The Founding Assembly

We Don't Have Sponsors.
We Have Founding Institutions.

AI TownSquare is civic infrastructure for the intelligence age. You don't sponsor infrastructure—you become part of it. We are constituting 25 Founding Institutions, selected for their demonstrated commitment to responsible AI and their willingness to contribute to the collective work.

Current Status

The Founding Assembly is being constituted. We are in dialogue with organizations across healthcare, finance, government, and technology.

The Model

This Is Not Traditional Partnership

The Founding Assembly reflects a fundamentally different relationship between institutions and civic infrastructure.

Traditional Sponsorship

  • You pay for visibility
  • Logo placement
  • Reserved seats
  • Benefits you receive
  • Open to all with budget
  • Transaction

The Founding Assembly

  • You're vetted for alignment
  • Name in historical record
  • Required participation
  • Obligations you accept
  • Invitation only, capped at 25
  • Commitment
"The 25 Founding Institutions will be permanently recorded as the organizations that chose to build—not buy—civic infrastructure for AI."
Selection Criteria

What We Look For

Founding Institutions are not solicited. They are identified based on public evidence of alignment with our mission. We evaluate:

01

Demonstrated AI Commitment

A public track record of responsible AI work—not press releases, but evidence. Published research, implemented governance frameworks, or substantive contributions to AI policy discourse.

02

Cross-Sector Relevance

Your organization must operate within or directly impact at least one of our four focus sectors: healthcare, finance, government, or technology. We seek institutions whose AI decisions ripple across society.

03

Leadership Engagement

The CEO or equivalent must be personally engaged. This is not delegable to CSR or marketing. Founding Institutions are led by individuals who understand that AI governance is existential, not promotional.

04

Contribution Capacity

Ability to meaningfully contribute beyond financial commitment. Can you host sessions? Provide domain expertise? Extend distribution of Civic Briefs to policymakers? We seek active builders, not passive supporters.

05

Values Alignment

Commitment to measuring success by societal impact, not financial returns alone. Your organization's actions must reflect this—we review the record.

06

Long-Term Orientation

This is a permanent commitment to civic infrastructure. We seek institutions building for decades, not quarters. The Founding Assembly is not a marketing opportunity—it's a historical responsibility.

Begin the Process

Expression of Interest

Submitting this form does not constitute an application. It signals your organization's interest and begins our vetting process. We respond to aligned organizations within 14 days.

What We Review

Your organization's public AI initiatives and governance
Leadership statements and engagement on AI readiness
Track record of stakeholder-oriented decision making
Capacity and willingness to actively contribute

For direct inquiries

assembly@aitownsquare.org
Published research, governance framework, policy contribution, etc.

This submission begins the vetting process. We will review your organization against our selection criteria and respond within 14 days if we wish to continue dialogue.

Requirements

What's Expected of Founding Institutions

Six obligations, including active participation, the Readiness Pledge, and annual accountability reporting.

Joining the Founding Assembly is not transactional. It comes with obligations. Here is what we require:

Active Participation

Send at least two diverse representatives to each TownSquare session. Not just executives—we require voices from different levels of your organization. Presence is mandatory, not optional.

The Readiness Pledge

Make a public commitment to your own organization's AI readiness. This means transparent reporting on your internal AI governance, workforce preparation, and ethical frameworks. We hold each other accountable.

Contribution

Each Founding Institution contributes beyond attendance. Host a TownSquare session in your city. Provide facilitators from your domain. Extend distribution of Civic Briefs to your network. Build the infrastructure.

Annual Accountability

Submit to annual review of your organization's AI readiness progress. Founding Institutions lead by example—your journey toward AI readiness becomes part of the collective record, with transparency to the Assembly.

The Founding Charter

The Founding Charter

The public commitment your CEO signs upon acceptance. Published alongside all Founding Institution names.

Upon acceptance into the Founding Assembly, your organization's leadership signs the Founding Institution Charter. This is a public commitment, not a private contract. The Charter includes:

Commitment to active participation in TownSquare sessions
The Readiness Pledge for your own organization
Agreement to annual accountability reporting
Pledge to extend, not gatekeep, AI readiness knowledge
Recognition that this is a permanent, historical commitment

The Charter is signed by the CEO or equivalent. It is published alongside the names of all Founding Institutions as a public record.

Natural Outcomes

What Membership Means

We don't offer "benefits"—we describe what naturally follows from being part of the Founding Assembly:

Historical Record

Your institution's name appears in every Civic Brief as a Founding Institution. Not a logo—a name, in the permanent record of this movement.

Direct Dialogue

Your representatives engage directly with cross-sector leaders shaping AI policy. These conversations happen in structured civic dialogue, not networking events.

Early Insight

Civic Briefs and Societal Readiness Index updates are shared with the Assembly before public release. You understand emerging concerns as they crystallize.

Selection Credibility

Being selected—not purchased—into the Founding Assembly signals something to the market, to regulators, and to your own organization about your commitment to AI readiness.

Collective Intelligence

Access to the accumulated wisdom of 25 institutions navigating AI readiness together. Shared frameworks, shared challenges, shared progress.

Permanent Association

The Founding Assembly closes at 25 institutions. Your organization's early commitment is recorded permanently in the infrastructure you helped build.

The Process

How Selection Works

We do not accept applications. Founding Institutions are vetted and invited. However, you may express interest:

01

Expression of Interest

Submit a brief form indicating your organization's alignment with our mission and criteria. This begins—but does not guarantee—the vetting process.

02

Vetting

We review your organization's public AI track record, leadership engagement, and values alignment. This is not a formality—we decline organizations that don't meet our criteria.

03

Invitation

If selected, you receive a formal invitation to join the Founding Assembly. The invitation includes the Charter and full details of commitments required.

04

Acceptance

Your CEO or equivalent signs the Founding Institution Charter. Your organization's name is added to the Assembly and the public record.

05

Onboarding

Welcome to the Founding Assembly. You're briefed on upcoming sessions, introduced to fellow Founding Institutions, and begin your active participation.

The Assembly Will Close at 25 Institutions

The Founding Assembly is currently being constituted. We are in dialogue with organizations across healthcare, finance, government, and technology. Once 25 Founding Institutions have been selected and have signed the Charter, the Assembly closes permanently to new members.

This is not artificial scarcity. 25 mirrors the structure of our TownSquare sessions—intimate enough for genuine dialogue, diverse enough for cross-sector insight. The institutions that build this infrastructure will be recorded as its founders.