Blog: AI-Prosperity Alignment: A Pathway to a Flourishing Future

By Dr. Putthiphan Hirunyatrakul

Conversations around ’AI for Good’ often focus on fixing societal challenges and our focus on prosperity could tempt us to speak of ‘AI for Prosperity’. Yet framing AI ‘for’ something risks the implication that AI merely acts upon prosperity, whereas prosperity thinking should shape AI development and elevate our collective visions of flourishing (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Relationship between AI and Prosperity

Underlying Values

At the heart of AI-Prosperity Alignment are three key values:

1. Technological democracy: Inspired by philosopher Andrew Feenberg’s critical theory of technology, this principle emphasises our collective ability to shape technology democratically through active participation in its governance.
2. Social emancipation: AI should redistribute power, knowledge, and resources, helping marginalised groups shape technology rather than adapt passively to it.
3. Ecological mindfulness: Prosperity must include sustainability, from the resource consumption of data centres to hardware production. 

In short, this framework envisions AI as an enabling power for social emancipation, ecological sustainability, and multivocal governance.

Alignment in Action: Self, Society, Sustainability

Not every AI system is mission-oriented, which makes AI-Prosperity Alignment particularly relevant for initiatives focused on social or environmental well-being, often referred to as AI for Social Good (AI4SG).

Often anchored toward achieving the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals, AI-Prosperity Alignment enriches these efforts by asking “how” change is realized, not just “what” changes occur. This approach can be summarized by the 3S:

• Self – Enhance capabilities while also striving to equalize opportunities for disadvantaged groups.
• Society – Encourage novel and deeper form of stakeholders’ collaboration, instead of simply automating solutions that render human as passive recipients. 
• Sustainability – Aim for lasting transformation, protecting both social cohesion and ecological balance.

This alignment must not be mere theory, but lived practice. Two upcoming blogs on Vulcan Coalition, an AI-start-up driven by disability empowerment, and Traffy Fondue, an AI-powered citizen engagement platform, will illustrate this alignment in action. 

Scaling Up: AI Ecosystem, Not Just Projects

Making a difference one project at a time is good, yet real systemic change requires embedding these principles into national policy, education and discourse. In other words, prosperity alignment can be enacted via participatory design at the project / local level, but macro-level alignments such as the ecological integrity of AI data centres require deliberation at the national level. 

Figure 3: AI-Prosperity Alignment at Ecosystem Level

AI4SG projects traditionally follow a linear process: identify a problem, build an AI solution, evaluate for SDG outcomes. AI-Prosperity Alignment broadens this approach by examining how individual projects can influence industry standards and policy debates (e.g. on regulations), by creating a feedback loop that connects grassroots experiences to broader governance decisions.

Creating Democratic Spaces: AI Mini-Publics

Achieving multivocal governance isn’t easy. Many perceive AI as too powerful to reject yet too complex to understand, and they defer agency to AI experts. This phenomenon, known as ‘enchanted determinism‘, prevents broader public involvement. This is precisely why prosperity alignment first starts at the project level to foster engagement with more informed citizens, i.e. a ‘mini public’.

These mini-publics, according to Alexander Buhman and Christian Fieseler, are deliberative spaces where citizens, activists, and experts think and learn together, and then advise on AI governance. Such forums can spur media attention, highlight underrepresented concerns, and translate technical jargon into policies regular people understand.

Looking Ahead

AI-Prosperity Alignment offers a roadmap for technology that serves both people and planet. It acknowledges that inclusive development can’t stop at short-term ‘tech fixes’. Real change requires a democratic space that empowers communities to determine how AI evolves and who it benefits. By linking grassroots projects with top-down policy via dialogue, each informs the other in a positive feedback loop. So, local lessons learned from inclusive AI projects inspire regulations that prioritise social and environmental integrity; in turn, national policies encourage more participatory innovation on the ground. Over time, these efforts can help normalise an approach where technological inclusion is an essential, guiding principle - and where ecological costs aren’t hidden but addressed head-on.

Aligning AI with prosperity is a collective endeavour, promising an AI ecosystem where national policies and grassroots engagement truly work in tandem to foster meaningful, sustainable, and equitable growth. By integrating AI mini publics, bridging operational and societal gains, and proactively safeguarding ecological and cultural richness, we can shape a future where AI does not overshadow us but supports and uplifts us all.

Author

• Dr. Putthiphan Hirunyatrakul is a longstanding member of the IGP community, having completed his MSc in 2019 and his PhD in 2025 and his work focuses on the nexus between AI and prosperity. See Putthiphan’s profile on LinkedIn.