Introduction to the Coalition for a Baruch Plan for AI

Uniting the World to Ensure a Safe and Fair Governance of AI, Inspired by Bold Initiatives from our Past

The Coalition for a Baruch Plan for AI aims to bring together pioneering NGOs and states to facilitate an open, timely, democratic and efficient treaty-making process to build a global federal intergovernmental organization for Artificial Intelligence that is bold and effective enough to reliably manage its immense risks, realize and equitably share its astounding opportunities, while resiliently affirming the subsidiarity principle.

We draw inspiration from the bold proposal made by the United States to the United Nations on June 14, 1946, to bring all dangerous research, arsenals, facilities and supply chain of nuclear weapons and energy under exclusive international control, via the Baruch Plan. 

By coming together skillfully, we can shape a safe and equitable AI future, and affirm a global governance model for other dangerous technologies, our global digital sphere and other global challenges.

Need, Urgency and Opportunity

In the context of an accelerating, reckless and winner-take-all race for AGI and Superintelligence among a few states and their firms, we believe that nothing less than a Baruch Plan for AI can sufficiently mitigate AI's enormous risks for human safety and of unaccountable concentration of power and wealth - and realize its astounding opportunities for all. While a slowdown in AI progress is possible, many AI scientists agree we may be a few years or one algorithmic innovation away from capabilities that will materialize those risks. Waiting for a catastrophic AI accident to start building such global governance runs the risk of arriving too late to prevent loss of human control over AI, lead to a nuclear conflict, or  to a durable, immense and undemocratic concentration of power in one or a few states or entities. By recognising and facing head-on with courage the enormity of these risks, we can harness them to realize a radical and durable improvement of human wellbeing for generations to come.

Convenor and Founders

The Coalition was convened by the Trustless Computing Association in June 2024, and announced on September 10th, 2024, by its six founding NGO partners.

The Idea of a Baruch Plan for AI

Current AI governance initiatives by super powers, IGOs and the UN are severely insufficient in scope, timeliness, inclusivity and participation. Nothing less than a Baruch Plan for AI can reliably tackle AI’s immense risks for human safety and for unaccountable concentration of power and wealth, and realize its astounding potential. Awareness of this need is mounting.

While calls by top AI experts and CEOs for a strong global and democratic governance of AI abound, some of the most influential AI experts have referred to the Baruch Plan as a model for AI governance, and increasingly so over the last year. These include Yoshua Bengio, the most cited AI scientist, Ian Hogarth, Chair of the UK AI Safety Institute, Allan Dafoe, Head of Long-Term AI Strategy and Governance at Google DeepMind, Jack Clark, Co-Founder and Global Head of Policy at Anthropic, Jaan Tallinn, co-founder of the Future of Life Institute, and Nick Bostrom, the renowned AI futurist and philosopher.

A Better Treaty-Making Method

To avoid the failure of the Baruch Plan, avert a veto-based deadlock, and ensure timeliness, effectiveness and participation, the treaty-making process we envision is based on the intergovernmental constituent assembly model. Such model was pioneered in 1786 when one US state convened five more in the Annapolis Convention, ultimately culminating in the ratification of the US federal constitution in 1787. The Coalition takes inspiration from the success of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, which aggregated 2500 NGOs and was key for its establishment, under the initial leadership of a small state like Trinidad and Tobago. For more, explore our roadmap and strategy.

Role of Superpowers

Participation by the US and China is paramount. Yet, in the context of their intense military and economic competition, an open coalition of states can and should move ahead to foster US-China cooperation, act as a bridge between them and avoid a global AI duopoly, while joining forces to build and share the most capable, safe and democratic AIs, for mutual benefit and leverage.

The US and China are most welcome to participate at any stage, together, to ensure neutrality.