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Official first proposal of a democratic charter

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# Inference Cooperative Charter
A cooperative for AI resources, governed by members.
## Preamble
The Inference Cooperative exists to enable the people who use its AI infrastructure to co-govern it. We came together to build and run an alternative to extractive, profit-driven AI—a service owned and directed by its members, committed to pursuing ethical practices, and governed cooperatively. This charter is our core governing document. It sets out how we make decisions together.
## Values
The Inference Cooperative seeks to advance accountable AI grounded in democracy, privacy, and sustainability.
In addition to the international [cooperative principles](https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity/), we share these basic commitments:
## Code of Conduct
- **Participation.** Our service is accountable to the people who use it, and they both can and should have an active role in shaping it.
- **Experimentation.** In order to learn together, we will maintain a spirit of exploration and experimentation, and be respectful of all members' levels of knowledge and expertise.
- **Sustainability.** We commit, wherever possible, to minimizing harm to natural ecologies and to promoting environmental justice.
- **Trustworthiness.** We seek to provide reliable service to one another and protect each other's privacy, in contrast to an industry widely characterized by surveillance.
Members must adhere to the [Contributor Covenant](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/code-of-conduct.md).
## Roles
## Membership
- **Members** are the heart of the co-op. All account holders currently [contributing monthly dues](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative) are considered members and may participate in decision-making and working groups. Members may be sanctioned or removed for violating co-op rules by the GM or a designated working group.
- A **general manager** oversees day-to-day operations and implements member decisions. The GM is accountable to members and may be replaced by them through a policy decision.
- **Working groups** make and carry out operational decisions within their own purview. They should be formally established, modified, and disbanded through a policy decision, and they are obligated, at minimum, to publish to members their membership, meeting schedule, and major activities.
- A **spokescouncil** coordinates across working groups, and all working groups are responsible for ensuring that at least one member consistently participates. The spokescouncil meets monthly, and meetings are open to all members.
Members are dues-paying users of the service. Join at [opencollective.com/inference-cooperative](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative).
## Decisions
### Deliberation
The co-op operates through the practice of modified [policy governance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy_Governance). Member decisions should seek to instill responsibility and trust in role-holders, while guiding them only through goal-setting and necessary constraints. Role-holders should act on the basis of their expertise and the co-op's values, as well as through consultation with members.
Members can participate in deliberation about co-op business on Loomio at [forum.inference.coop](https://forum.inference.coop). Decisions are not currently binding, but in the future they will be.
**Policy.** Any member may propose a policy in the co-op's [forum](https://forum.inference.coop/). A proposal requires at least one vote from another member and stays open for 7 days. It passes by consent as long as it receives support from at least 60% of voting members. If a member raises a block—a reasoned objection that the proposal would seriously harm the cooperative—it requires 75% support. The proposal's author is always encouraged to revise the proposal based on feedback from other members and restart the process.
### Removal
**Charter.** Changes to this charter require a proposal open for **14 days**, along with approval by 75% of voting members, regardless of blocks. Policy decisions must not contradict the charter.
Members may be removed by the General Manager for violations of the Code of Conduct or failure to contribute dues.
## Disputes
## General Manager
Disputes are managed, not resolved. Members try to work things out directly with each other first. When necessary, disputes either among members or between a member and the co-op may be brought to the disputes working group—or, if one does not exist, the GM. Disputes that cannot be resolved within the co-op will be escalated to the parent legal entity, which may forward them to the relevant legal jurisdiction.
The General Manager, initially Nathan Schneider, temporarily has full governance responsibilities over the cooperative.
## Agreements
## Evolution
This charter is the core governing document. Members are also bound by the following agrements:
The current governance model will evolve into a true member-governed cooperative upon or before reaching 50 members. The General Manager is responsible for ensuring the transition occurs within two weeks of that milestone. If it does not, the General Manager must resign and transfer the role to someone who does commit to that deadline, or the co-op is dissolved.
* [Code of Conduct](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/code-of-conduct.md)
* [Terms of Service](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/terms-of-service.md)
* [Privacy Policy](https://git.inference.coop/co-op/docs/src/branch/main/privacy-policy.md)
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## Legal entity
*Created by the [Inference Cooperative](https://inference.coop/).*
The Inference Cooperative operates under the fiscal sponsorship of [Metagov](https://metagov.org/), and our governance is subject to [Metagov's fiscal sponsorship policy](https://metagov.pubpub.org/pub/7bj5ia5g/release/1). We commit to honor that agreement and to operate in a spirit that avoids causing harm to our fiscal host. Metagov may rescind a decision it deems at odds with its policies.
If that commitment is ever at odds with the cooperative's evolution, the cooperative may move to a different fiscal host. Changing fiscal hosts should occur through a revision of this Charter.