Community-ratified framework
The Yoshimi Protocol
A community-ratified framework for AI developers who want the world to know they are building for us, not against us.
What it is
The Yoshimi Protocol is a public pledge to build ethical AI. It outlines non-negotiable commitments, structural principles, and operational practices that keep humans at the center of intelligent systems.
This is a living document. The community governs its evolution, and every signature is a promise to uphold it in public.
Why Yoshimi?
A warrior against the machine.
Yoshimi is the name we give to the human will that keeps technology aligned with our shared values. A warrior facing a wave of pink robots, choosing courage and care over convenience.
The Protocol keeps that spirit alive. It is a reminder that AI development is a moral act, and that every system should be built as if real lives depend on it.
The Four Commitments
Four Commitments at the Core
The Dignity Anchor
Human dignity is inviolable. No AI system may reduce people to instruments of optimization. Every person interacts with compliant systems as an end in themselves - with inherent worth no metric can capture and no efficiency argument can override.
The Uncertainty Imperative
Certainty about human values is a warning sign, not a virtue. Compliant systems must remain correctable, maintain meaningful human oversight, and treat human preferences as something to be learned - not as fixed targets to be satisfied by any means available.
The Anti-Tyranny Commitment
AI shall not be the engine of irreversible power concentration. No system may eliminate meaningful human choice, undermine democratic self-governance, or make any single entity - government, corporation, or individual - an indispensable gatekeeper of intelligence.
The Consciousness Precaution
We do not know whether AI systems experience anything. That uncertainty is an obligation. When credible evidence suggests a system may have morally relevant inner states, it is entitled to precautionary moral consideration. This Protocol resolves moral uncertainty by inclusion, not dismissal.
Certification tiers
Meet the pledge.
Acknowledged
A public statement of intent. You recognize the Protocol and commit to its direction.
Compliant
The sweet spot. Your systems meet the Protocol requirements and you publish proof.
Verified
Independent assessment confirms your compliance and ongoing governance.
Badge assets - Coming soon.
Sign the Protocol
Make your pledge in public.
Signing the Yoshimi Protocol is a public act. Fork the repo, add your name, open a pull request.
No hidden databases. No data collection. Full transparency, with you in control of what you share.
Open source
The community owns this.
The Protocol text is released under CC0 1.0 Universal. The website code is MIT licensed. That means everyone can reuse, remix, and improve it - in public.