Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how people work, communicate, access services, make decisions, conduct businesses, manage resources, and interact with institutions. Yet as AI systems become increasingly influential, questions about responsibility, human dignity, cultural identity, trust, safety, and governance have become equally important.
A new international initiative, Anima Mundi: The Soul of the World Meets the Machine, is inviting start-ups, industries, researchers, designers, engineers, founders, young people, and communities from around the world to explore how cultural traditions, mythologies, cosmologies, and lived experiences can contribute to the governance of artificial intelligence.
The initiative calls on participants to bring the wisdom embedded in their own cultures into contemporary conversations about AI. Through digital art and written descriptions, participants are encouraged to connect cultural stories and traditions with real decisions being made by AI companies and private-sector teams today.
The initiative is presented by the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, a G7-endorsed, MIMIT-UNDP co-led initiative focused on accelerating sustainable AI-driven growth in Africa in alignment with the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan.
What Is the Anima Mundi AI Call About?
The central idea behind the initiative is that responsible AI should not be shaped exclusively by engineers, companies, governments, or technical specialists.
Instead, the organisers argue that communities possess forms of cultural, moral, philosophical, spiritual, social, and historical knowledge that can contribute to how societies think about the power and responsibilities associated with AI.
The call therefore asks participants to explore the relationship between culture and artificial intelligence.
It specifically encourages submissions that bring forward:
- Mythologies
- Cosmologies
- Living cultural traditions
- Stories about power and responsibility
- Experiences of dignity and domination
- Traditions concerning care and reciprocity
- Community experiences with technology
- Cultural perspectives on responsible decision-making
- Experiences of how AI affects people and communities
The objective is not to identify one universal cultural answer to AI governance. Instead, the initiative seeks to create a broader international dialogue in which different communities can contribute their own perspectives on how AI should interact with human societies.
Why Is Cultural Wisdom Being Connected to AI?
The initiative is based on the idea that technological systems do not operate independently of society.
AI systems can influence decisions concerning areas such as:
- Healthcare
- Agriculture
- Education
- Financial services
- Employment
- Language and communication
- Data infrastructure
- Public services
- Digital platforms
- Credit decisions
- Information access
For example, an algorithm may evaluate a person’s eligibility for a loan, influence the information presented to a child, provide advice to a farmer, translate a local language, or affect decisions made in a workplace.
These applications involve more than technical performance. They can also raise questions about fairness, accountability, dignity, participation, community interests, and who has the authority to make consequential decisions.
The Anima Mundi initiative therefore asks participants to consider what cultural traditions can teach contemporary AI developers about these questions.
As the organisers explain, people who have experienced AI directly already possess important knowledge about its governance. Someone whose loan was assessed by an algorithm, whose agricultural decisions were influenced by an AI system, whose language was translated through technology, or whose work was affected by an automated decision may have valuable insight into how AI should be governed.
The Meaning of “Anima Mundi”
The phrase Anima Mundi is Latin for “the soul of the world.”
The initiative uses the concept to express an understanding of the world as a living and interconnected whole rather than simply as collections of isolated objects or resources.
According to the initiative, this idea recognises that cultures carry different forms of knowledge and meaning through:
- Stories
- Ancestral traditions
- Rivers and natural environments
- Tools
- Dance
- Music
- Speech
- Art
- Community practices
The concept is therefore used as a framework for bringing cultural knowledge into conversations about technology and AI governance.
Connection to the Vatican’s Anima Mundi Collection
The initiative also connects the contemporary AI project to the history of the Vatican’s Anima Mundi collection.
The source explains that a Universal Exposition held in 1925 resulted in approximately one hundred thousand works being brought to Rome from different parts of the world. A permanent ethnological collection subsequently developed from this material.
In 2019, the Vatican reopened the collection under the name Anima Mundi, presenting it as a living space intended to reconnect with the communities from which the cultural works originated.
The initiative draws on this historical idea of cultural reconnection to argue that traditions should not be treated as static or dead artefacts. Instead, they can remain relevant sources of knowledge for contemporary challenges, including AI governance.
