6.8 KiB
Terms of Service
Last updated: October 6, 2026
In plain language
- You are a member, not a customer. You help govern this project.
- We provide AI chat and API access through open models, with privacy-protected options (some models run in encrypted enclaves; others are value-based choices — see §3).
- Your prompts and the AI's outputs are yours to keep.
- We don't train on your data, and we don't sell it.
- AI can be wrong. Use your judgment.
- If you misuse the service, we may remove you (per our Charter) — and you are responsible for what you do with it (§4).
- Our liability is limited to what you've paid in dues.
The full terms are below. If anything is unclear, write to info@inference.coop.
1. Who we are
The Inference Cooperative ("we", "us") is a member-governed project providing AI inference. We are fiscally sponsored by Metagov, a nonprofit that provides our financial and legal structure.
When you join, you become a member — someone with a voice in how the project is run — not a customer of a vendor.
2. Membership
- Membership is through Open Collective, where you pay dues on a sliding scale (currently $5/month minimum).
- You must be 18 or older to join.
- Membership is governed by our Charter, including our Code of Conduct.
- We may suspend or remove membership for Code of Conduct violations or non-payment, as described in the Charter.
3. The service
We provide:
- AI chat and a developer API through open models from multiple providers. You choose per task not just which model, but which values it embodies:
- Privacy-protected models run inside encrypted (TEE) enclaves, so inputs and outputs are not readable in plaintext at the inference step (Tinfoil).
- Renewable-energy models run on 100% renewable infrastructure (GreenPT).
- Publicly developed models are fully open — weights, code, and training data (PublicAI / Apertus).
- Web search and file uploads within the chat interface.
- Governance — a seat in decisions about models, pricing, and direction.
Privacy protection is a choice you make per model, not a universal property of the service. Only the Tinfoil models are architecturally private; the others are value-based choices. Please choose the model that matches your needs, and see our Privacy Policy for details.
The service is provided "as is" and may change as the project evolves. We do not guarantee uptime or specific performance at this stage.
4. Acceptable use
You agree not to use the service to:
- Violate any law or regulation.
- Generate, distribute, or facilitate illegal, harmful, abusive, or discriminatory content — including content that sexualizes minors, defrauds, incites violence, or harasses others.
- Create deepfakes, impersonations, or deceptive media of real people without their consent.
- Process regulated data — including protected health information (e.g. HIPAA), payment-card data, or other categories that require a separate legal agreement — unless we have agreed to that in writing.
- Submit special-category personal data under GDPR Article 9 (health, ethnicity, political views, religion, biometrics, etc.) without a written agreement.
- Use the service in or for the benefit of embargoed or sanctioned jurisdictions or persons, or otherwise in violation of export-control or sanctions law.
- Use AI outputs as the sole basis for consequential decisions — legal, medical, financial, employment, housing, or safety-critical — without appropriate human review and professional oversight.
- Use the service for high-risk or fail-safe applications (e.g. critical infrastructure, life-support, weapons systems).
- Attempt to circumvent usage limits, the privacy architecture, or rate limits.
- Share your account credentials, or resell or redistribute access to the service.
You are responsible for what you submit and what you do with AI outputs, and you must have the rights needed to submit your content.
5. Usage limits
- Membership includes a monthly credit budget (currently $15 of usage, the same for every member regardless of what you pay).
- Members may also purchase credit packs: non-expiring credits drawn only after the monthly budget is exhausted. Credits do not expire and carry over from month to month.
- When your budget is exhausted, requests pause until the next cycle.
- The pricing and budget model is itself a governance decision — members can change it through Loomio.
6. Your content
- Your prompts and the AI's outputs are yours to keep.
- We do not train models on your data.
- We do not sell or share your content.
- See our Privacy Policy for how your data is handled.
7. Privacy
Privacy is a core value, but it is not uniform across the service. Some models (Tinfoil) run inference in encrypted enclaves so that inputs and outputs are not readable in plaintext at the inference step; others are selected for renewable energy or public development rather than architectural privacy. Choose the model that matches your privacy needs. Details are in the Privacy Policy.
8. Termination
- You may leave at any time by cancelling on Open Collective.
- On leaving, your account is deactivated (data preserved for reactivation). You may request full deletion.
- We may remove members per the Charter (Code of Conduct, non-payment).
9. Governance
- Decisions are made through Loomio and governed by the Charter.
- During the pilot phase, the General Manager holds final discretion; this transitions to full member governance as the project grows.
10. Disclaimers, liability, and indemnity
- AI outputs may be inaccurate, biased, or inappropriate. We provide no warranty of correctness. Use your judgment, and do not rely on outputs as a sole source of truth or as a substitute for professional advice.
- To the maximum extent permitted by law, our liability is limited to the amount of dues you have paid.
- Members are not personally liable for the project's obligations.
- You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Inference Cooperative, Metagov, and their officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the service, your content, your violation of law or third-party rights, or your violation of these Terms. In plain terms: if what you do with the service causes a legal problem, it is your responsibility, not the co-op's or Metagov's.
11. Changes to these terms
- We may update these terms as the project evolves.
- Material changes are announced to members and, where appropriate, decided through Loomio.