Deadline: September 1, 2026
Applications are open for the Aspen Policy Academy AI Civic Action Accelerator 2026. The AI Civic Action Accelerator is a free, 6-session, part-time program that helps individuals and teams refine and advance promising policy solutions to civic artificial intelligence (AI) challenges. The accelerator will support early-stage projects that aim to strengthen the relationship between government, communities, and AI.
They are seeking practical, community-driven ideas that help governments tackle AI issues in society or use AI more effectively. For instance, projects may seek to improve public participation and civic engagement through AI; improve youth online safety; enable governments and AI to work together in more transparent, equitable, and effective ways; or propose new ways to handle AI automating jobs for certain sectors of the workforce.
Curriculum
During the AI Civic Action Accelerator, participants will learn the Policy Academy’s proven framework for achieving policy impact, workshop their own ideas with peers and expert Aspen Policy Academy instructors to refine them using this framework, and pitch a polished solution directly to a decisionmaker. The program will include 6, 2-hour workshopping sessions, supported by targeted assignments and readings to keep participants progressing between sessions.
Each 2-hour session will be split between instruction and hands-on workshopping. The instructional portion will cover the Academy’s policy impact framework, including lessons on scoping problems, identifying stakeholders, defining alternative solutions, developing relevant outputs, and creating an advocacy plan. The workshopping portion will focus on applying these lessons: Participants will complete assignments to advance their civic AI policy ideas and present them at each session for feedback from peers and Aspen Policy Academy instructors. By the end of the program, participants will have a concrete civic AI policy solution and deliverables, and will have pitched their solution to a real decisionmaker.
Benefits
- This program offers you and your team free coaching from policy experts at the Aspen Institute to advance a policy idea, while learning and applying our framework for policy impact. By the end of the program, participants will have a concrete solution and a set of deliverables to pitch to a stakeholder. You’ll also gain insights from other cohort members and have ongoing access to opportunities and resources offered to Academy alumni.
Eligibility
- Applicant(s) must be at least 21 years of age by the start of the program.
- Applicant(s) must be fluent in English.
- Applicant(s) must live in the United States or are US citizens or permanent residents living abroad.
Application
Program Dates: 6 Thursday sessions from 9:30 – 11:30am PT/12:30 – 2:30pm ET on October 22, October 29, November 5, November 12, November 19, and December 3
For more information, visit AI Civic Action Accelerator.
