Hello Open Knowledge community,
September is here, and with it a renewed energy across our work. This month, we’re taking Open Knowledge into new and urgent terrain: peacemaking and conflict mediation. Our latest AI Learning Labs partnership brings us together with the Conflux Center to explore how artificial intelligence can support peace negotiations and diplomatic processes – a space where human judgment remains irreplaceable, but where understanding AI and applying its tools critically might offer something valuable too. We sat down with Conflux co-founders Tanja and Miloš Strugar to talk about cultural context, the limits of technology, and what peacemakers actually need.
Meanwhile, we’re thrilled to announce the public launch of our traceable AI prototype, following pilots with the governments of Brazil and Uruguay. The model is now ready to be adapted and replicated across the open data ecosystem, and we’re marking the occasion with a webinar on 16 September. It’s a significant step forward in making AI-generated answers traceable and transparent.
Elsewhere, our Frontiers of Openness workstream continues to push boundaries. We’ve published a new website with eight recommendations for shaping the future of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and the SkyCommons Observatory is live, letting you track satellites in orbit and explore who controls the infrastructure of space.
We’re also announcing the full agenda for the Open Technology Research Symposium in November, and sharing new insights from CPDP LatAm in Brazil and Green Academy in Croatia.
We hope you enjoy the read.
Peacemaking and Conflict Mediation: AI as a Tool, Human Judgment as the Key
The next AI Learning Labs brings OKFN together with the Conflux Center to explore how artificial intelligence can support peace negotiations, conflict mediation and diplomatic processes. The outcomes of this collaboration are an online course in September – “AI as a Tool in Conflict Resolution” – and an international Peace Tech summit in October, where experts will come together to discuss the impact of AI in peacemaking.
In a recent conversation, we spoke with Conflux co-founders Tanja Strugar and Miloš Strugar about the importance of cultural context in negotiations and what AI can – and cannot – contribute to conflict resolution.
“In conflict resolution, you need superior human intelligence.”
Miloš Strugar — UN Senior Mediation Advisor
“Rather than looking primarily at the technology itself, we are looking at the human first.”
Tanja Strugar — Co-founder, Conflux Center
‘AI as a Tool in Conflict Resolution: Opportunities, Risks, & Lessons from Practice’
This virtual training course is designed for senior and mid-level staff members working in international organisations’ headquarters and field operations (UN, AU, OSCE, EU, etc.), and those working in governments, non-governmental organisations, and academic institutions. Registration is open until 15 September 2026.
Join Us to Learn How to Connect AI to Public Information and Take Part in a Live Demonstration
Following pilots run in partnership with the governments of Brazil and Uruguay, we are pleased to announce the public launch of a prototype website featuring our recently developed AI solution. This approach allows users to ask questions in their natural language and receive responses that can be traced directly to the underlying datasets. The model is now ready to be adapted and replicated across the open data ecosystem, based on a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.
To mark this occasion, we are running an online event with a live demonstration alongside a webinar with updates from partners on how they plan to apply these learnings within their organisations.
🗓️ Date: 16 September, 2026
🕙 Time: 15:00 CEST
📍 Location: Online
Using MCPs to close the trust gap between LLMs and open data portals
Article by Kannika Thaimai at GovInsider
Pilots with the Uruguay and Brazil governments showed how a Model Context Protocol (MCP) provide a structured way for AI to tap into up-to-date and actual data from the open portals, instead of relying only on the LLM’s general training.
Rethinking AI, Democracy and the Commons at Green Academy in Croatia
Our CEO, Renata Ávila, took part in two sessions exploring the political, democratic and ecological implications of today’s technological transformation in an event organised by the Institute for Political Ecology. She discussed the rapid expansion of generative AI and its impact on education, work, resources, security and warfare, as well as the growing concentration of power and infrastructure in Big Tech. Renata also joined GEF Talks: ‘Beyond the Tech Race: Reimagining Europe’s Digital Future,’ with Jan Philipp Albrecht, for a conversation on how Europe could move beyond the race for technological competitiveness towards a digital future grounded in the commons, democratic governance, ecological limits and global justice.
‘Interoperability is the first step towards respecting citizens’ digital sovereignty’
What if a government wants or needs to change tech providers? Hardly anyone asks that question. OKFN’s senior software developer Andres Vazquez took part in CDPD Latam 2026. He explained the logic behind our latest AI experiments involving an MCP server connected to the public open data portals of Brazil and Uruguay.
Confronting Datafication and Accountability in the Global South
Another roundtable at CPDP LatAm 2026 brought together experts, including OKFN’s CEO, Renata Ávila, to discuss the challenges of transforming the expansion of data infrastructure in the Global South into effective mechanisms for democratic accountability. The discussion addressed the gaps between the existence of formal structures – such as open data portals, data protection laws and digital public goods initiatives – and the actual availability of information for public scrutiny.
Announcing the Agenda for the Open Technology Research Symposium 2026
The preliminary agenda for the first Open Technology Research (OTR) Symposium 2026 is now live. The Symposium takes place on 26 and 27 October 2026 at the University of Barcelona, as part of Barcelona’s Open Tech Week 2026, and is convened by Open Technology Research’s members: OpenForum Europe, the Open Source Initiative, the Open Knowledge Foundation, and the Digital Infrastructure Insights Fund.
