The Future Of AI Begins In History

Regardless of humans’ individual understanding of, exposure to, or subsequent biases toward artificial intelligence (AI), the interactive tool is firmly embedded into global society with seemingly unlimited possibilities. One Millersville technologist is part of a movement to use the technology to preserve culture, community and history through storytelling.

In her new co-authored book, “AI for Community,” Davar Ardalan explores practical strategies for applying AI through a local and partnership-driven lens.

“The book explores what it means to bring a community-first lens to AI, one that recognizes that the future of this technology is regional, shaped by cultural wisdom, and built through trusted partnerships on the ground,” Ardalan wrote in a June 11 blog post written from the 2025 London AI Summit, where she moderated a session on the role of women in shaping AI innovation and soft-launched her book.

In 2018, Ardalan was part of a global team deployed to Fiji and Tonga in the South Pacific to better understand rising obesity rates due to health issues stemming from fatty food use rather than diets based on native foods. Their concept was to develop a curriculum that would inspire young Fijians to learn about their ancestral history of fishing and living off the land. They launched a global competition for AI scientists, and the result was a comprehensive curriculum of lesson plans, story books and virtual reality experiences.

The results were immediate and impactful. Students immersed themselves in the virtual reality experience and met their ancestors, the guardians of nature.

“It was profound to see kids so enchanted and to learn about their ancestors, the keepers of the land,” Ardalan said. “The kids encouraged parents to use local ingredients, make local dishes and be more sustainable with food.”

Ardalan returned to the U.S. and began looking for Fijian recipes and spices using IBM’s early AI tool, Chef Watson. Her search for South Pacific recipes was disappointing.

“The search came up with nothing; it didn’t know what I was talking about,” Ardalan said. “I thought to myself that it can’t be in this age of automation that so many people are going to be left behind because the data training these systems, for the most part, are based on western and European history and culture.”

A team of AI scientists, AI researchers, storytellers and community members came together to discuss culture and storytelling. They came up with the concept question, “Can AI be used to preserve tradition and culture?” The answer was absolutely, yes!

The team created an AI symposium and began sharing their concepts with the AI community around the world.

Today AI companies like NVIDIA are working with nations to establish sovereign AI that is assisting and educating nations to ensure the AI they create uses local data from their communities so that it is authentic and the tools they create are relevant to them.

Ardalan said this work is just the beginning and it could preserve languages on the verge of extinction and underrepresented cultures. AI also includes preserving imagery (art, text, photographs, etc.), which provides valuable cultural context.

On a local level, as an example, Ardalan described the history of Anne Arundel County: fishing, art, and how residents live, work and play are all important data points that go into infrastructure decisions being made.

“We don’t want to have future computers that have no history of our county and region making decisions that affect us,” Ardalan said, explaining that AI tools efficiently and effectively put data at our fingertips.

The scientist created an AI for her husband, and an environmental engineer, that summarizes all the projects he’s worked on around the world. “When he’s writing a proposal, he’s transparent in saying that he’s tapping into his own knowledge,” Ardalan added. “The AI saves him hours and hours of research time and adds to his efficiency.”

The technologist is also a prolific artist. On her living room wall hangs an artistic depiction of her family tree going back 1,000 years into her Iranian roots.

“What if our family ancestors’ lives were captured in AI? What if I could tap on any one of these lines and learn about who these people were?” she said. “That’s the power of AI.”

She sees AI not just as code, but patterns, very much like how society goes through patterns. AI takes data and pieces together a cultural foundation that tells a story about people.

Her new book cover includes a photo of a family heirloom quilt from her husband’s family. “Where did each piece of fabric come from? Who stitched each pattern?” Ardalan asked. “Quilts, like AI systems, are made up of many parts stitched together with care, context and continuity. They tell stories. They hold memory. And they’re meant to last.”

From the AI summit in London, Ardalan wrote, “The future of AI isn’t centralized. It’s local. It’s shaped by lived experience. It’s built when we listen, really listen, to the knowledge already held in our communities. That’s why the cover of my book is a quilt. Because quilts, like great AI systems, carry legacy. They connect generations. They’re built to be handed down and built to hold.”

Through her art, Ardalan creates layers of cultural context, a history, a story, beautifully intertwining the past with the present and the future. She’s a member of the Annapolis Arts Alliance. She utilizes handcrafted acrylic, collage, mixed media and stencils. Her “AI Currents and Code 1776” series is currently on display at Gallery 57 West in Annapolis.

“AI for Community” was released on June 16.