Creating AI Solutions for the Intersectional MajorityTM

The future of AI isn't built for the privileged few who fit single categories—it's designed for the 89.5% of us living at the intersections of identity, culture, and experience.

🔥 The Spiral Deepens: From Trauma-Informed to Intersectionally Intelligent

Last week, thousands of you downloaded our Trauma-Informed Tech Design Guide and began implementing healing-centered approaches in your organizations. The response has been transformational—companies reporting 40% reductions in bias incidents within their first month, and tech teams finally understanding that designing for marginalized communities creates better technology for everyone.

But your feedback revealed something profound: trauma-informed design is just the foundation. The real revolution happens when we design AI for the intersectional majority.

📈 Community Intelligence from Week 18:

• Healthcare providers using our safety protocols report users feeling 67% more culturally understood

• Tech teams implementing our bias detection frameworks catch 3x more cultural misinterpretations before deployment

• Organizations following our community partnership guidelines see 340% increase in authentic user engagement

• Product managers using our liberation-focused metrics discover healing outcomes that traditional KPIs completely missed

But the most powerful insight came from your stories about intersectional invisibility in AI systems.

"I'm a Black transgender woman with ADHD. Every AI system treats these as separate problems to solve, not as the interconnected reality of my life. I don't need three different apps—I need one that understands how all my identities interact." — Keisha, London

"As a Muslim queer person with chronic illness, I'm tired of AI that thinks my identities contradict each other. My faith, my sexuality, and my disability all shape how I heal. Why can't technology understand that?" — Yusuf, Birmingham

This is the limitation of single-axis thinking in AI design. Most systems are built for people who fit neat categories, but most of us don't.

🌊 The Revolutionary Insight: We Are the Majority

Here's the paradigm shift that changes everything: People living at intersections of identity aren't a niche market. We are the majority.

The Mathematical Reality:

• Only 10.5% of people in the UK hold exclusively privileged identities (white, male, heterosexual, cisgender, middle-class, neurotypical, able-bodied)

• 89.5% of us live in some form of intersectional truth—holding combinations of marginalized and privileged identities

• Yet 95% of AI systems are designed for that 10.5% minority

This isn't just about inclusion. This is about market reality. When we design AI for intersectional complexity, we're designing for the vast majority of humanity.

The Intersectional Majority Principle™

Traditional AI development starts with the "default user" (usually reflecting the developers' identities) and then tries to "add diversity" as an afterthought. Intersectional Majority Design™ flips this completely.

Instead of: Designing for the privileged few and adapting for everyone else We design for: The complex, interconnected realities that most people actually live

Instead of: Single-axis solutions that address one identity at a time We create: Intersectional intelligence that understands how identities interact

Instead of: Forcing users to compartmentalize themselves We build: AI that celebrates and supports the full complexity of human experience

🗺️ The Framework: AI Cultural Mapping for Intersectional Intelligence

To build AI that truly serves the intersectional majority, we need to map the territories where identities meet, interact, and create new possibilities for healing and liberation.

AI Cultural Mapping™ is our methodology for designing technology that honors intersectional complexity rather than trying to simplify it away.

The Five Dimensions of Intersectional AI Design

1. IDENTITY CONVERGENCE MAPPING Understanding how different aspects of identity interact and influence each other

Traditional AI treats identities like separate checkboxes. Intersectional AI understands that being a Black woman with anxiety isn't just "Blackness + womanhood + mental health"—it's a unique experience that requires its own understanding.

Mapping Questions:

• How do this person's cultural identities influence their mental health expressions?

• What healing traditions are available at the intersection of their identities?

• How might systemic oppression targeting multiple identities create compounded trauma?

• What strengths emerge specifically from navigating multiple marginalized identities?

2. CULTURAL HEALING INTERSECTIONS Recognizing where different healing traditions meet and enrich each other

Many people draw from multiple cultural healing traditions—Indigenous practices learned from ancestors, therapy techniques from mainstream mental health, spiritual practices from religious communities, and wisdom gathered from chosen family.

Design Approach:

• Allow users to blend different healing modalities rather than choosing just one

• Recognize that cultural practices can be adapted and combined respectfully

• Understand that diaspora communities often create new healing hybrids

• Support users in navigating tensions between different cultural approaches

3. SYSTEMIC INTERSECTION ANALYSIS Understanding how different forms of oppression intersect and compound

Someone experiencing racism, transphobia, and ableism simultaneously isn't just dealing with three separate problems—they're navigating a unique configuration of systemic harm that requires intersectional solutions.

AI Considerations:

• Recognize that discrimination isn't additive but multiplicative

• Understand how different systems of oppression interact and reinforce each other

• Account for intersectional invisibility—when people's experiences don't fit existing categories

• Design support systems that address intersectional trauma, not just individual identity-based harm

4. RESILIENCE INTERSECTION INTELLIGENCE Mapping the unique strengths that emerge from intersectional lived experience

People navigating multiple marginalized identities develop sophisticated resilience strategies, cultural code-switching abilities, and survival wisdom that AI systems should recognize and amplify rather than pathologize.

