Grand Rapids Summit tackles AI, equity, and public safety challenges

When Kareem Scales looked at how artificial intelligence was rapidly transforming society, he saw both promise and problems. But he also saw an opportunity for West Michigan communities to influence the technology before it influences them.

Scales, CEO of Scales Consulting, spent years working in public safety and civil rights. As a former executive director of the NAACP Grand Rapids chapter, he helped the city revise its surveillance technology policy to protect residents’ privacy. With AI becoming embedded in everything from policing to hiring, he believes it’s time for a broader conversation.

“During my time leading the NAACP, we worked with the city to revise how surveillance tools were used,” Scales says. “Now, as AI reshapes our world, we need to ensure that communities, especially those historically underserved, are protected.”

He has turned his vision into Mastering the Matrix: AI, Innovation & Public Safety, a first-of-its-kind summit happening Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Grand Valley State University Eberhard Center. The free, daylong forum will bring together law enforcement officials, educators, civil rights leaders, technologists, and residents to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, justice, and equity.

AI’s community impact

Scales says the summit reflects a growing interest in understanding how AI affects public life. 

With support from the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, his firm has secured grant funding to help communities navigate the social implications of new technologies.

He’s partnering on the project with Kevin Jackson, a longtime civil rights advocate and community engagement specialist with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. A former civil rights investigator, Jackson now focuses on building partnerships between state agencies and local communities to advance equity and accountability in public safety.

Jackson and Scales worked together during his tenure with the NAACP Grand Rapids chapter and are working to make sure the Mastering the Matrix summit reflects Michigan’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and community trust in the age of artificial intelligence.

Scales is a certified AI growth strategist, having taken a course at GVSU in the spring and becoming certified in AI prompt engineering. 

Keynote speaker

Renée Cummings, a professor of practice in data science at the University of Virginia, nonresident scholar at the Brookings Institution, and an internationally sought-after speaker on responsible AI, will headline the summit. This will be her third visit to West Michigan as part of a partnership with local leaders. 

“AI can’t protect what it doesn’t know and what it doesn’t respect,” Cummings says. “When technology ignores equity, it endangers justice and undermines duty of care, due process, civil rights, and human rights. Our challenge — and our opportunity — is to build intelligence that defends human dignity as fiercely as it defends public safety.”

Her keynote will explore a framework for aligning technological advancement with community values, civil rights, and shared prosperity.

Bringing in an expert of Cummings’ stature will elevate the conversation, Scales says.

“Having Renée Cummings anchor this conversation is essential,” Scales says. “Her work embodies our mission: to move beyond abstract debates and build concrete, community-driven policies that ensure technology serves justice, not reinforces historical inequities.”

The event comes amid growing awareness of the double-edged nature of AI. Studies have found that algorithmic bias leads to a 35% higher false positive rate for people of color in facial recognition systems. Minority neighborhoods experience 25% more invasive AI surveillance, while lower-income areas have 40% less access to the benefits of AI safety tools.

Promoting solutions

Scales has set up the summit to not only confront these disparities but also highlight solutions. One example is his firm’s new Scale Up Initiative, short for Strategic Coaching for AI Leadership Excellence. The program helps organizations, educators, and public servants develop AI literacy as a modern leadership skill.

“We see AI literacy as a leadership tool, not just a tech skill,” Scales says. “The more people understand these systems, the more power they have to shape how AI impacts their lives.”

Joel Van Kuiken, founder of See Context, a Grand Rapids communications and social impact consultancy firm, says the summit is a collaborative step toward ethical innovation and public trust. 

“What I really appreciate about this summit is how it brings together such a diverse range of voices, from law enforcement to civil rights organizations,” Van Kuiken says. “We talk about tools like ShotSpotter or license plate readers, but we also have to ask: at what cost? If the data is biased, who suffers? Who loses?”

Organizers hope Mastering the Matrix will spark a continuing dialogue about balancing innovation with inclusion.

“This is about ensuring that Michigan and cities like Grand Rapids are not just consumers of technology, but architects of ethical innovation,” Scales said.