AI in the Public Interest

Smartacus is a collaborative platform for AI-augmented projects that serve the public interest.

We harness the power of human and artificial intelligence working side by side—what we call civic co-intelligence. The Smartacus Neural Net transforms conversations with experts, community members, and thought leaders into actionable knowledge. Using AI tools for transcription, synthesis, and analysis, we’re able to “mine” these conversations for insights that inform journalism, policy-making, education, and historical storytelling.

We believe that real change begins with real dialogue—and that AI, when ethically guided, can amplify the voices of those who are too often unheard. Whether we’re documenting the history of a rural town, elevating a grassroots movement, or exploring the societal implications of brain-computer interfaces, our mission is to empower communities to tell their own stories with clarity, credibility, and purpose.

In an era of declining trust in institutions and shrinking newsrooms, Smartacus offers a new model for public discourse: collaborative, data-informed, and deeply human.