Indigenous Wisdom for Urban and Planetary Liberation

• In Event: Pan-Africanism and Afrofuturism(s)

Abstract

This paper explores Mothership AI as a transformative framework that integrates Afrofuturist and Indigenous wisdom to develop equitable, smart urban futures. By embedding ancestral intelligence into AI systems, Mothership AI reshapes how cities confront polycrises, such as climate change and systemic inequities. Utilizing Afro-Rithms from the Future, a speculative storytelling and gaming platform, this initiative trains AI to recognize and act upon principles of collective liberation and healing. Gaming simulations grounded in Afrofuturist narratives offer a unique pathway for AI training, enabling systems to prioritize equity, resilience, and humanity’s shared well-being. Mothership AI envisions a pluriverse where storytelling acts as a vehicle for addressing historical trauma, fostering global collaboration, and innovating inclusive urban ecosystems. By empowering marginalized communities to define their futures, this model illuminates how speculative design and gaming can guide humanity toward flourishing in urban environments worldwide.

Author

• Lonny Avi Brooks, Cal State East Bay and the AfroRithm Futures Group