To everyone who will live with the decisions being made right now.
Artificial intelligence is being built quickly, by a small number of people, on behalf of everyone. That is not an accusation. It is simply where we are, and it is not a stable place to stay.
We are not signing against this technology. Many of us build with it, work alongside it, and expect our children to live better because of it. We are signing for something: a seat at the table for the people who will absorb the consequences.
We believe four things.
That those affected should help decide. The worker whose job changes, the parent whose school adopts a tutor, the patient whose scan is read by a model — each holds knowledge no research team can supply.
That evidence should outrank enthusiasm. Pilots should be measured honestly, results published whether or not they flatter anyone, and failures kept on the record where the next community can find them.
That capital carries responsibility. Money will decide much of what gets built. It should be answerable to the communities it reshapes, and its returns should be measurable in more than one currency.
That intelligence should be distributed, not concentrated. A capability this general should widen the number of people who can act, not narrow it.
The JanuaryAI Project is one attempt at the institution these beliefs require: an open Commons, working groups that turn discussion into fundable plans, and an annual Summit where the community itself authorizes what proceeds. It will be judged, as it should be, by what it publishes and what it delivers.
Signing this letter commits you to nothing more than presence — that when the questions are asked, you intend to be in the room. That is how the wisdom to govern this well gets assembled: not from a summit of experts alone, but from a community willing to keep showing up.
Add your name.