AI For Global Good

Founding Statement

Status: Founding Draft v0.4 — October 2026 This is a founding statement, not a legal charter yet. It describes who we are, what we believe, and how we want to work. We will turn it into formal governance documents when we register as a legal entity.

Who we are

AI For Global Good is a small, independent group that builds AI tools for public benefit. We are not a company. We are not a grant-maker. We are a non-profit builder: we make projects, share most of them openly, and — when it makes sense — help a few of them grow into independent, mission-aligned products.

The primary home for our work is aiforglobalgood.org.

We are not affiliated with the AI for Good Foundation (ai4good.org), the ITU AI for Good platform, the United Nations, or the Erasmus AI for Global Good Initiative. We chose a similar-sounding name because it describes what we care about; the organization itself is independent.

Why we exist

AI and the technologies around it can widen the gap between people who have and people who don’t, or they can become shared tools that lift everyone. We want them to do the second thing.

Our mission: to put AI, and the technologies that enable or complement it, to work for the common good — with priority for the communities that are most underserved.

What we believe

People first. Technology serves people, not the other way around.
Equity. We work with communities, not just for them, especially those most affected by inequality.
Open by default. We share our code, data, and findings openly unless doing so would harm someone.
Honest about limits. We publish what works, what doesn’t, and what we’re unsure about.
Independent. No funder, partner, or member can push us off mission.
Careful. We think about harm before we ship.
Sustainable. We consider the long-term — including the footprint of the technology itself.

What we do

Build projects that address real problems — in health, climate, education, economic inclusion, humanitarian response, and the responsible use of AI itself.
Share them openly with partners, especially in low- and middle-income settings.
Spin out the occasional project into an independent entity when that’s the best way for it to reach scale — on terms that keep the mission in place.
Teach and connect — training, mentoring, and bringing people together around shared work.

What we won’t do

We won’t build, support, or knowingly enable technology whose purpose or foreseeable use is:

weapons or targeting people for harm;
mass surveillance of populations;
deception, manipulation, or disinformation that undermines consent or democracy;
discrimination against, or suppression of the human rights of, any individual or group.

Every significant project gets a plain-language ethics review before it starts, and again at major milestones. We’ll write that process down as we go.

How we handle open source and spin-outs (lightly, for now)

Software we release is under OSI-approved open-source licenses.
Written content is under permissive Creative Commons licenses.
Data is open where it’s safe to be open.
If a project grows into something that needs its own entity to scale, we help it spin out under a written agreement that: keeps the mission commitments above, licenses (not transfers) the IP, and treats any economic interest the organization holds as a mission asset — not something that goes to any individual.

Full policies on IP and spin-outs come when we register.

Who’s involved

Founders — the people who started this and sign this statement.
Members — anyone who formally joins and contributes.
Volunteers and contributors — anyone who shares time, skills, code, or knowledge.
Partners — organizations we work with under an agreement.
Supporters — people and organizations who fund us.

Being involved doesn’t give anyone ownership of the organization or its assets.

How we’ll govern ourselves (founding period)

While we’re small, the Founders act as an interim board. When we register formally — within about 18 months — we’ll put in place a proper board with:

a mix of Founders and people independent of the Founders;
diversity of geography, background, and discipline;
fixed, renewable terms;
an ethics review group with independent members;
clear conflict-of-interest and whistleblower practices.

We’ll publish board composition, policies, finances, and an annual report once we’re up and running.

How we grow

We expect to grow in stages: a small founding team now, a registered organization next, then — if the work resonates — chapters, affiliates, and eventually a federation. The mission, the “what we believe” and “what we won’t do” sections stay the same at every stage.

The names AI For Global Good and its marks may be used by others only with our permission.

Changing or ending this statement

While we’re in the founding period, the Founders can revise this statement by consensus, and we’ll note the version here. Once there is a formal Board, changes require a vote; big changes to the mission, our values, or our commitments require a strong supermajority.

If the organization is ever wound down, any remaining assets go to another non-profit with a similar mission — never to any individual.

What’s next

Finalize the founding circle and sign this statement.
Register socials and a few defensive domains.
Build the first project pages and the public site.
Draft a short Code of Conduct and a Contributing guide.
Choose a jurisdiction and register as a legal entity (and turn this statement into the formal governance documents it implies).

This is a founding draft. It is not legal advice and is not yet a binding governance document. When we register, qualified counsel in the chosen jurisdiction will help us turn it into one.

This page renders the CHARTER.md file from the repository, so there is a single source of truth for what the organization stands for.