Dr. David Dao is co-founder and chief scientist of GainForest, a Swiss nonprofit organization building decentralized technology for community-driven conservation. With a PhD from ETH Zurich, he leads research on how AI can support communities protecting the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. GainForest has partnered with over 50 frontline communities across South America, Africa, and Asia. In 2024, his team won the XPRIZE Rainforest Bonus Prize, converting the $250,000 award into an Indigenous Science Endowment Fund governed by Indigenous scientists. David advocates for rethinking who builds AI and who benefits from it, arguing that effective conservation technology must be rooted in community values and local knowledge.