Human Aligned
Amplify the promise. Navigate the peril.
Keep humanity at the center.
Keep humanity at the center.
The Choice Before Us
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we work, learn, create, and care for one another. It will influence every institution we build and every story future generations tell about us. From healthcare algorithms determining treatment options to educational platforms shaping how children learn, AI's reach extends into the most intimate corners of human experience.
The real question is not whether AI will transform society. It already has. The question is who we choose to be while it happens. We still have a rare opportunity to shape the systems that will soon shape us, to ensure that the technology we create amplifies rather than diminishes what makes us human.
Will we allow technology to narrow what it means to be human? Or will we use this moment to deepen our capacity for dignity, connection, and meaning? The decisions we make today will echo through generations, defining not just what our technology can do, but who we become in relationship to it.
We see this as a call to stewardship, to guide this new era with intention and care. What we create will continue to serve life long after us. We work to amplify the promise and outpace the potential for peril, building bridges between innovation and human values.
What's at Stake
Across classrooms, hospitals, organizations, and city halls, algorithms are already influencing who learns, heals, works, and belongs. Most systems are built for speed, scale, and efficiency. We co-create for meaning, care, and trust.
Humanity over Optimization
When we measure only efficiency, we shrink what it means to be human. Algorithms that optimize for clicks may erode attention spans. Systems that prioritize speed may sacrifice depth. We believe technology should expand human potential, not reduce it to metrics.
Fragmented Efforts
Researchers, nonprofits, and innovators undertake vital work to align AI with human values, yet their progress remains scattered and unseen. Breakthrough insights stay locked in academic journals. Successful pilots never scale beyond their original context.
Invisible Impact
Leaders lack credible signals about what is working. The right practices remain buried in papers and pilots while the loudest narratives dominate the field. Without a trusted center of gravity, the story of AI's future risks being written without humanity at its core.
Our Revelation: Story Is Infrastructure
The stories we tell about AI shape the systems we build. When we only hear narratives of disruption and replacement, we build defensive systems. When we share stories of collaboration and care, we create technology that serves.
1
Connect
We identify and unite scattered efforts in human-aligned AI, creating a constellation of proven practices that were previously invisible to one another.
2
Verify
Through rigorous, transparent methods, we validate claims and separate signal from noise, building credibility that compounds over time.
3
Amplify
We transform verified insights into compelling narratives that decision-makers can see, understand, and act upon with confidence.
We are building the narrative infrastructure for human-aligned AI, a connective system of truth, creativity, and credibility that ensures technology evolves in service of human flourishing, belonging, and trust. Through a distributed Media Lab and Proof Engine, we turn alignment into something the world can see, share, and act on.
How It Works
Our model combines the reach of storytelling with the rigor of science. A lean, distributed design that scales responsibly while maintaining integrity. Rather than building a top-heavy institution, we've created a nimble network that connects the world's best thinkers and creators.
The Human-Aligned Media Lab
A global network of Fellows, Curators, and Creators produces cinematic, evidence-based stories that reveal how AI can serve humanity. Each Fellow works within one of three foundational pillars:
Three Foundational Pillars
- Flourishing: wellbeing, creativity, and human agency
- Belonging: inclusion, access, and community
- Trust: safety, consent, and transparency
Creating & Curating
Fellows receive funding and editorial support to publish monthly deliverables including features, explainers, visuals, or short films that feed into each quarterly release. Our editorial core curates, verifies, and weaves these contributions into cohesive public signals.
The Proof Engine
Every story is independently validated through transparent, published methods. Each quarter we release three signature outputs that form a trusted signal chain, proof that alignment is already underway:
Signals Brief
Concise synthesis of verified insights and data, bringing clarity to complex developments in human-aligned AI practices worldwide.
Spotlights
Short features and mini-films that bring the data to life, making abstract concepts tangible through real stories of impact.
Embeddables
Charts, badges, and assets for open reuse, enabling others to amplify verified insights across their own platforms and networks.
Over time, credibility compounds with each quarter strengthening the one before it, building an unshakeable foundation of trust.
The Opportunity
AI is advancing faster than the frameworks that govern it, yet extraordinary human-aligned innovations are emerging around the world. In hospitals, AI assists diagnosis while preserving doctor-patient relationships. In schools, adaptive learning respects each child's unique journey. In communities, algorithms enhance connection rather than replace it.
Our mission is to connect and elevate these innovations, creating the trusted visibility that accelerates adoption everywhere. When a breakthrough happens in Stockholm, leaders in São Paulo can learn from it. When a pilot succeeds in Singapore, it can inspire adaptation in San Francisco.
For funders and partners, this approach delivers maximum impact through a lean, focused model. Your support sustains the trust architecture that keeps humanity in the loop. Every dollar amplifies verified practices and accelerates the adoption of human-aligned approaches worldwide.
