The
world's largest grassroots AI community formally detailed its
global rebrand as The AI Collective, its official incorporation as a
non-profit organization, and the launch of three foundational
initiatives to cultivate a collaborative ecosystem for the responsible
stewardship of AI. Formerly The GenAI Collective, the organization
boasts 70,000+ members across 25+ global chapters and partners including
AWS, Meta, Anthropic, Roam, and Product Hunt.
This announcement builds on initial excitement sparked by a social media reveal on Monday, June 3rd (aic.so/cial),
and coincides with flagship launch events currently underway in San
Francisco, New York City, and across its global chapters (aic.so/celebrations).
As
the race to develop artificial intelligence accelerates daily, fueled
by intense competition and unprecedented investment, the essential work
of aligning these powerful systems with human values and societal trust
is often dangerously sidelined. The AI Collective is responding directly
to this critical gap, positioning itself as the essential human
counterpoint in the age of acceleration by building a global community
to steward AI, informing decision-makers, and supporting mission-aligned
entrepreneurs.
"The
ground is shifting beneath us. AI's exponential progress brings immense
possibility, but also profound questions about our future, our work,
and our very identity - and the institutions we rely on weren't built
for this velocity," said Chappy Asel, Co-Founder and Executive Director
of The AI Collective.
"Trust
is the invisible thread holding society together, and right now, that
thread is fraying under the strain of misaligned incentives and rapid,
uncoordinated change. We believe that in an era of exponential
transformation, our greatest strength lies in each other - in creating
trusted, in-person spaces to make sense of this moment, ask the deeper
questions, and collaboratively shape a future where AI genuinely
enhances human flourishing, not just surpasses human capability," Asel
said.
The
AI Collective believes that without deliberate intervention focused on
trust, openness, and participation, AI's trajectory risks leaving
humanity behind. Recognizing that managing this requires bridging the
widening gap between technological progress and societal adaptation, the
organization is launching three foundational initiatives designed to
rebuild trust through action and participation:
- Expanding Global Community & Events: Rebuilding Trust Through In-Person Connection. The
AI Collective will rehumanize innovation by launching 100 chapters
across six continents by end of year. Each chapter will fuse its
community's unique vision with global shared values of openness and
inclusivity, curating salons, hackathons, demo nights, mentorship
circles, and cross‑disciplinary mashups to deepen trust and
collaboration. Their network will converge at Singularity Fest this
November 2025 in San Francisco for a multi‑day, decentralized
celebration attracting 10,000 pioneers across domains for hands‑on labs,
purpose‑driven keynotes, thematic tracks, and community‑led
activations, ensuring AI's next leaps keep humanity firmly at the
center.
- Informing Decision-Makers: Bridging the Gap Between Frontier Insight and Responsible Governance. To counter the risks of institutional blind spots and lagging policy, The AI Collective Institute,
the organization's participatory research arm, connects frontier
technologists directly with policymakers, industry leaders, and the
public. It translates ground-truth insights from the AI ecosystem into
practical guidance through open research, equipping frontline leaders to
foster responsible innovation and navigate future shock effectively.
- Supporting Mission-Aligned Innovation: Actively Incentivizing Human-Centric AI Development. In pursuit of a values-aligned AI ecosystem driven by the community's unique trust and insight, Collective Investments acts
as a dedicated founder-investor matchmaking program under the
non-profit umbrella. It identifies and supports promising founders
building trustworthy, beneficial AI, connecting them with values-aligned
capital allocators (VCs, grants, angels) and providing crucial support
to ensure the AI future being built reflects the principles of human
flourishing and responsible progress.
The AI Collective is
celebrating this evolution with its ongoing flagship events and global
chapter celebrations. The organization invites builders, thinkers,
policymakers, investors, and pioneers worldwide to join the conversation
and contribute to shaping a future where technology serves all of
humanity.
Read the organization's foundational perspective, "Trust in the Age of Acceleration"