Guiding Decisions with AI & Doughnut Economics

The very first Doughnut Economics # research-for-action seminar, entitled Guiding Strategic Decisions with AI & Doughnut Economics with @Karen Doore, was convened by Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) on September 03, 2025.

The aim of this online seminar series, co-hosted by Andrew Fanning, DEAL's Research & Data Analysis Lead, is to connect scholar-activists worldwide in open and informal spaces around specific topics/initiatives related to Doughnut Economics research and action.

Summary

Karen brings together a unique sets of skills and interests. She is an imaginative systems thinker, educator, and artist working at the intersection of complexity science, regenerative design, contemplative practice, and technological evolution. With advanced studies in intelligent systems and a passion for modelling and simulation, she creates frameworks for aligning technology with universal wellbeing. Karen’s work integrates narrative, neuroscience, and AI ethics to guide humane, distributed decision-making. She is the founder of HumanityPlusPlus.com.

After some brief opening remarks, Karen shared a thought-provoking 20-min presentation on how artificial intelligence (AI), Doughnut Economics, and contemplative practices can inform adaptive strategies for navigating the radical changes driven by generative AI. We explored systems thinking approaches, tipping points, and key levers of change that can guide decision-making toward humane, sustainable outcomes. Open questions during the 30-min discussion period included how modelling, simulation, and cross-boundary collaboration can simplify complexity, strengthen community agency, and foster resilience in rapidly evolving social, economic, and ecological contexts.

Although the one-hour informal seminar was not video recorded, Karen has generously recorded a stand-alone version of her presentation, which is available below, and she has also written a substack post with additional links and summary of the seminar -- dive in!

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A snippet of Karen's reflections on the discussion from her substack post is pasted below. Read the whole post here.

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What I heard back

• Grounding helped. The Doughnut Economics Action Lab provided a safe and grounded space to discuss complex and challenging topics. The slide content was dense, so I provided high level overviews to seed discussions. The video linked above is 1 hour long...where I provide more context for the presented concepts.
• “Ground & integrate” the DEAL community is diverse, and so the questions and comments gave me great insights. One participant asked a grounding question, “discuss ways that top-down information flows can be integrated in holistic decision-making?”… which allowed me to pause, reflect and appreciate that web-conferencing supports integrative patterns of collaboration. Several participants followed up on Linked-in: one sharing cutting edge research about fractals in novel materials, one asking thoughtful questions about the use of pink-noise as a metaphor and metric for sustainable regenerative projects that utilize innovative technologies.
• Less measurement, more narrative. Shifting from dashboards to storyweaving resonated. The dark topic of AI harms is emotionally triggering. One participant shared in the chat some deep frustrations about the negative impacts of western technologies on those living in the global south. In reflecting about the legacy of negative impacts, harms, violations of trust associated with western ideology, I was able to pause and appreciate the vulnerability and courage it takes to feel and express the suffering associated with these inequity gaps.
• Youth, attention and design. Strong concern for children’s developmental risk in extractive attention markets; call for attention literacy.
  • A visual design professional discussed challenges for designers. They provided a link about seductive UX dark patterns and the balancing act of guiding their clients toward ethical design patterns.
  • They also highlighted an organization they are associated with that focuses on designing media for protecting the wellbeing and rights children.
  • http://designingforchildrensrights.org/
• Place‑based examples. Requests for stories where ensembles flagged low‑tech, regenerative options.
  • A participant follow-up has raised some interesting ideas about how pink-noise may provide both metaphor and metric for assessing process and outcomes of complex projects. The idea that fractal energy is oscillatory and scale free, can help frame expectations and influence processes so they are orchestrated towards attunement and integration that reflects nature, indigenous cultures, rituals, knowledge, so that deep wisdom is reflected in emerging resonance patterns. Highlighting a continuous integration ethos will benefit from the frame of dynamic attention and the critical value of integrating and diverse negative feedbacks for adaptive management solutions.

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Next steps

Overall, the first Doughnut Economics # research-for-action seminar was lively and engaging, which gives us at DEAL lots of energy to continue hosting these open and informal spaces for scholar-activists.

If you would like to stay up to date with this network, including future seminars, please join the 'Doughnut Research4Action' mailing list. Thanks very much to Karen for co-hosting this session, and to everyone who generously shared time and contributions.