Founding Partners
As we stand at a pivotal moment, shaping the future of human-aligned technology requires more than just ideas, it requires a robust foundation. We invite visionary individuals to become Founding Partners, providing the critical support needed to establish our initial infrastructure and operations. Your commitment enables us to build the bedrock upon which all our future work will thrive, amplifying trusted innovations across the globe.
1
Establish Core Operations
Provision essential operational infrastructure, from legal and administrative frameworks to our initial team, ensuring a strong, credible foundation for global impact. This foundational support underpins every report, every connection, and every verified practice.
2
Launch Global Media Lab Network
Fund the crucial first year of our Media Lab Network, empowering us to identify, document, and disseminate human-aligned innovations from key regions worldwide. Your investment directly catalyzes the initial surge of global knowledge sharing.
3
Develop Verification Systems
Support the engineering and implementation of our rigorous, independent verification systems. These systems are vital for protecting the integrity and credibility that make our endorsements truly valuable, turning isolated efforts into beacons of trusted innovation.
Investment Tiers & Impact
Show how funding translates into tangible outcomes at different levels:
$100,000 - Foundation Launch
- Core infrastructure and governance framework
- Initial storytelling platform development
- Pilot verification system
- Foundational research partnerships
$250,000 - Expanded Reach
- Everything in Foundation Launch, plus:
- Multi-channel narrative campaigns
- Enhanced verification protocols
- Community engagement programs
- Strategic partnerships with educational institutions
$500,000 - Scale & Influence
- Everything in Expanded Reach, plus:
- Global storytelling network activation
- Advanced research initiatives
- Policy advocacy framework
- Regional hub development
$1,000,000 - Transformative Impact
- Everything in Scale & Influence, plus:
- Comprehensive global campaign deployment
- Full research and verification infrastructure
- International coalition building
- Long-term sustainability endowment
Beyond $250K: Growing Our Global Network
Every additional $25,000 funds a Global Fellow—researchers, storytellers, and practitioners embedded in communities worldwide who advance human-aligned AI through local action and insight.
Trust You Can See
Transparency is our operating system. In an era where claims about AI alignment often lack substance, we've built credibility into every layer of our work. Trust is not declared, rather it is earned through consistent, visible accountability.
Open Methods Charter
All inclusion criteria and verification steps are public and accessible. Anyone can review our standards, challenge our methods, and understand exactly how we determine what qualifies as human-aligned AI.
Independent Review Council
External experts from academia, civil society, and industry validate each Brief before release. This rotating council operates with full editorial independence, ensuring that our conclusions withstand rigorous scrutiny.
Editorial Independence
No pay-to-play coverage; all funders disclosed. Financial support never determines inclusion. Every source of funding is transparently listed, preserving the integrity that makes our signal trustworthy.
1
Quarter 1
Foundation of methods and initial verification protocols
2
Quarter 2
First independent review and public release
3
Quarter 3
Expanded network and refined verification
4
Quarter 4
Demonstrated impact and policy citations
For Those Who Want to Go Deeper
We maintain a full record of verification processes, inclusion policies, and governance safeguards that ensure every claim we make can be traced, validated, and trusted. This comprehensive framework represents our commitment to accountability at every level of operation.
Open Methods Charter
Our complete methodology document details every criterion, threshold, and decision point in our verification process, updated quarterly based on community feedback.
Rotating Review Council
A diverse panel of external experts serving staggered terms ensures fresh perspectives and prevents institutional capture or bias drift.
Advisory Perspective Panel
Representatives from affected communities provide essential context, ensuring our work serves those most impacted by AI deployment.
Diversity Metrics Dashboard
Public tracking of representation across our network, content, and featured work, holding ourselves accountable to genuine inclusivity.
These frameworks ensure transparency, prevent conflicts of interest, and provide third-party validation for every published signal. Nothing we publish goes unchallenged by independent experts. Nothing we claim goes unverified through transparent methods.
All materials are released under Creative Commons BY-NC for maximum reuse and visibility. We believe that verified insights about human-aligned AI should flow freely, enabling others to build upon our work and amplify its reach.
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.
Co-Founder & Interim 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.
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.
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.
“I have known Cory for years and respect his heartfelt work. Now with HumanAligned he will continue his work, supporting technology to deepen our ability to live with compassion and awareness and care for ourselves and the Earth. I am cheering him on.”
- Jack Kornfield
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.
AI is the most powerful mirror humanity has ever built.
What it reflects back depends on us. Let us make sure it reflects the best of who we are, our capacity for compassion, our commitment to dignity, our creativity in solving problems, and our unwavering belief that technology should expand rather than diminish what it means to be human.
The systems we build today will shape lives for generations. The stories we tell now will determine which innovations flourish and which fade. The choices we make at this moment will echo through time, defining not just what our technology can do, but who we become in relationship to it.
This is our invitation: to be stewards of a future where artificial intelligence amplifies human potential, protects human dignity, and serves the flourishing of all life. Together, we can ensure that the mirror we're building reflects humanity at its finest.
If this resonates, please reach out at hello@humanaligned.org