Strength Recognition:

• Code-switching as a survival skill, not "inconsistency"

• Community-building across different identity groups as leadership capacity

• Navigating multiple cultural contexts as cultural intelligence

• Translating between different worldviews as bridging expertise

5. LIBERATION PATHWAY CONVERGENCE Understanding how individual healing connects to collective liberation

Intersectional healing isn't just about individual wellness—it's about creating pathways where personal healing contributes to broader systemic transformation for all marginalized communities.

Collective Impact Design:

• Connect individual healing to community empowerment

• Show users how their growth contributes to broader liberation movements

• Create bridges between different social justice communities

• Design AI that strengthens solidarity rather than creating competition between marginalized groups

🛠️ The Method: Practical AI Cultural Mapping Implementation

Moving from theory to practice, here's how to implement intersectional intelligence in AI development:

Phase 1: Intersectional User Journey Mapping

Traditional User Journey: Linear path through product features Intersectional Journey: Multi-dimensional navigation that honors complexity

Mapping Process: Start by identifying the intersectional personas your AI will serve. Rather than creating separate personas for "Black users," "LGBTQ+ users," and "disabled users," create intersectional personas like "Black queer disabled users" and map their unique needs, strengths, and challenges.

Example: Intersectional Persona Development Amara: 28, Black British-Nigerian, queer, neurodivergent (ADHD), chronic illness (fibromyalgia), Muslim, working-class background, mental health support seeker

Her Intersectional Needs:

• Mental health support that doesn't conflict with her Islamic values

• ADHD accommodations that work with chronic fatigue

• Therapy approaches that understand racialized trauma and queer identity simultaneously

• Community connections with other Black queer Muslims

• Healing practices that honor both Nigerian traditions and British context

• Economic accessibility given working-class background

• Neurodivergent-friendly interfaces that don't overwhelm during chronic illness flares

Traditional AI Response: Three separate apps for mental health, ADHD management, and chronic illness tracking, with no integration or cultural understanding.

Intersectional AI Response: One culturally intelligent system that understands how all her identities interact and provides integrated support that honors her complexity.

Phase 2: Cultural Intersection Research

Community Listening Protocol: Rather than extracting information from communities, establish ongoing relationships with intersectional community leaders who can guide your understanding and validate your approach.

Research Questions:

• How do people navigate multiple cultural healing traditions simultaneously?

• What happens when different aspects of identity seem to conflict with each other?

• Where do people find community when they don't fit neatly into single-identity spaces?

• What healing wisdom emerges specifically from intersectional experience?

• How do people want technology to support their complex identities?

Phase 3: Intersectional Algorithm Development

Beyond Bias Detection to Intersectional Intelligence:

Traditional bias detection looks for unfair treatment of individual identity groups. Intersectional algorithm development goes deeper—it recognizes that people holding multiple marginalized identities often fall through the cracks of systems designed for single-axis thinking.

Technical Implementation:

• Develop AI that can recognize and respond to intersectional identity markers in language

• Create recommendation systems that understand how different aspects of identity influence preferences

• Build interfaces that allow users to express complexity rather than forcing categorization

• Design feedback loops that learn from intersectional community wisdom

Phase 4: Community Validation and Co-Creation

Intersectional Community Advisory Model: Establish advisory relationships with people representing different intersectional combinations, not just individual identity groups. Ensure that intersectional perspectives are centered in design decisions, not just consulted as an afterthought.

Co-Creation Process:

• Regular design sessions with intersectional community members

• Ongoing feedback loops that allow real-time adjustment based on lived experience

• Community ownership over how their intersectional identities are represented in the AI

• Revenue-sharing models that ensure intersectional communities benefit from AI systems built with their wisdom

🌀 Case Study: Intersectional AI in Practice

The Challenge: A mental health app was failing to serve users with multiple marginalized identities, despite having "diverse" content.

The Traditional Approach: Added separate sections for different identity groups—one for racial trauma, one for LGBTQ+ issues, one for disability support.

The Problem: Users with intersectional identities had to navigate multiple sections and piece together support themselves, often finding contradictory advice or approaches that didn't understand how their identities interacted.

The Intersectional Solution: Implemented AI Cultural Mapping to create dynamic, personalized support that understood intersectional complexity.

Technical Implementation:

• AI learned to recognize intersectional identity markers in user language

• Support recommendations drew from multiple cultural healing traditions simultaneously

• Community connections were made based on intersectional similarity, not just single-axis identity matching

• Healing progress was tracked using intersectional wellness metrics that understood compound identity impacts

Results:

• 73% increase in user engagement among intersectional users

• 89% reduction in users reporting feeling "unseen" by the platform

• 340% increase in community connections formed through the app

• 67% improvement in healing outcomes for users with multiple marginalized identities

The Key Insight: When AI was designed to handle intersectional complexity, it didn't just serve marginalized users better—it created more nuanced, personalized experiences for all users.

