Built to keep public benefit first
The Foundation is governed through a written constitution and board-approved policies, designed so that independence, accountability and community protection are structural — not just promises.
How the Foundation is governed
An independent board
Three to seven directors, with a majority of independent directors and an independent chair. Skills span governance, AI and research, ethics, finance and risk, law, privacy and security, and accessibility — including lived experience. No commercial affiliate, founder or donor has a unilateral right to appoint or remove directors.
Board committees
Audit, Risk & Finance; Research Ethics & Integrity; and Ecosystem Collaboration committees review matters before the board decides. Committees recommend — only the board approves reserved matters.
Advisory councils
Accessibility, ethics and lived-experience councils inform decisions and represent affected communities. They advise; they do not govern.
Related-party controls
Material dealings with ecosystem companies require approval by non-conflicted independent directors, a written public-benefit assessment and fair-value evidence, recorded in a transaction register and reported to members.
Research integrity
We adopt the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. Human research requires ethics approval before it begins, and a named research-integrity lead handles concerns through a documented, fair process.
Augmentation, not replacement
No AI output that affects a person's health, safety or entitlements is treated as final without a human-in-the-loop checkpoint. This founding stance applies to everything we build, support or evaluate.
The governance framework
A written constitution anchors the Foundation. It requires a set of board-approved policies that give it operational effect, alongside an ecosystem-wide charter that records how entities with distinct missions collaborate. All are drafted and under legal review; approved versions will be published here once adopted.
Constitution
In developmentCharitable purposes, not-for-profit character, structural independence, accountable membership and safeguarded public-benefit assets.
Board Charter
In developmentBoard composition, skills matrix, committees, advisory councils and meeting practice.
Related-Party & Ecosystem Collaboration Policy
In developmentHow collaboration with ecosystem companies is approved, evidenced, monitored and reported.
Data Governance & Privacy Policy
In developmentLawful data handling, sensitive information, data sovereignty and affiliate data access.
Research Integrity & Responsible AI Policy
In developmentHonest method, ethics approvals, misconduct handling and responsible-AI controls.
Grants & Fundraising Policy
In developmentHow grants, scholarships and fundraising are run lawfully and transparently.
IP & Licensing Policy
In developmentOwnership and licensing of charitable-purpose datasets, tools and publications.
Octopus Ecosystem Governance Charter
In developmentShared principles for collaboration among ecosystem entities with distinct missions.
Independence & conflict management
People
Governance roles and named advisers will be published here as they are confirmed. We do not list people who have not agreed to take part.
Questions about our governance?
We answer governance questions openly — including questions about ecosystem relationships, funding and data.