Stefan Youngblood’s vision for Black AI literacy goes national
Stefan Youngblood has spent three years making the case that AI literacy is not a luxury for Black communities. It is a matter of economic survival. This week, the founder and CEO of the Black AI Think Tank is putting that argument into action with the Third Annual National Black AI Literacy Week, a five-day virtual event running June 8 through 12, 2026, that has drawn more than 30 speakers from across the AI industry.
The event is hosted entirely online via Zoom, with sessions running daily from 9:30 AM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time. Registration costs $10 for the full week of live programming. Sessions will not be recorded, making live attendance the only way to participate.
What makes this year’s Youngblood event different
Now in its third year, the event has grown from a first-of-its-kind experiment into one of the most community-centered AI gatherings in the country. The 2026 lineup includes educators, startup founders, healthcare innovators, policy thinkers, technologists, and community builders, all brought together under one accessible digital roof.
Programming this year spans a wide range of topics including AI for beginners, agentic AI, AI in healthcare, AI and education, ethics and equity, AI in faith communities, entrepreneurship, app and website creation, identifying deepfakes, data ownership, and the future of work. The breadth is deliberate. Youngblood and his team designed the schedule to serve participants across every experience level, from seniors navigating AI tools for the first time to young developers building their first applications.
The Black AI Think Tank and its growing reach
The Black AI Think Tank, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, was founded with a focus on expanding AI literacy, ethical awareness, and economic opportunity across Black and underrepresented communities. Its weekly online meetings and quarterly events have drawn thousands of participants from around the world, attracting interest from major technology companies, AI research labs, venture capital firms, and academic institutions…