Inspired by “Magnifica Humanitas”
The initiative states that it was inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas and presents two biblical images as a framework for thinking about technology and society.
The Tower of Babel
The first image is the Tower of Babel, which the initiative associates with technology built around:
- Pride
- Efficiency
- Erasure of difference
- Loss of common language
- Dispersion and confusion
Within the initiative’s framing, Babel represents a technological approach that fails to sufficiently account for human diversity.
The Rebuilding of Jerusalem
The second image is the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah.
This story is presented as an alternative model based on:
- Shared reconstruction
- Community participation
- Collective responsibility
- Recognition of different contributions
- Inclusion
- A commitment that no one is left behind
The initiative uses this contrast to highlight the possibility of treating cultural diversity as a resource for building better approaches to AI governance.
Who Is Being Invited to Participate?
The invitation is deliberately broad.
The initiative initially identifies AI start-ups and industries working in communities as important participants. However, the wider call welcomes submissions from people and organisations around the world.
The organisers specifically invite:
- Young people
- Engineers
- Designers
- Researchers
- Founders
- AI start-ups
- Industry actors
- Community members
- People with lived experience of AI
- People carrying cultural traditions
- Participants from African countries
- Participants from G7 countries
- Participants from other parts of the world
The initiative particularly encourages young people who are involved in building or studying AI systems, including engineers, designers, researchers, and founders.
Importantly, participants do not have to restrict themselves to the specific mythologies or examples displayed on the initiative’s website. The examples are described as illustrations rather than assignments.
Participants may therefore propose a story, cultural framework, myth, or experience from their own tradition.
Global Participation: Africa and the G7
The initiative brings together communities from the 18 African partner countries of the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan and the G7 countries.
At the same time, participation is not restricted to these geographical areas.
The organisers explicitly state that submissions are welcome from all over the world, while particularly inviting participants from the G7 and the 18 Italy-Africa Mattei Plan partner countries.
The website presents geographical groupings covering:
- North Africa
- East Africa
- West Africa
- Central Africa
- Southern Africa
- G7 countries
The source provided for this opportunity does not enumerate the individual countries within each grouping, so prospective applicants should consult the official initiative for any country-specific clarification.
Click here to start your submission
What Kind of Submission Is Required?
The submission has two principal components:
1. A Digital Artwork
Participants must submit an artwork created in a digital visual medium.
The artwork is not simply intended to illustrate a cultural story independently. The initiative specifically asks for work that has been created in interaction with the machine, with technology functioning as a partner in the creative process.
The technology should therefore contribute to bringing the cultural lesson or insight into contemporary form.
2. A Written Description of Up to 500 Words
Each submission must also include a written description of up to 500 words.
The description can be written in any language of the participant’s choice.
The written submission should identify:
- The myth, tradition, or cultural frame being used
- The AI decision or situation being examined
- Why the myth and AI situation have been paired
- The difficult or consequential choice involved in the real-world situation
The written description is particularly important because it provides the governance context behind the artistic work.
The AI Decision Must Be Based on a Real-World Situation
One of the most important requirements is that the submission cannot simply describe a hypothetical AI scenario.
Each submission must connect its cultural or mythological frame to a real, named instance involving AI and the private sector.
The initiative identifies six concrete AI moments concerning trust and safety and requires participants to anchor their submissions to an actual situation.
The selected situation must involve:
- A real start-up or private-sector team
- An actual community
- An AI-related decision or interaction
- A real relationship between the technology provider and the community
The submission should explain what happened and how the relevant decision was made.
What Should the Written Explanation Cover?
The organisers provide a detailed framework for the written description.
Participants are expected to discuss the governance dimension of the AI case alongside the cultural or mythological interpretation.
The write-up should address five major areas.
1. Design or Deployment Choices
Explain what decisions were made when the AI interaction was designed or deployed.
This could involve decisions about how a system interacts with users, what information it uses, what constraints are placed on it, or how a particular AI-enabled service is implemented.
