From 87e0a085f4bc7d04b9053ca336fccf21bd12d819 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Admin Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:09:11 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Corrections added to history --- background.md | 45 +++++++++++---------------------------------- 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 34 deletions(-) diff --git a/background.md b/background.md index 96c0b5d..e9883a2 100644 --- a/background.md +++ b/background.md @@ -1,54 +1,31 @@ # Background -A one-page account of why the Inference Cooperative exists and how it got -here. For how to join and use it, see [Getting started](getting-started.md); -for the rules, see the [Charter](charter.md). - -## Mission - The Inference Cooperative exists to give people a real alternative for AI: a service owned and directed by the people who use it, rather than rented from an extractive industry. Members pay dues on a sliding scale and receive private AI chat and API access through infrastructure the members govern together. -Three commitments shape how we build it: - -- **Privacy.** Our "private" models run in trusted execution environments - (hardware-encrypted enclaves) with end-to-end encryption between your device - and the model — the stack is designed so that even the co-op's own operators - cannot read members' conversations. -- **Sustainability.** Members can choose models that run on 100% renewable - energy, from providers with public environmental commitments. We self-host - our own infrastructure, so every efficiency gain is ours to make. -- **Self-governance.** Decisions are made by members through - [policy governance](charter.md), on our [forum](https://forum.inference.coop/), - using free, self-hosted tools wherever possible. - We are a small cooperative by design, fiscally sponsored by the nonprofit -[Metagov](https://metagov.org) and funded through member dues on +[Metagov](https://metagov.org) and managing member dues on [Open Collective](https://opencollective.com/inference-cooperative). -Membership starts at $5/month (suggested $15), which covers a $15 monthly -usage allowance. The service costs what members put in, and no investor takes -a cut. +For how to join and use it, see [Getting started](getting-started.md); +for our governance model, see the [Charter](charter.md). ## How we got here -The cooperative launched in 2026, growing out of research on democratic -digital infrastructure at the Media Economies Design Lab (MEDLab) at the -University of Colorado Boulder. It began with a single privacy-first provider -— Tinfoil, whose models run in encrypted enclaves — and a deliberately small -toolset: a chat, an API gateway, and the basics for membership and payments. +The cooperative launched in September 2026, growing out of research on democratic +digital infrastructure through Metagov's [Collective Governance for AI: +Points of Intervention](https://metagov.org/cg-ai/). +It began with a single privacy-first provider and a deliberately small +toolset: a chat, an API gateway, and the basics for membership and payments. From there it grew the way co-ops do: in response to what members asked for. -A model picker grouped providers by what they stand for — **private** -(encrypted enclaves) and **green** (renewable-powered: GreenPT and Regolo, -the latter with a written zero-data-retention policy). A member dashboard -made usage and spending transparent. A federated +A member dashboard made usage and spending transparent. A federated [Matrix](https://matrix.inference.coop) server, a [forum](https://forum.inference.coop), and a newsletter gave members places to -talk to each other and to the project. The chat migrated to LibreChat, and the -code that runs the member-facing services was opened up in public +talk to each other and to the project. The +code that runs the member-facing services is available in public repositories. In October 2026, members adopted the co-op's first