A shared AI utility
A practical platform where members can access AI tools without depending entirely on one profit-maximising provider.
Phase 1: prototype testing now underway
AI owned by the people who use it.
The AI Cooperative is a planned member-owned AI utility for transparent, accountable and affordable artificial intelligence.
We are building a practical alternative to profit-maximising AI platforms: shared AI infrastructure, transparent costs, privacy-respecting controls, model choice and democratic member governance.
Phase 1 update
Prototype testing is now beginning.
The AI Cooperative has moved from Phase 0 into Phase 1. The first working Kinspace prototype is now around 90% complete.
Kinspace is the practical AI access layer being built under The AI Cooperative: a transparent, member-owned utility designed to route AI tasks across suitable providers, show costs clearly, respect user controls and avoid locking people into a single opaque platform.
We are now looking for dedicated testers, founding members and early contributors who want to help shape the product, governance model and launch path before wider public release.
What this is
A member-owned access layer for useful AI tools, governance, document analysis and model choice.
A governance layer
Member input, transparency reporting, roadmap voting, provider disclosure and privacy-respecting controls.
An open-model platform
Open-weight models should be used where they are good enough, with commercial APIs used transparently when they are the right tool.
What this is not
The AI Cooperative is not a frontier AI lab. It is not trying to train a new GPT-6 or outspend OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or Meta on raw model capability.
The aim is to build trusted, transparent and accountable AI access infrastructure that can serve individuals, SMEs, consultants, charities, researchers, educators and public-interest organisations.
The strategic bet
The future of AI access should not only be decided by the largest technology companies. There is room for a trusted, member-owned utility that makes AI more accountable, affordable and understandable.
View the membership ideaWho it is for
The first community should be made of people and organisations who already understand that ownership, trust, privacy and governance matter.
Individuals and professionals
Consultants, freelancers, researchers, educators, students and independent workers who want practical AI tools with clearer accountability.
SMEs and charities
Smaller organisations that need AI capability but do not want opaque pricing, unclear provider lock-in or weak data controls.
Public-interest organisations
Civic technology groups, co-operatives, community bodies and institutions that want a more democratic route to AI access.
Current project stage
The project is now in Phase 1: founder-funded prototype testing. The immediate work is to complete the Kinspace prototype, work with dedicated testers, recruit founding members, refine the governance model and prepare the legal route toward a co-operative society.
Important: founding member or tester registration is not yet legal membership, share ownership or a financial investment. The intended eventual structure is a co-operative society, subject to legal advice and formal registration.
Next milestones
- Publish the manifesto.
- Gather founding members and testers.
- Research suitable grants.
- Confirm the legal structure.
- Complete the first practical web prototype and test it with dedicated early users.
- Prepare a founding member campaign.
Join the founding member and tester list
Founding members and testers will help shape the manifesto, governance model, product roadmap and launch plan before formal membership opens.
Register your interest