Open’s AI Manifesto v.01
How we choose to work with artificial intelligence
The backdrop from which we speak
Open has been at the frontlines of helping organisations adopt generative AI since the early days of 2022.
We’ve had the privilege of being among the very first consultancies tasked with helping humans adapt to new ways of working with generative AI.
Today, AI enablement is an integrated part of our services to our clients and one that we see great potential and opportunities in.
However, being at the frontlines, also comes with early insights and responsibility - responsibility for helping shape the future of the AI-aumented workplace.
A workplace where humans and AI will collaborate, but in which many choices must be made and pitfalls must be avoided.
It is our belief that we all contribute to making this transition into a future of work one that truly benefits humanity.
Hence we must start with ourselves here at Open.
AI is already part of how we work; its an everyday sparring partner for all of us, it summarises research, generates our first drafts and helps us explore ideas faster than we ever could without it. Pretending otherwise is farce.
The real question is not do we want to use AI? The real question is, when we use it, who do we want to become? What do we gain and what do we lose?
This manifesto states what we believe, where we draw the line, and what we commit to as AI becomes more powerful, more present, and more pervasive.
What we believe
We believe AI should make humans more human, more present, more thoughtful and more creative. Not busier. Not quieter. Not more isolated.
We believe AI is a co‑pilot, not an autopilot. If AI makes the final decision, we’ve failed. AI informs judgment, humans exercise it.
We believe the value of our work lives in a complex ecosystem of connection, empathy, timing, trust. These are not bugs in the system. They are the system.
We believe AI should remove friction, not responsibility. It should take the repetitive, the tedious, the time‑consuming so people can focus on strategy, relationships, and meaning.
We believe access matters. AI should not concentrate power in the hands of a few. It should distribute capability, confidence, and opportunity.
We believe that with AI, small teams can do outsized work. And we aim to be one of those small teams.
We believe fear is a signal, and that anxiety about AI is real. Ignoring it is irresponsible. Our job is not to dismiss concerns, but to meet them with understanding, clarity and agency.
What we’re working against
We are clear‑eyed about the risks.Over‑reliance on AI can dull critical thinking. It can weaken collaboration. It can quietly replace conversation with convenience.
Unchecked, it can also increase environmental strain and push decision‑making further away from human accountability.
Efficiency alone is not progress. Speed alone is not success.
If AI makes our work colder, thinner, or less humane, we need to ask ourselves if it’s worth it.
Where we draw the line:
We do not let AI speak for us.
We do not outsource judgment to systems that cannot be accountable.
We do not trade trust for speed.
We do not replace learning with prompting.
We do not sacrifice human connection for marginal gains in efficiency.
We do not hide AI use.
If a use of AI undermines employee well‑being, client trust, or the public good, the answer is no—even if the technology allows it.
Our pledges
A human signs off. Always.
When AI is part of the process, we say so, clearly and openly.
We invest in capability, not dependency. We train our people to think with AI, not lean on it.
We protect human connection by design. Collaboration, mentorship, and peer learning remain central to how we work.
We stay curious and critical. This manifesto will evolve. Our principles, not so much.
The road ahead
AI will continue to change how our industry operates: capabilities will expand, norms will shift and regulation will tighten.
We are not passive recipients of that change. We are change agents. How we use AI, and talk about it, will shape how others adopt it.
Our ambition is simple yet demanding: prove that working with AI can be ethical, human, and genuinely exciting. This is the standard we hold ourselves to. And this is the work we invite others into.
AI was used as a sparring partner in the writing of this manifesto.