Welcome to the CAFE (Community-Centered AI For Education) Lab at Indiana University Indianapolis! Our team of researchers, designers, and developers is dedicated to creating AI tools for education that prioritize fairness, openness, and community involvement. We believe AI should be developed with communities, not just for them, ensuring its benefits are shared by all, with a particular focus on local needs and values.
Affiliated with the IUI Office of Community Engagement, our team brings together expertise from the School of Education, the Luddy School of Informatics, the School of Science, and the Herron School of Art + Design. Together, we’re building AI solutions that reflect the diverse strengths and needs of our communities.
AI, like the printing press and internet, is a transformative "general-purpose technology." While typical AI development prioritizes breadth and generalization to make it bigger and better, we focus on depth and local relevance to make it more responsive and directed. By collaborating with communities, we create equitable, impactful AI that empowers people to shape technologies reflecting their values.
We employ a values-sensitive, community-based action design research methodology to design AI systems that are inclusive, community-centered, and impactful. Our aim is to co-design AI systems and infrastructures that empower communities as active collaborators in education, rather than just serving them.
Community engaged and transformative research is at the core of what we do. We don't just work within this field—we actively help shape its practices and direction. By building infrastructures and conducting research, we seek to contribute in meaningful ways to continue to put communities at the heart of scholarship.
IUI undergraduate students who are interested in working with the CAFE Lab can do so through federal work-study, independent study research credit, etc. To learn more about our open projects, email the lab with your interests, degree or major, and resume or CV.
If you are a community member or organization, or a representative of a school or school corporation, and are interested in a project, professional development, or techical assistance around school policies, please be in touch. We will work with you to develop a plan that meets your needs.
If you are a faculty member at IUI, part of the IU system, or beyond, please contact us to discuss potential collaborations. We are always looking for new opportunities to work with others.
