Shared Abundance An AI Commons Initiative
Governing principles · Draft v0.1

Clear rules. Visible changes.

These principles describe the purpose and boundaries of Shared Abundance. They guide how the system is built and how it will operate.

A project rulebook with revision sheets, document tabs and a change log.

Governing principles

  1. Broad membership

    The long-term aim is participation by every human being, with practical eligibility, verification and legal arrangements still to be developed.

  2. One person, one equal share

    Each eligible verified person has one equal claim on leftover money for sharing. Paying more or contributing more cannot buy a permanently bigger share.

  3. Membership is a person, not a stake

    You cannot buy, sell, or inherit a permanently bigger claim. Membership is one equal share per person.

  4. Available surplus is shared

    After legitimate costs, taxes, reserves, reinvestment and obligations, distributable surplus flows equally to eligible members under public rules.

  5. Aim for Universal High Income

    The long-term goal is Universal High Income, earned from the productive results the system actually achieves.

  6. Temporary pioneer advantages

    Early contributions may earn agreed compensation, limited returns, or lasting recognition. Any special financial entitlement has a defined endpoint, and none of it buys a permanently bigger member share.

  7. Money does not buy authority

    Investment, tokens or contributions cannot purchase permanent authority over the governing rules.

  8. Human authority over the rules

    AI cannot rewrite the fundamental rules governing itself. People retain ultimate constitutional authority.

  9. A defined intervention mechanism

    People must have a workable way to stop or override operations when serious problems arise.

  10. Independent checks

    Important decisions should be examined by separate systems or reviewers. No single AI is an unquestionable authority.

  11. Inspectable operations

    Rules, ownership, finances and major decisions should be logged and open to inspection wherever security and privacy permit.

  12. Understandable explanations

    Important rules and financial arrangements must have clear plain-language explanations.

  13. Work toward self-funding

    Outside money may support the launch. Ongoing operation and growth should pay for themselves from real results.

  14. Protect future membership

    Current participants cannot permanently sell away the shared entitlement of future generations.

Still to develop: Legal form and jurisdictions; verification and eligibility; treatment of minors; privacy and security; distribution periods; reserves and reinvestment policy; pioneer terms and their endpoint; rule-amendment procedure; independent review; intervention authority and recovery after a shutdown.

Oversight design

Operational safeguards

Routine operations

AI systems plan and operate business activities within defined limits.

Financial checks

Independent review verifies accounting and supporting evidence.

Risk checks

Important decisions are examined for operational and financial risks.

Rule checks

Decisions are checked against the published governing rules.

Human authority

People retain authority over those rules and a defined emergency intervention mechanism.

Relationship
  1. AI operates within rules
  2. Independent checks
  3. Human rule authority & intervention

These safeguards are design requirements. Technical and legal implementation is part of the build ahead.

Operational equipment connected to independent review stations and a separate manual override console.

Revision history

  • v0.1

    Initial principles published.

    Draft

No earlier versions, approval votes or amendment dates are asserted.