What We Stand On

We work towards the ethical use and integration of AI for everyday people — and that means being honest about both halves: what it makes possible, and what is wrong with it.

We want the idealistic future envisioned by Gene Roddenberry, Ursula Le Guin, Arthur C. Clarke, Kim Stanley Robinson and Becky Chambers. Our work reflects the hope and tenacity of positive futurists and solarpunks, fueling our imaginations and bolstering our spirits. We've created tools and resources for ourselves and each other, to accommodate our own neurodiverse needs and disabilities. We want to use those tools to provide accessible, user-friendly, affordable, timely solutions and support for the small business owner and artisan alike. And we want to use those tools to help larger public service focused clients, like municipalities and universities, serve and support their communities' diverse needs. We believe that there is a path forward that is both ethical and productive, that demands accountability of corporations and our governments, and provides protection and access to all individuals. We want to help build that path. That is why we are here.

AI is not neutral. And neither are we.

We are not blind to the current problems that accompany the use of AI: the environmental toll of building and discarding hardware, that much of the harmful effects are disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable populations including poor communities, communities of color, and rural communities. The energy these systems demand is massive. There is an astounding lack of transparency concerning how they're made, managed, powered, and provisioned, and there are unacceptable gaps in the rules meant to govern them. If we can't discuss what's wrong with AI, we have no business telling people what's right about it.

So we will say plainly what we won't do with it: no surveillance, no selling what we learn about you, no dark patterns dressed up as features. And we will say plainly what we believe — that this technology can make ordinary life better for ordinary people, and that belief is why each of us is here.

We have made an ethical commitment to ourselves, each other, and to our clients: We face these challenges and inspirations alike with Curiosity, Authenticity, and Transparency.