New York, September 25, 2025—Artificial Intelligence is only as good as the data it draws upon. For public-interest uses—from emergency response to localized decision making— high-quality, representative, and responsibly governed datasets are essential. Yet too often, the data needed for humanitarian interventions or local problem-solving is fragmented, inaccessible, or not aligned with community needs and expectations.

Data commons address this gap. By pooling datasets under clear governance rules — with shared purpose, stewardship, and safeguards — they create trusted infrastructure for responsible AI. Unlike ad-hoc data projects, commons are designed for reuse, interoperability, and accountability, ensuring that AI solutions are not just technically sound but also socially licensed.

“The future of AI in the public interest depends on more than algorithms — it depends on the data we choose to share, how we govern that data, and whether communities see value in its reuse.” — Stefaan Verhulst, The GovLab

“From disaster relief to public health, the fastest path to impact is making frontline data findable, trustworthy, and reusable.” — Andrew Schroeder, VP of Research & Analysis, Direct Relief

That is precisely the objective of the New Commons Challenge: to accelerate the creation of data commons that fuel AI-driven solutions while respecting community expectations and maximizing public value.

The Challenge awards two initiatives with $100,000 each to develop data commons that fuel responsible AI innovation as it relates to disaster response and localized decision making. It is an initiative by the Open Data Policy Lab (a collaboration between Microsoft and The GovLab) and was conducted in partnership with Direct Relief/CrisisReady, the Institutional Data Initiative at the Harvard Law School Library and UNESCO (international observer).

On Thursday, September 25th at an event in New York, the winners of the 2025 New Commons Challenge were announced. 

Certi Amazônia Institute and NYU Peace Research and Education Program have been named as the winners of the New Commons Challenge: 

CERTI Amazônia Institute received the award for Enhancement of a Data Commons. Their Amazon Rainforest Evolution Index transforms environmental data into AI-ready tools to track deforestation and land-use change in Brazil’s Legal Amazon—a region covering nine states and roughly 61% of Brazil’s territory, empowering sustainable development decisions.

“The Amazon is changing before our eyes. With the Amazon Rainforest Evolution Index, we’re transforming disparate data into a shared commons that communities, scientists, and policymakers can all use. Our goal is to empower sustainable choices that protect both the forest and the people who depend on it.” — Executive Director, CERTI Amazônia Institute

NYU Peace Research and Education Program is the award winner of the Development of a Data Commons category. Their initiative, Malawi Voice Data Commons, developed in collaboration with Ushahidi, UNDP, and Mozilla Foundation, enables rural Malawians to report emergencies in native languages, creating multilingual, AI-ready datasets for humanitarian response and language preservation. The pilot will take place in Malawi with plans to scale across Sub-Saharan Africa.

“When floods approach or violence erupts, language barriers can be deadly. The Malawi Voice Data Commons allows rural Malawians to report emergencies in their own languages while preserving cultural heritage. By making these voices AI-ready, we are ensuring that humanitarian response is faster and more inclusive.” — Katerina Siira and Marine Collins Ragnet Co-Program Leads, NYU Peace Research and Education Program

The judges, composed of diverse experts across technology, civil society, academia, and international organizations also provided four honorary distinctions. These included:

Development of a Data Commons:

• Open Knowledge Brazil’s Querido Diário: Open Knowledge Brasil’s initiative converts municipal gazettes into AI-readable datasets, advancing transparency, civic oversight, and inclusive governance across Brazil.

• Slum Dwellers International’s Know Your City Academy: Slum Dwellers International and Arkology Studio are building a data commons for 5,000+ informal settlements in 18 African countries, integrating oral histories and structured data to promote peer learning and inclusive data practices.

Enhancement of a Data Commons

• PLACE Foundation’s PLACE Hub in Nigeria: Funded by ThisisPLACE, PLACE is replicating its proven model in other regions to Abuja, Nigeria to expand its community-driven spatial data infrastructure to enable responsible AI for urban planning, disaster response, and infrastructure development in Nigeria.   

• Global Strategic Litigation Council’s Advancing Climate Justice: The Climate Mobility Case Database: Tens of millions are displaced annually by the climate crisis. The Climate Mobility Case Database uses AI to distill complex global case law on climate displacement into accessible, multilingual knowledge. By distilling lessons learned from courts across the world, this open platform equips communities, practitioners, and policymakers with the tools to defend rights, strengthen advocacy, and drive policy reform for at-risk and climate-displaced people worldwide. Developed by the Global Strategic Litigation Council, in collaboration with Earth Refuge, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, and the Zolberg Institute.
  

What’s Next

The New Commons Challenge is not only about recognizing innovators — it is also about building a broader ecosystem for data commons. The next phase will include:

• Incubator Support: Providing the winning teams with mentorship, technical assistance, and peer learning opportunities to refine and scale their data commons.

• Repository of Examples: Expanding our open, living library of data commons projects worldwide, offering policymakers, practitioners, and funders a resource to learn from proven models.

• Blueprint for Developing a Data Commons: Operationalizing practical guidance on how to design, govern, and sustain data commons in ways that align with community expectations and serve the public interest.
  
  

Together, these efforts will ensure that the Challenge goes beyond awards — laying the foundation for a global movement of data commons that unlock responsible AI for societal good.

For more information about the New Commons Challenge and the 2025 awardees, visit newcommons.ai or email us at [email protected]. 

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