Partnership on AI
Partnership on AI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 2016 that convenes 100+ partners across technology, civil society, academia, and philanthropy to publish AI governance frameworks, research, and industry guidelines addressing AI safety, synthetic media, labor, and inclusive deployment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Partnership on AI does
Partnership on AI (PAI), legally "Partnership on AI to Benefit People and Society," is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) established in 2016 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded with multi-year grants from Apple, Amazon, Meta, Google/DeepMind, IBM, and Microsoft, alongside six nonprofit directors drawn from civil society, academia, and philanthropy. PAI's mission is to convene a cross-sector community — now spanning over 100 partners across industry, civil society, academia, and policy — to study, formulate, and publish best practices on artificial intelligence technologies. Its Board is structured with equal for-profit and not-for-profit representation to preserve independence and prevent any single partner from dominating the agenda.
The organization's core products are research publications and frameworks rather than software. These include the Guidance for Safe Foundation Model Deployment, Responsible Practices for Synthetic Media, Guidance for Inclusive AI, Guidelines for AI and Shared Prosperity, Strengthening the AI Assurance Ecosystem, Prioritizing Real-Time Failure Detection in AI Agents, and How AI Companies are Handling Suicide and Self-Harm Today. Supporting infrastructure includes international convenings (e.g., the Enterprise AI Governance Forum co-hosted with JPMorganChase, GitHub open foundation model workshops), an active Public Policy program, and a European Steering Committee. Topic coverage spans AI safety, AI and media integrity, AI labor and the economy, fairness/transparency/accountability, inclusive research and design, and public policy.
PAI does not sell a product. Its revenue model is philanthropic: a combination of corporate charitable contributions (non-earmarked to avoid conflicts of interest) and grants from philanthropic institutions including Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Luminate, and Knight Foundation. A $500,000 grant from Humanity AI in 2025 further illustrates ongoing funding diversification. The organization is classified as private (no public ticker), is not a subsidiary of any entity, and maintains its own social media and publishing infrastructure via partnershiponai.org.
Partnership on AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Partnership on AI
- Legal name
- Partnership on AI to Benefit People and Society
- Website
- https://partnershiponai.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Partnership on AI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 2016 that convenes 100+ partners across technology, civil society, academia, and philanthropy to publish AI governance frameworks, research, and industry guidelines addressing AI safety, synthetic media, labor, and inclusive deployment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Partnership on AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Policy and Governance Research
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (HDAAAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services (BPAEAHAJ), Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) (HDAAAMAE), Audit, Explainability & Accountability Tooling (traceability, reporting) (HDAAAKAL), Documentation & Reporting Automation (Model Cards, Datasheets, Impact Assessments) (HDAAAMAJ)
Keywords
Where Partnership on AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Partnership on AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Partnership on AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Partnership on AI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that convenes technology companies, civil society, academia, and policymakers to advance responsible AI. It delivers a portfolio of frameworks, guidelines, research reports, and ecosystem maps (e.g., Safe Foundation Model Deployment, Synthetic Media, Inclusive AI, AI Assurance Ecosystem, AI and Shared Prosperity) and hosts international forums and policy convenings for cross-sector AI governance collaboration.
Product overview
Partnership on AI (PAI) is a multi-stakeholder nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) — not a conventional product company — that advances positive outcomes for people and society through research collaborations, published frameworks, convenings, and industry guidelines. Rather than a unified software platform, PAI's offering portfolio consists of structured guidance documents, research publications, and collaborative forums. Core publications include the Guidance for Safe Foundation Model Deployment (a framework for responsible model development and deployment), the Responsible Practices for Synthetic Media framework (collective action for AI-generated content transparency), the Guidance for Inclusive AI (stakeholder engagement guidance), and the Guidelines for AI and Shared Prosperity (economic benefit distribution across AI actors). Supporting research includes ecosystem maps such as Strengthening the AI Assurance Ecosystem and thematic studies such as How AI Companies are Handling Suicide and Self-Harm Today. PAI further convenes international forums — such as the Enterprise AI Governance Forum co-hosted with JPMorganChase — and develops cross-industry guidelines. PAI's work spans topic areas including AI Safety, AI and Media Integrity, AI Labor and the Economy, Fairness Transparency and Accountability, Inclusive Research and Design, and Public Policy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Guidance for Safe Foundation Model Deployment
Companies that use Partnership on AI
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Partnership on AI technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Partnership on AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- DLA PiperminorDLA Piper joined PAI as a new partner in March 2026 as part of a cohort including ELLIS Alicante, MLCommons, Open Library Foundation, and Windfall Trust.
- MLCommonsminorMLCommons joined PAI as a new partner in March 2026 as part of a cohort including DLA Piper, ELLIS Alicante, Open Library Foundation, and Windfall Trust.
- Open Library FoundationminorOpen Library Foundation joined PAI as a new partner in March 2026 as part of a cohort including DLA Piper, ELLIS Alicante, MLCommons, and Windfall Trust.
