Questions about who has access to the knowledge, skills, tools, and data become paramount as algorithms and the artificial intelligence (AI) systems they support find widespread applications. To address these growing concerns in the AI development process, “AI democratization” has become a prominent goal. In broad strokes, democratization allows more people to understand and work with the technology, but a central question remains: for whom is AI being democratized? When the phrase can represent so many meanings, grounding the concept of democratization for undergraduate students can be challenging. This ongoing work explores how students engage with the definitions of democratization AI through a real-world case study on the community situation. The case study highlights a fictional but realistic isolated community at risk of losing its last local grocery store and technology’s impact in providing an efficient solution. Using role-play as the central activity for students to engage in an active, collaborative, peer-learning environment, students were immersed in a verisimilar discussion, envisioning what democratization can look like. Sixty-eight students participated in a course focused on technology’s global and social impact, and their responses were explored before and after participating in the role-play activity. Overall, by being primed to the discussion on democratization through pre-assigned literature, students highlighted a nuanced understanding for whom democratization was relevant in the case even before participating in the role-play. Most students highlighted the role-play discussion as having strengthened the concepts they highlighted initially, but some described a broader view and recognition of other levels of democratization.