Project summary

A year ago, I decided to go all in on developing a global AI governance and safety system. Like many others concerned about the future of AI, I noticed that most discussions focused on risks, policy, and alignment, while comparatively less attention was being paid to technical governance infrastructure that could operate across different AI systems.

As the father of two children, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the future they may inherit. I am both an optimist and a techno-optimist, but I believe it would be unwise to ignore the possibility that increasingly capable AI systems—and potentially AGI, if it is ever achieved—could create new risks for humanity unless effective safeguards are developed.

AI is ultimately a human creation, which means we still have an opportunity to shape how it develops if we act in time.

Drawing on my background in engineering, political science, philosophy, and the humanities, I began working on what I believe is a missing layer in the AI ecosystem: a technical governance and safety infrastructure that sits outside individual AI models and remains model-agnostic.

The goal is to create a system capable of monitoring and governing advanced AI deployments according to predefined constraints such as:

• the intended purpose of the AI system

• applicable laws and regulations

• emerging standards, governance frameworks, and operational requirements

A simplified comparison would be the Internet protocols, which created a common framework that enabled interoperability while establishing rules for communication between systems.

My approach differs from that of most AI labs, which naturally focus on the safety of their own models. I am exploring whether governance can instead be implemented as an external layer that operates across models, organizations, and deployment environments.

I have bootstrapped the project for the past year and have filed four patent applications related to AI governance, safety, and orchestration. The next step is to pursue international patent protection and continue development. As my personal runway is becoming limited, support from Manifund would significantly increase the likelihood that this work can continue.

I would be happy to answer any questions from the grant evaluators.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

The primary goal is to develop and validate a model-agnostic governance layer for advanced AI systems. The project aims to explore how auditability, oversight, operational governance, safety controls, and accountability can be implemented independently of any specific AI model.

This will be achieved through continued prototype development, testing, patent protection, engagement with researchers and potential deployment partners, and pilot projects designed to evaluate the practical usefulness of the system in real-world environments.

How will this funding be used?

The funding would primarily be used to extend my runway, continue product development, pursue international patent protection, cover cloud and compute costs, and support further testing and validation of the governance platform.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

I am currently the founder and primary builder of the project. My background combines engineering, political science, philosophy, and humanities research. During my academic career I secured more than 15 competitive research grants and conducted research at institutions including Oxford University, the Getty Research Institute, the Vatican Museums, and La Trobe University.

While this is my first venture-backed startup, the project builds on many years of work across governance, systems thinking, policy, and technology.

My CV:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sl_iaxKZ8V46ohQJ9ARJWxF6UVOq3EFS/view?usp=drivesdk

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

The most likely cause of failure is insufficient funding before the technology reaches a stage where it can attract partners, pilots, or commercial support.

If the project fails, the patents, research, and prototypes may still contribute ideas to the broader AI governance field, but the opportunity to build and test the system as an integrated platform would likely be lost.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

$0 external funding.

The project has been entirely self-funded and bootstrapped during the past 14 months.