Sentient Foundation has launched as a global nonprofit with a stated goal of keeping Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI, open-source, decentralized, and aligned with humanity’s interests. The organization announced its debut in Singapore on Feb. 19, 2026, arguing that a technology with the potential to shape humanity’s future should not be controlled by any single entity.
The foundation frames the issue in stark terms. Today’s major foundational models, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Claude, are owned and controlled by private corporations. Sentient Foundation says that model should not define the AGI era. As competition around AGI speeds up, the group says decisions being made now around ownership, governance, and transparency will determine whether the technology serves society broadly or concentrates power in the hands of a few.
An open-source case built around infrastructure and support
Sentient Foundation says it will act as a neutral and transparent steward for the open AGI ecosystem. Its mandate spans research, governance, and outreach, with plans that include setting alignment and safety standards, engaging researchers and academic institutions, distributing grants to open-source developers worldwide, coordinating governance frameworks, and promoting open-source AGI through public forums such as the Open AGI Summit.
The group also argues that open AI is no longer a theoretical alternative. It points to DeepSeek and Qwen as examples showing that open-source models can match or exceed closed alternatives. In that framing, the central question is no longer whether open-source AI can compete, but whether the ecosystem can build the infrastructure, community, and support mechanisms needed to sustain that path.
Drawing from Linux, Apache, and Android
The foundation explicitly compares its mission to earlier open-source movements. Linux powers most of the world’s servers, Apache supports a large part of the web, and Android helped broaden access to mobile computing. Sentient Foundation argues that AGI requires the same kind of open foundation, with greater urgency because of what is at stake. Sachi Kamiya, Director of Venture and Growth at Sentient Foundation, said open-source AGI should become the backbone of human progress, and that the organization’s mission is to keep AGI from falling under the control of a single entity while preserving transparency, equity, and alignment with human values.
How it works alongside Sentient Labs
Sentient Foundation said it will work alongside Sentient Labs, which it describes as the technical research and product arm focused on applied AI. Sentient Labs is conducting work in reasoning, alignment, and multi-agent coordination, while building frameworks such as ROMA and open-source models including Dobby. The foundation’s role is different. It is meant to ensure that this research supports the broader objective of open and aligned AGI rather than serving a narrow commercial agenda.
The organization is also calling on AI researchers, developers, institutions, policymakers, and advocates to join its effort through conferences, partnerships, and community initiatives designed to expand the coalition behind open-source AGI.