Version 1.0 | Status: Draft for Ratification
The peoples and institutions of the Western Hemisphere, recognizing that artificial intelligence is among the most consequential technological developments in recorded history, and that its trajectory will be shaped by the institutions, standards, and norms established in this founding period, hereby establish this Constitution as the foundational instrument of GLAPAGOS.
This Constitution is grounded in the following observations:
First, that the development of AI in the Americas has proceeded in a fragmented manner, with insufficient coordination between nations, disciplines, and sectors, and that this fragmentation produces worse outcomes than a coordinated approach would.
Second, that the distribution of AI capabilities and benefits across the hemisphere is deeply unequal, and that this inequality is the product of institutional choices that can be made differently.
Third, that the governance of AI requires multilateral frameworks that do not yet exist in sufficient form for this hemisphere.
Fourth, that open, shared infrastructure for AI development, comparable to what CERN provides for particle physics, would significantly accelerate beneficial AI development while reducing duplicated effort and concentrations of control.
Fifth, that the nations of the Western Hemisphere share sufficient common interests, values, and policy goals to make such coordination both feasible and desirable.
Section 1.1 Name This institution is named GLAPAGOS: Global Laboratory for AI Progress and Governance: Open Systems. Its primary online presence is maintained at glapagos.com and glapagos.ai.
Section 1.2 Nature GLAPAGOS is an open, multilateral, non-proprietary institution. It does not seek profit, does not hold proprietary rights to research produced under its auspices, and does not seek political power or regulatory authority over any jurisdiction.
Section 1.3 Mission The mission of GLAPAGOS is to coordinate artificial intelligence research, governance, safety, and applied development across the Americas in service of the public interest, and to provide open infrastructure that enables researchers, developers, policymakers, and communities across the hemisphere to participate in and benefit from AI development.
Section 1.4 Scope GLAPAGOS operates across North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It welcomes participation from institutions and individuals worldwide, but its primary mandate concerns the Western Hemisphere.
Section 2.1 Openness All research, code, data, and governance processes conducted under GLAPAGOS auspices must be open by default. Exceptions require explicit justification and are time-limited.
Section 2.2 Neutrality GLAPAGOS does not take positions on partisan political matters. Its infrastructure and governance are designed to prevent capture by any single nation, company, institution, or ideological interest.
Section 2.3 Inclusion GLAPAGOS is designed to include participation from historically underrepresented communities: Indigenous communities, Afro-descendant communities, rural populations, women and girls, speakers of minority languages, and communities in lower-income nations. Inclusion is an engineering constraint, not a statement of aspiration.
Section 2.4 Safety GLAPAGOS treats AI safety as a core technical and governance concern. All research and development conducted under GLAPAGOS auspices must comply with the Safety Framework established in the Governance documents.
Section 2.5 Accountability All decisions of GLAPAGOS bodies are documented, published, and subject to community review. Financial accounts are publicly audited annually.
Section 2.6 Sovereignty Without Subordination GLAPAGOS respects the sovereignty of member nations and does not seek to override national law or policy. Participation is always voluntary.
Section 2.7 Scientific Integrity Research conducted under GLAPAGOS auspices follows the highest standards of scientific integrity, including open data, replication requirements, and disclosure of all conflicts of interest.
Section 3.1 Overview GLAPAGOS is governed by four principal bodies:
a) The General Assembly: supreme deliberative body b) The Executive Secretariat: day-to-day operations c) The Technical Council: research and engineering oversight d) The Ethics and Governance Board: independent permanent oversight
Section 3.2 The General Assembly Composition: One delegate per member institution in good standing. Authority: Constitutional amendments, strategic direction, budget approval, election of senior officers, ratification of major agreements. Quorum: Participation from institutions representing at least three of the four sub-regions (North, Central, South, Caribbean). Meetings: Annually in person, additional sessions by videoconference. All sessions are recorded and transcripts are published.
Section 3.3 The Executive Secretariat Led by a Secretary-General elected by the General Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once, plus not more than four Deputy Secretaries-General. Manages operations and represents GLAPAGOS externally.
Section 3.4 The Technical Council Elected representatives from each domain working group plus three at-large members. Sets research priorities, approves technical standards, manages the open model registry, and oversees compute resource allocation. No single institution may hold more than two seats.
Section 3.5 The Ethics and Governance Board Seven independent members serving staggered four-year terms. Members must not hold positions in any member institution during their tenure. Funded by a dedicated reserve that cannot be defunded by any other GLAPAGOS body. Findings are advisory but must be formally responded to.
Section 4.1 Categories a) Research Universities and Academic Institutions b) National Governments and Intergovernmental Organizations c) Non-governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organizations d) Private Sector Organizations (subject to conflict-of-interest rules) e) Individual Contributors (non-voting, recognized for contributions)
Section 4.2 Admission Institutions apply to the Executive Secretariat, agree to the Code of Conduct and Governance Framework, and demonstrate genuine commitment to the mission.
Section 4.3 Obligations Member institutions contribute to the commons, respect the Foundational Principles, participate in governance, and comply with the Code of Conduct.
Section 4.4 Suspension and Expulsion Requires a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly, preceded by a documented investigation and a formal opportunity to respond.
Section 5.1 Funding Sources a) Membership dues structured by institution type and financial capacity b) Grants from governments, development banks, and foundations c) Contracts for research and technical assistance d) Voluntary contributions from private sector partners
Section 5.2 Prohibitions GLAPAGOS does not accept funding that restricts research publication, grants donors preferential governance access, or comes from anonymous sources above de minimis amounts.
Section 5.3 Transparency All funding sources and amounts are published annually. The annual financial audit is conducted by an independent firm and published.
Section 5.4 No Single-Donor Dependency No single donor or donor category may provide more than twenty-five percent of the annual operating budget.
Section 6.1 Default to Open All research outputs, code, models, and data produced with GLAPAGOS resources are open by default: Apache 2.0 (code), CC BY 4.0 (documentation), ODbL (data).
Section 6.2 Patent Policy GLAPAGOS does not seek patents. Contributions carry a perpetual, irrevocable patent grant consistent with the Apache 2.0 license.
Amendments may be proposed by any member institution with support of five additional member institutions. Published for community comment for not less than sixty days. Adopted by a three-quarters supermajority of the General Assembly with participation from at least three of the four sub-regions. Effective thirty days after adoption.
This Constitution enters into force when ratified by member institutions from at least five countries across at least two sub-regions of the Western Hemisphere.
Maintained at https://www.glapagos.com and https://www.glapagos.ai