Building common ground for the common good.

Dear Subscriber First Name,

We've been busy putting our ideas into practice. Over the past several months, Common Good AI has implemented large-scale digital engagements in the United States and Lebanon, using AI and deliberative technology to help communities identify priorities, solve problems, and develop new ideas for action.

In this newsletter, we highlight two recent projects and share key lessons from this rapidly evolving field. Our work continues to reinforce a simple belief: when participation is accessible and meaningful, people want to help shape the decisions that impact their communities.

We're more energized than ever to advance collective intelligence and community engagement at scale. If you're interested in partnering, funding, or collaborating on this work, write to us at info@commongoodai.org.

All the best,

Victoria Stanski, Managing Director and Davis Smith, Senior Associate

With Founders, John Seely Brown, Tom Kehler, and Kim Polese

Building New Civic Infrastructure with The Forum: What We Learned During Statewide Digital Deliberations

Late last year, we shared in this newsletter, our plans to test whether technology could help communities identify shared priorities and strengthen democratic participation. Since then, Common Good AI partnered with The People and The Civic Health Project to launch statewide deliberative processes in South Carolina, Nevada, and New Hampshire.

Each state was asked a simple question: If your state's leaders and residents could solve one problem, what should it be?

Using Typeform and Go Vocal, residents first shared ideas, reviewed the ideas of others, and then voted on the issues they believed were most important. The process moved from broad public input to collective prioritization, creating a foundation for deeper community conversations and citizen-led problem solving.

South Carolina demonstrated the potential of this approach at scale. More than 45,000 residents from all 46 counties participated, generating over 114,000 actions and contributing more than 1,200 ideas about the state's future.

Across these three states, three initial lessons stood out:

> Mobile-first is essential. Over 85% of participants used their phones to engage. Civic technology must be designed primarily for mobile devices if it is going to reach the public.

> Keep participation simple. The easier the experience, the more people participate. Every additional step creates friction and reduces engagement. Digital civic engagement must feel easy.

> Diversity drives legitimacy. Meaningful participation requires voices from different political viewpoints, communities, and backgrounds. Broad representation is critical for trust and credibility to advance digital democratic engagement.

These projects reinforced an important insight: people want to participate in shaping the future of their communities. When engagement is accessible, inclusive, and easy to use, thousands of people are willing to contribute their ideas and help identify solutions.

From Community Voices to Action: AI-Powered Engagement in Lebanon

Earlier this year, Common Good AI partnered with SHiFT Social Innovation Hub, the Municipality of Tripoli, and United Nation’s International Organization of Migration to pilot a new approach to community engagement in Lebanon.

Using a WhatsApp chatbot and AI-powered analysis, residents across 10 neighborhoods in Tripoli shared their infrastructure needs and priorities. The process enabled community input to be gathered, organized, and analyzed in near real-time, helping decision-makers identify common concerns and emerging priorities more quickly than traditional assessment methods.

The pilot project reinforced several important lessons.

> Collecting community input is only part of the challenge; interpreting diverse perspectives fairly is equally important. While AI can quickly identify patterns and summarize large volumes of feedback, organizations must intentionally surface less common viewpoints so priorities reflect both broad agreement and the needs of underrepresented communities. Otherwise, AI can unintentionally amplify majority perspectives while making minority voices and emerging concerns harder to hear.

> AI can accelerate participation, analysis, and decision-making, but it is most effective when it strengthens—not replaces—human relationships and community processes. In rapidly evolving environments, timely feedback loops help institutions respond while needs are still changing, but lasting impact depends on trust. Trusted local partners remain central to successful engagement, providing the legitimacy, ownership, and community connections needed to turn insights into meaningful action.

Thank you for reading!

We're building the future of community problem solving using collective intelligence. To partner, fund, or collaborate, email us at info@commongoodai.org.