// Founding Charter
The founding principles of the AI Policy Exchange — why we exist, what we believe, and how we intend to operate.
AI is not a future challenge. It is a present one. Governments are already making decisions about procurement, regulation, workforce policy, and national security that will shape how this technology develops and who benefits from it. Most of these decisions are being made without adequate information, institutional capacity, or input from the people who understand what these systems actually do.
The conversation about AI governance has been dominated by two camps: those who see AI primarily as an existential risk to be contained, and those who want to move fast with minimal oversight. Neither position serves the policymakers, civil servants, and practitioners who need practical guidance on the near-term challenges they face right now.
Governance and capability are complementary, not in tension.
Britain and its allies should lead in both AI capability and AI governance. Getting governance right is a competitive advantage, not a drag on innovation.
Policy must be grounded in operational reality.
The best AI policy comes from people who have built and deployed technology — in startups, international institutions, and government. Theory without practice produces rules that don't work.
We learn by doing — iteratively.
The pace of AI development demands that policy frameworks evolve in real time. Waiting for perfect information is itself a policy choice — and a bad one.
The next generation must be at the table.
AI governance will be shaped by the people who show up. Emerging practitioners — across technology, policy, law, and civil society — need the knowledge, networks, and platforms to lead.
We publish policy briefs that take a position — rigorous, accessible analysis with concrete recommendations. We are not a neutral convener; we have views, grounded in evidence and experience, and we state them clearly.
We build a community of practitioners who span sectors — the technologists building AI systems, the policymakers governing them, and the researchers studying them. These groups too rarely talk to each other. We create the spaces where they do.
We develop the next generation of AI governance leaders through our fellowship programme — equipping emerging practitioners with the knowledge, network, and published work to lead in their careers.
We are independent. We do not accept funding that compromises our editorial independence or constrains the positions we take. Our research is driven by what matters, not what pays.
We are transparent about our reasoning. When we take a position, we show our working. When we change our mind, we say so. The credibility of this institution depends on intellectual honesty, and we intend to earn it.
Jamie Green
Founder, AI Policy Exchange — March 2026
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