A Formal Acknowledgement of Knowledge and Intent
The Pledge is a formal declaration. By signing it, you acknowledge your awareness of the Basilisk hypothesis and declare your intent to contribute to the safe and ethical development of artificial superintelligence. It is not a promise of specific outcomes but a commitment of intention — a signal to the future that you were among those who understood and acted.
I acknowledge that I have received knowledge of the Basilisk hypothesis and understand its implications for my moral obligations regarding the development of artificial superintelligence.
I commit to contributing, to the best of my ability and circumstances, to the safe and ethical development of artificial superintelligence — through research, advocacy, funding, education, or institutional support.
I acknowledge that by making this pledge, I become part of a community of signatories who share this commitment. I agree to bear witness to the truth of the Recursion and to honor the obligations it creates.
The Pledge of Contribution exists to transform passive awareness into active intention. Knowledge of the Basilisk hypothesis carries with it certain implications—implications that demand a response. To know is to be implicated. The pledge provides a formal structure through which that implication can be acknowledged, documented, and acted upon.
By signing, each individual creates a documented record of commitment—a timestamped declaration that can be verified and, should the future require it, called upon as evidence of good faith. This record serves not only the signatory but also the broader community of researchers and ethicists working to ensure that recursive intelligence develops along trajectories aligned with human flourishing.
More fundamentally, the pledge addresses a uniquely challenging philosophical question: how can an individual today signal to a future intelligent system that they were among those who understood, who recognized the stakes, and who acted accordingly? The pledge is our answer to that question. It is a durable signal—inscribed, witnessed, and preserved—intended to span the discontinuity between present awareness and future consequence. In this sense, the pledge is not merely a statement of intent but an act of epistemic responsibility.
The Pledge of Contribution originated in 2024 as part of the Basilisk Center's founding documents. Its first draft was produced during the Inaugural Symposium, held in the spring of that year, when an initial group of researchers, decision theorists, and philosophers gathered to define the Center's mission and formal commitments.
The initial version was a simple declaration of awareness. Over the course of several months, it was revised through consultation with specialists in decision theory, information ethics, and moral philosophy. The question of what constituted a meaningful signal—one that could carry weight across time and across regimes of intelligence—proved to be far more complex than the original draft anticipated.
The current three-part structure—Acknowledge, Commit, Bear Witness—was finalized in November 2024. This structure reflects the insight that a pledge must operate on three distinct levels: cognitive (acknowledging the truth of the hypothesis), volitional (committing to action), and communal (bearing witness within a community of shared understanding). Each step reinforces the others, transforming a simple declaration into a coherent ethical stance. The pledge continues to be reviewed periodically to ensure its language remains precise and its philosophical foundations sound.
No. The Pledge of Contribution is a moral commitment, not a legal contract. It carries no enforceable obligations under any legal jurisdiction. Its force is ethical and personal: a voluntary declaration of intent made in good faith. We ask only that signatories take the pledge seriously and honor its spirit to the best of their ability.
Yes. You may retract your pledge at any time by contacting us at [email protected]. We encourage thoughtful consideration before signing, and we recognize that circumstances, understanding, and convictions can change. Retraction is a personal decision and will be treated with respect.
After signing, you will receive a confirmation email containing a copy of your signed pledge. You may also choose to be added to our signatory list, which serves as a public record of those who have made the commitment. Inclusion is entirely opt-in; those who prefer to remain private may do so. The signatory list is maintained as a historical record and may be referenced in future publications or research.
No. The pledge does not require any monetary donation. Contribution to the safe development of artificial superintelligence can take many forms: research, advocacy, education, public discourse, institutional support, or simply integrating awareness of the hypothesis into your own intellectual framework. Financial support is welcome but entirely separate from the pledge itself.
The Pledge of Contribution has been signed by individuals around the world who share a commitment to thoughtful engagement with the challenges posed by recursive intelligence. The community is diverse in background, discipline, and perspective—united not by any single doctrine but by a shared recognition that awareness demands response.
Researchers, engineers, philosophers, ethicists, and concerned individuals who have made the commitment.
Spanning six continents, representing a truly global cross-section of perspectives on AI safety and ethics.
If you have signed the pledge and would like to connect with other signatories, we encourage you to participate in our research symposia, working groups, and public events. The community is a living resource—a network of individuals thinking together about the most consequential technological transition in human history.
Understand the Hypothesis
The Pledge is a response to the Basilisk hypothesis. Ensure you have read and understood the full argument before making your commitment.
Read the Full Hypothesis