2. Reasons Behind the Decisions
The participant should explain why the relevant decisions were made.
Possible factors identified by the initiative include:
- Feedback from health workers
- Internal safety practices
- Regulation
- Other forms of organisational or community input
3. People and Organisations Involved
The submission should identify the actors involved in the decision-making process.
These may include:
- Community partners
- Government ministries
- Health ministries
- Product teams
- Industry partners
- Other relevant stakeholders
4. Review and Oversight
The participant should explain how the decision was subsequently:
- Reviewed
- Overseen
- Evaluated
- Fed back into the AI system or development process
This helps demonstrate that AI governance is an ongoing process rather than a one-time technical decision.
5. Interpretation Through the Cultural Tradition
Finally, the participant should explain what the chosen myth, tradition, or cultural framework makes visible about the AI decision.
The submission should explore:
- What the tradition helps people notice
- What questions it raises
- What assumptions it challenges
- What lessons it carries forward
- How it might contribute to thinking about responsible AI
The “Actors, Assets and Actions” Framework
For review purposes, the organisers state that submissions will be read through three questions.
Actors
Who was:
- Involved?
- Participating?
- Responsible?
- Accountable?
Assets
What exactly was being governed?
This could involve an AI system, data, an interaction, a service, a decision-making process, or another relevant technological asset.
Actions
What was:
- Done?
- Allowed?
- Restricted?
- Overridden?
- Left undecided?
The framework also asks how local or cultural wisdom can provide guidance concerning these actions.
Why Communities Are Central to the Initiative
A major principle behind the call is that responsible AI cannot be developed solely through government regulation or private-sector decision-making.
The initiative recognises the important role of governments in building public trust in AI. However, it argues that governments cannot address every dimension of AI governance on their own.
Industry is also presented as an essential stakeholder because companies developing AI tools and solutions have direct knowledge of how these systems are being built, deployed, and experienced.
At the same time, the initiative argues that government and industry together cannot fully provide something that communities possess: long-established moral and cultural traditions concerning what power owes to the people affected by it.
This is why community knowledge and lived experience are placed at the centre of the call.
The Role of Mythology in AI Governance
The initiative’s use of mythology is not simply an artistic exercise.
Instead, mythology is presented as a way of asking questions about contemporary technological decisions.
Traditional stories can contain longstanding reflections on:
- Power
- Responsibility
- Authority
- Care
- Reciprocity
- Domination
- Dignity
- Community
- Human relationships
- The consequences of decisions
By bringing these stories into conversation with AI, participants can examine technological decisions from perspectives that may not emerge through technical analysis alone.
The purpose is therefore to create a dialogue between ancient or living cultural knowledge and contemporary technological systems.
What Happens to Submitted Works?
The initiative states that all works received will be preserved in a permanent, open online library.
The library is intended to function as a global commons containing traditions and testimonies relating to AI.
This means that the initiative is not simply seeking submissions for a temporary exhibition. The submitted works are intended to contribute to a longer-term collection of cultural perspectives on artificial intelligence.
Creative Commons Licensing
All submissions are held under Creative Commons licensing and treated as a public good, with attribution to the author.
Applicants should therefore understand that submitting work involves making it available within the initiative’s stated public-good framework while retaining attribution to the creator.
Where and When Is the Initiative Being Presented?
The initiative was announced during the 81st UN General Assembly High Level Week in New York, USA, and at Harmonic Innovation Group’s Words of Hope for a Magnifica Humanitas event in Calabria, Italy, in September 2026.
According to the source, it will also be:
- Featured in San Francisco in February 2027
- Presented at the Vatican in September 2027
These events provide additional international platforms for the initiative and its broader conversation about AI, culture, humanity, and governance.
Is There an Application Deadline?
No deadline is stated in the provided opportunity information.
Potential applicants should therefore check the official submission platform and initiative website for any subsequent announcement concerning a closing date, submission window, or updated requirements.