- ELLIS AlicanteminorELLIS Alicante joined PAI as a new partner in March 2026 as part of a cohort including DLA Piper, MLCommons, Open Library Foundation, and Windfall Trust.
- Windfall TrustminorWindfall Trust joined PAI as a new partner in March 2026 as part of a cohort including DLA Piper, ELLIS Alicante, MLCommons, and Open Library Foundation.
- JPMorganChasecorePAI and JPMorganChase co-hosted the Enterprise AI Governance Forum in New York as an official pre-summit event ahead of the India AI Impact Summit. The forum brought together stakeholders to discuss scaling enterprise AI adoption safely, responsibly, and inclusively, identifying four key facets of responsible AI governance: Integration, Collaboration, Dynamism, and Human-centricity.
- Ingka Group (IKEA)coreIngka Group, the largest IKEA retailer representing about 90% of IKEA retail sales across 31 markets, has joined PAI. As part of the partnership, IKEA will contribute to global conversations on ethical AI use and work alongside experts from think tanks and philanthropic organizations to develop practical guidance for responsible AI deployment aligned with human-centric values. IKEA brings existing AI initiatives including a digital ethics framework, responsible automation practices, and an AI and Data Literacy movement.
- GitHubcorePAI and GitHub co-hosted an in-person workshop on April 11, 2024, convening experts from industry, academia, and civil society to explore safeguards for open foundation models and responsibilities within the AI value chain. The workshop produced a framework mapping the open foundation model ecosystem and identified 15 risk mitigation strategies across three categories: Prevent, Detect, and Respond.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Partnership on AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IEEE Standards Association: Global standards body producing technical and ethical AI standards such as the Ethically Aligned Design framework. Comparable in producing authoritative AI ethics and governance documents, but rooted in formal standards development rather than nonprofit convening.
- Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI): Academic institute producing influential AI policy research, indexes, and convenings. Comparable in producing frameworks and convening multi-stakeholder dialogue, but operates with university backing and broader research scope than PAI.
- World Economic Forum (Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution): International organization convening governments and industry on AI governance and policy frameworks. Comparable in hosting AI summits and producing governance guidance, but with broader political economy scope and membership-based funding.
- OECD AI Policy Observatory: Intergovernmental platform supporting the OECD AI Principles with policy data, research, and multi-stakeholder convening. Comparable as a global convener producing AI governance guidance, though backed by member-state authority rather than nonprofit funding.
Direct peers
- AI Now Institute: Research institute producing policy research on the social implications of AI, with strong emphasis on accountability, labor, and rights. Directly comparable as an AI governance research and advocacy organization operating in the same nonprofit, multi-stakeholder space.
- Montreal AI Ethics Institute: Nonprofit producing applied AI ethics research, frameworks, and educational content. Comparable in publishing AI ethics guidance, operating as a nonprofit, and serving both practitioner and policymaker audiences.
- Future of Life Institute: Nonprofit focused on reducing existential and catastrophic risks from advanced AI through advocacy, grantmaking, and policy research. Highly comparable to PAI in mission, governance posture, and target audience of policymakers, labs, and civil society.
- Ada Lovelace Institute: UK-based research and advocacy body examining AI and data-driven technologies through a societal lens. Comparable as a mission-aligned nonprofit producing frameworks, research, and policy recommendations for responsible AI.
- Center for AI Safety: Research organization focused on AI existential and catastrophic risk, including the influential CAIS Statement on AI Risk. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit producing safety guidance, policy recommendations, and convening academic and industry voices.
Emerging players
- MLCommons: Engineering-focused consortium developing AI benchmarks, safety evaluations, and standards (including MLPerf and now a PAI partner). Comparable in producing safety and evaluation infrastructure for AI systems, but oriented toward technical benchmarking rather than governance convening.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Partnership on AI social profiles
Digital presencePartnership on AI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Partnership on AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Partnership on AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Partnership on AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
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Partnership on AI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Partnership on AI
What does Partnership on AI do?
Partnership on AI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that convenes technology companies, civil society, academia, and policymakers to advance responsible AI. It delivers a portfolio of frameworks, guidelines, research reports, and ecosystem maps (e.g., Safe Foundation Model Deployment, Synthetic Media, Inclusive AI, AI Assurance Ecosystem, AI and Shared Prosperity) and hosts international forums and policy convenings for cross-sector AI governance collaboration.
Is Partnership on AI a public or private company?
Partnership on AI is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Partnership on AI founded?
Partnership on AI was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Partnership on AI based?
Partnership on AI is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Partnership on AI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IEEE Standards Association, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), World Economic Forum (Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution) and OECD AI Policy Observatory. Direct peers are AI Now Institute, Montreal AI Ethics Institute, Future of Life Institute, Ada Lovelace Institute and Center for AI Safety. MLCommons is listed as an emerging player.
Does Partnership on AI have an API?
No public API is recorded for Partnership on AI.
What industry is Partnership on AI in?
Partnership on AI's product category is AI Policy and Governance Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAMAA, AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAEAHAJ, Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services. Its NAICS code is 54151.