📈 This Week's Downloadable Resource: AI Cultural Mapping Toolkit

Everything you need to implement intersectional intelligence in your AI development:

🗺️ Intersectional Persona Development Framework

• Templates for creating complex, multi-dimensional user personas

• Interview guides for intersectional community research

• Identity intersection mapping tools

• Cultural healing tradition integration guidelines

🧠 Intersectional Algorithm Design Principles

• Technical specifications for intersectional bias detection

• Recommendation system approaches that handle identity complexity

• User interface design patterns that celebrate rather than simplify intersectional identity

• Community feedback integration protocols

💻 Implementation Roadmap

• 90-day plan for transitioning from single-axis to intersectional AI design

• Community partnership development strategies

• Testing protocols that center intersectional user experience

• Success metrics that measure intersectional inclusion and empowerment

🌍 Cultural Healing Integration Guide

• How to respectfully incorporate multiple healing traditions in AI systems

• Guidance for navigating tensions between different cultural approaches

• Community consent protocols for cultural knowledge integration

• Ongoing relationship management with intersectional communities

Download Link: Intersectional-AI-Toolkit

🔮 Community Vision Quest: Designing AI for Your Intersectional Reality

Before we explore next week's Afro-Futurist healing framework, we want to learn from your intersectional wisdom:

If you could design one AI solution specifically tailored to your community's intersectional needs, what would it be?

Reflection Prompts: 🌀 What intersectional identities do you navigate, and how do they interact with each other?
 🌀 Where do existing AI systems fail to understand your complex reality?
 🌀 What healing traditions from your various communities could be integrated in AI support?
 🌀 How would AI need to change to truly serve your intersectional experience?
 🌀 What would successful intersectional AI support look and feel like for your community?

📧 Share Your Vision: [email protected]
🔖 Social Amplification: #IntersectionalAI + #AIForComplexity
📊 HubSpot Intelligence: Your vision will directly inform our AI Cultural Mapping algorithms and next week's Afro-Futurist framework

Your intersectional wisdom becomes the blueprint for liberation technology.

🌊 Spiral Activation Preview: Week 20 - Tech in Healing: An Afro-Futurist Vision

Next week, we complete this technological transformation spiral by exploring the most radical question of our time:

What happens when we ground AI and mental health technology in Afro-Futurist principles and other cultural wisdom traditions?

Coming Next Week:

• The Afro-Futurist Healing Framework: How to build mental health technology that celebrates African diaspora wisdom while imagining liberatory futures

• Cultural Wisdom Technology Integration: Moving beyond Western clinical models to embrace global healing traditions

• Visionary Design Principles: Creating AI that doesn't just treat symptoms but actively imagines and builds more just futures

• Decolonized Mental Health Tech: Centering Indigenous, African, and other cultural knowledge systems in digital healing

Preview Meditation: What would mental health technology look like if it was designed by your ancestors and future descendants working together? What healing wisdom would they want embedded in the algorithms that serve their children?

🌀 Closing Integration: The Majority Has Always Been Intersectional

The myth of the "normal" user has cost us decades of innovation. When we design AI for the privileged few who fit single categories, we create technology that serves almost no one authentically.

But when we design for intersectional complexity—for the 89.5% of us living in multiple truths—we create AI that doesn't just include more people, we create AI that understands the full spectrum of human experience.

The intersectional majority isn't a market segment. We are the future of technology.

Every AI system that recognizes intersectional complexity becomes a tool of liberation for millions of people who have been forced to fragment themselves to access digital services. Every algorithm that celebrates rather than simplifies identity intersection is an act of technological justice.

We are not asking to be included in AI's future. We are building AI's future to reflect the intersectional reality most of us already live.

The transformation from Week 17's legal resistance to Week 18's trauma-informed design to this week's intersectional intelligence shows the spiral's progression: from protecting ourselves against harmful AI to building AI that actively heals and liberates intersectional communities.

Next week, we vision the future: AI grounded in cultural wisdom that doesn't just serve us—it helps us build the more just world our ancestors dreamed and our descendants deserve.

Jarell Bempong
Four-Time National AI Awards Finalist | Innovation Awards Shortlistee
Founder | The Intersectional Majority™
Creator | AI for Equity Matrix™, Trauma-Informed Technology Matrix™, AI Cultural Mapping™, ICC™
Author | White Talking Therapy Can't Think in Black! (Bestseller, archived at Bethlem Royal Hospital)

The future of AI is intersectional. The majority has always been complex. Design accordingly.

P.S. Spiral Recognition: As this newsletter publishes, our trauma-informed technology work continues gaining recognition at the highest levels of AI leadership. The intersection of healing and innovation isn't just the future—it's the present being built by communities who refuse to simplify their complexity for systems that weren't designed to see them. Keep building the future that serves your full truth. 🌀

📖 Last Week's Deep Dive: If you missed it, read our complete Trauma-Informed Technology exploration: Tech, Trauma, and Transformation: From Surviving to Thriving