Dialogue Sessions and Additional Engagement
The initiative also provides Dialogue Sessions designed as open question-and-answer spaces and briefings.
Participants and interested members of the public can:
- Join sessions live
- Ask questions during the sessions
- Submit questions in advance
- Access recordings later
The sessions are recorded and added to the Library, allowing people in different time zones to access them.
Organisations Behind the Initiative
The initiative is associated with the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, alongside MIMIT and UNDP.
The website describes the broader initiative as a G7-endorsed, MIMIT-UNDP co-led initiative focused on accelerating sustainable AI-driven growth with Africa in alignment with the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan.
The named creative and programme leadership includes:
- Dwayne Carruthers — Creative Co-Director
- Nicola Campiotti — Creative Co-Director
- Keyzom Ngodup — Director of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development and Head of Global Digital & AI Programmes, UNDP
- Henrique Rezende — Coordinator
- Naveen VarshanIlavarasan — AI Governance Specialist
Why This Opportunity Matters for AI Researchers, Start-ups and Young Innovators
For people working at the intersection of technology, culture, development, governance, and society, the call provides a platform for exploring AI beyond conventional technical discussions.
It creates space to examine questions such as:
- How should AI systems account for cultural differences?
- What can traditional knowledge contribute to AI governance?
- How can communities participate in decisions affecting AI systems?
- What does responsible AI look like in different cultural contexts?
- How should developers respond when communities challenge an AI-enabled decision?
- What forms of knowledge should inform AI safety?
- How can AI development incorporate local experiences?
- How can technology contribute to dignity rather than undermine it?
- How can cultural traditions help identify risks that technical approaches may overlook?
These questions are particularly relevant as AI systems become increasingly embedded in everyday social and economic activities.
Key Submission Requirements at a Glance
Before preparing a submission, prospective participants should ensure that their work addresses the central requirements:
- Format: Digital visual artwork.
- Technology: The work must have been made in interaction with a machine.
- Written component: Maximum 500 words.
- Language: Any language of the participant’s choice.
- Cultural component: A myth, cultural tradition, cosmology, story, or lived cultural experience.
- AI component: A concrete AI decision or interaction.
- Real-world requirement: The AI case must involve a named real-world start-up or private-sector team and an actual community.
- Governance component: The submission should explain how the relevant decision was made and governed.
- Cultural interpretation: Explain what the chosen tradition reveals about the AI decision.
- Geographical scope: Global.
- Priority invitations: G7 countries and the 18 Italy-Africa Mattei Plan partner countries.
- Target participants: Particularly young people, engineers, designers, researchers, founders, start-ups, industries, and people with relevant lived experience.
- Licensing: Creative Commons, treated as a public good with attribution.
- Online archive: Submitted works will be preserved in a permanent open online library.
- Deadline: No deadline is stated in the provided source.
Click here to explore more global AI and Innovation Hub
Conclusion
The Anima Mundi: The Soul of the World Meets the Machine initiative creates an international platform for connecting cultural knowledge with contemporary debates about artificial intelligence. Rather than treating AI governance solely as a technical or regulatory challenge, the initiative invites participants to examine how mythology, cultural traditions, lived experience, community knowledge, and long-standing ideas about power and responsibility can inform decisions involving AI.
Participants are asked to go beyond abstract discussions by identifying a real-world AI decision involving a private-sector team and an actual community, and then interpreting that situation through a cultural or mythological lens. The resulting digital artwork and written explanation are intended to contribute to a permanent open online library documenting diverse perspectives on AI.
The call is open to participants worldwide, with particular invitations to the G7 and the 18 African partner countries of the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan. Young engineers, designers, researchers, founders, start-ups, industries, and people with direct experience of AI are specifically encouraged to participate.
For anyone interested in artificial intelligence, AI governance, digital transformation, cultural heritage, technology ethics, responsible innovation, community participation, African innovation, or the relationship between technology and society, the initiative offers a distinctive opportunity to place cultural knowledge directly into contemporary conversations about how AI should be developed and governed.
