Stewarding human-centered AI at a decisive moment
We help leaders see what is actually working in human-centered AI so they can act with confidence before early choices become lasting defaults.
Stewardship
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concern. It is becoming part of the hidden infrastructure shaping how people learn, work, govern, and belong. In moments like this, the most consequential choices are often made quietly and early, before there is shared understanding of what truly serves human life. This is a stewardship moment. What becomes normal now will shape human outcomes for decades.
In a fast-moving environment, many leaders face a quiet dilemma. Acting too quickly risks missteps and backlash. Waiting too long risks locking in harmful defaults. What is missing is not intent or concern, but reliable orientation. A way to move thoughtfully, grounded in evidence, without turning every decision into a public stance.
Choices today set conditions for decades
AI is becoming infrastructure. Without shared understanding, leaders risk chasing noise and locking in early patterns that are hard to reverse. Our aim is a clearer map, not louder opinions.
The three lenses
We look for practices that strengthen flourishing, belonging, and trust. Each Insight shows where the evidence is strong and where it is thin.
Flourishing
We examine AI's ability to enhance individual well-being and collective growth, ensuring technology empowers human potential rather than merely optimizing tasks.
Belonging
We seek AI practices that foster genuine connection, inclusivity, and shared community, countering tendencies that might lead to fragmentation or isolation.
Trust
We identify AI systems built on principles of transparency, fairness, and reliability, promoting confidence and accountability in their design and deployment.
Our role
We synthesize and validate real-world practice into insights leaders can use. We do not sell endorsements. We do not run campaigns. We do not trade access for coverage.
A clear rhythm
1
Quarterly Insights
One Insight each quarter.
2
Ongoing Reflections
Briefings and short reflections follow.
3
Annual Synthesis
At year end we publish a synthesis that connects the lessons.
How we earn trust
Open methods and published inclusion criteria
Independent reviewer attestation with each release
Conflicts disclosed
Selected outputs carry reuse rights
Our Team
HumanAligned.org is led by a diverse team of strategists, storytellers, and systems thinkers united by a shared commitment to ensuring AI serves humanity. Our leadership brings decades of combined experience in technology governance, social impact, and narrative design.
Cory Smith
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Cory is an experienced entrepreneur working at the intersection of technology, innovation, and social impact. In 2013, he co-founded Wisdom Labs and led the Wise@Work platform for workplace resilience, serving enterprises including LinkedIn, Salesforce, Intuit, and Merck. Today, he leads Human Aligned Ventures, a venture studio and innovation lab creating AI-native companies for human flourishing and belonging in safe, trusted environments. He previously served as CEO of Impact Hub San Francisco, CEO of the Social Capital Markets Conference, and the first Innovation Fellow for the City of San Francisco under Mayor Ed Lee. Earlier, he was CEO of Webcast Solutions and co-founder of MediaCast, the first on-location webcast company.
Elana Yonah
Co-Founder & Development
Cofounder of RISE (Reimagining Innovation for Social Equity), Elana brings over 25 years of experience in media, education, and development. A former KQED-TV producer and Center for Investigative Reporting writer, she co-created the international video magazine EDUTOPIA at George Lucas Educational Foundation and co-founded the National Association for Media Literacy Education. As executive director of Just Think (1995-2009), she helped secure $51.1M in ARRA funds and contributed to One Global Economy's international work, including Cisco's $10M commitment in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Emmy-nominated for 'Czeslaw Milosz: A Poet Remembers,' she's a Jefferson Award recipient and cable industry 'Leader in Learning' honoree.
Andy Patrick
Co-Founder & Associate Director
Andy is an entrepreneur with forty years of experience at the intersection of visual storytelling, technology, and design. He founded and led FiftyCrows Foundation and its International Fund for Documentary Photography, the National Geographic All Roads Photography & Film Awards for Indigenous storytellers, LiveBooks portfolio websites for over 15,000 storytellers, and Roam Media creating episodic, social first stories of adventure around the world. He has served on boards for Mother Jones magazine, Richard Gere's Foundation for preserving Tibetan culture, and the Kinsey Institute. His executive producing of photojournalistic work on war crimes in Iraq with VII Photo, where he was the CEO, aired for three straight nights on ABC Nightly News.
Lynn Luckow
Partnerships & Strategy
He served as President & CEO of Craigslist Foundation, Northern California Grantmakers, Jossey-Bass Publishers, and LikeMinded, Inc. Over four decades he has acquired expertise in organization leadership, strategy, change, governance, philanthropy, nonprofit effectiveness, partnership building, and youth and adult development. Lynn has served on or consulted to over 50 nonprofit boards, including chairing the national boards of Chanticleer, the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, Project Open Hand, and National 4-H Council, for which the National Assembly of Health and Human Service Organizations honored him as the nation’s top nonprofit board chair in 2000. Currently he serves on the board of North Dakota Delta Upsilon Education Foundation and on the advisory board of Project Open Hand.
Our Advisors
We are strengthened by an ever-expanding and distinguished advisory board whose expertise spans AI research, ethics, policy, journalism, and community advocacy. These advisors provide critical guidance, challenge our assumptions, and ensure our work serves diverse perspectives and needs.
Turning intent into impact
Fragmented Evidence
Fragmented evidence and language across sectors.
Hype Cycles
Hype cycles that drown out grounded work.
Short Time Horizons
Short time horizons that miss second-order effects.
Confusion on Tradeoffs
Confusion about tradeoffs and limits.
Weak Feedback Loops
Weak feedback loops between practice and policy.
A narrow mandate on purpose
We work upstream. We translate practice into portable insight for funders, institutions, and partners. We stay out of grantmaking, advocacy, and news cycles.
Insight is the product
Each quarter we publish one Insight that answers a focused question. It includes a narrative, an executive synthesis, methods and evidence, and implications with limits.
If this resonates, please reach out at hello@humanaligned.org