Our Mission

PhiladelphAI is a Germination Project initiative forging a different path for AI here in Philadelphia, rooted in our urbanism, civic-mindedness, democracy, and the gritty spirit of making.

Once known as “Workshop of the World,” Philadelphia, like many major American cities, faces its share of challenges. Factories and industries of the American and Industrial Revolution eras have been leaving, but at the same time, the world has been fundamentally changing, and a remarkable resurgence has been growing.

During the last 15 years, Philadelphia has seen an influx of artists, creatives, researchers, and tech workers, who come here because it's beautiful, walkable, and ultimately an affordable city that fosters their dreams and talents. They realize that Philadelphia's rebellious spirit, creative grit, and maker culture make it an ideal environment for their ideas to grow.

And since the industries driving world change have evolved, technology now plays a critical role in any major city’s growth and prosperity. And today, the wave of change is coming from artificial intelligence.

But will Philadelphia merely wait for Silicon Valley to dictate how to use this technology? Or should Philly build AI systems for its own urban and local advantage? As the birthplace of US democracy, we welcome this new debate.

Let’s create new ways of developing AI that reflect not what it merely could do, but what it should do.

PhiladelphAI fosters conversations and collaborations to position Philadelphia as the new “Workshop of the World” by showing the art of the possible in urban and community technology.