The agenda is organised in the following blocks:
- Public procurement ecosystem
- Governance (including a sub-block on governance and AI)
- Open source hardware
- Sustainability and business models
- Behavioural change and adoption
- Open science and research infrastructure
Digital Colonialism: Why We Must Leave Big Tech Behind
As tech giants have expanded their reach into every corner of public and private life, their products and services have increasingly come to be seen as impossible to replace or reject. Yet although the cost of leaving the current technological ecosystem is immense, the price of staying in big tech’s grip is even higher. So, how can societies resist “digital colonialism”? An interview with Renata Ávila, CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation, by Amir Hashemi for the Green European Journal.
What are the Strategic Advantages of Using Digital Public Goods (DPGs) for Your Open Data Infrastructure?
Find out more in this conversation between our Tech Lead, Patricio Del Boca, and Katrina Sampher, part of the CKAN Demo Series. They cover how to avoid vendor lock-in and maintain long-term sustainability for your digital assets, as well as explore CKAN as a DPG. It is a critical risk-reduction tool for government and enterprise decision-makers.
After reading about, experiencing and analysing the current technical and regulatory landscape of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and speaking with technologists, policy makers, legal scholars, and data experts, we encapsulated our learnings into eight recommendations for how to shape the ‘tech we want’ for our brain commons. We want to influence how these technologies are designed, governed and deployed so they can become open tools to expand human agency rather than closed infrastructures that concentrate power over our cognitive lives.
- Understand the Neurotech Stack
- Follow the Money
- Resist the Temptation to Create Specialised Regulation
- Abolish all Notions of a “Normal” Brain.
- …
Tracking Who Profits from Connectivity in Space and Who Gets Left Behind
In July, we released a baseline study on how Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet was rolled out in six countries (Brazil, Ukraine, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Nigeria) and scored them on key public-interest principles, including governance and accountability. The dominant company – SpaceX’s Starlink – is so powerful, and the public interest protections so low, that our level of concern across all these countries varies from moderate to high. You can now visit the prototype for the interactive SkyCommons Observatory at skycommons.okfn.org. It includes a navigable open data visualisation of all the satellites currently in orbit above Earth.
Nepal Needs Your Support,
Every Bit Helps 🇳🇵
Open Knowledge Nepal calls on our Open Knowledge Network to support in every way possible. The devastating flooding in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and surrounding areas has left communities reeling. Families have lost loved ones, homes have been destroyed, and survivors are still fighting to recover.
Here’s how you can help right now: donate directly to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, in USD or NPR, through multiple easy options.
🔗 Donate now: https://donate.gov.np/
Every contribution, big or small, helps reach those who need it most. Please donate today. Nepal needs your support. 🙏
Discover Experts from Around the Globe on Open Knowledge’s Directory
Which French-speaking open data experts are there in Cameroon?
Our Global Directory is designed precisely to help you sort this type of question. It is a curated list of real people with direct contact details, a valuable resource for collaboration and coordination in the open movement worldwide. You can discover experts from around the globe, grouped into 43 categories related to openness, and in 30+ languages. You can also nominate experts, including yourself.
These are the latest discussions on the Open Knowledge Forum. Have your say!
@christopherdunn35 on AI Learning Labs ↗
“The real learning seems to happen when organizations run small experiments with problems they’re already sitting on — data cleanup, analyzing feedback, whatever.”
@Kannika on AI Learning Labs ↗
“Given the momentum across the community, I would love to reignite our collaborative dialogue by hosting another Community Conversation Session, similar to the one we held back in March.”
@a5dur on CKAN ↗
“2.12 is out. A year of version data on how the fleet actually moves”
Save the dates!
Open Tech Week 2026
Barcelona
26—30 October
Barcelona prepares to become the world’s capital of open source and host the second edition of Open Tech Week (OTW), an international gathering dedicated to open technologies, digital rights and democratic innovation, bringing together participants from civil society, public administrations, academia and the technology sector.
Mozilla Festival 2026
Barcelona
28–30 October
MozFest is three days of bold conversations, hands-on building, and ideas worth traveling for. This year, they are partnering with the City of Barcelona and taking part in Open Tech Week – a city-wide celebration of the people shaping a better digital world.
Open Technology Research Symposium
Barcelona
26–27 October
This global, multidisciplinary research symposium brings academics and practitioners together to advance understanding of the role of open technologies in the modern world and produces policy-relevant research that helps decision-makers drive impact. Entry is free of charge.
Abrelatam Condatos 2026
Guatemala City
7–9 October
Abrelatam is at the heart of the conversation on open data in Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing together governments, academia, the private sector and civil society to tackle local and global challenges. This event facilitates collaboration and dialogue across multiple sectors to advance transparency, inclusive development and the strengthening of democracy through data.
Internet Governance Forum 2026
Nairobi
14–18 December
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a global multistakeholder platform that facilitates discussions on public policy issues pertaining to Internet governance. The IGF was one of the most important outcomes of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that mandated the United Nations Secretary-General to formally convene the Forum.
Geneva AI Summit 2027
Switzerland
21—22 June, 2027
The Geneva AI Summit 2027 unites two strategic priorities: AI as a driver of prosperity and progress for all and fostering trustworthy, responsible and safe use of AI. Innovation and trust reinforce each other, responsible AI requires transparency and broad accessibility. Together, these priorities position Switzerland as both a global AI leader and a constructive bridge-builder in shaping AI’s future.
About us.
Open knowledge is any content, information or data that people are free to use, re-use and redistribute — without any legal, technological or social restriction.
The Open Knowledge Foundation’s mission is to create a fair, sustainable and open digital future, advancing open knowledge as a design principle beyond just data. We do it by guiding and supporting the creation of digital infrastructure, developing policies and methodologies, harnessing communities and advocating for literacies and standards in a sustainable, ethical and agile manner.
