The Alliance for Responsible Data Collection (ARDC) has joined the Open Forum for AI (OFAI), an international initiative focused on advancing human-centered and ethical approaches to artificial intelligence (AI). Launched at Carnegie Mellon University in 2024, OFAI convenes academic institutions and nonprofit organizations to foster collaboration, transparency, and inclusion in the development of AI systems.
As a new partner institution, ARDC will participate in OFAI’s Data Working Group, which brings together diverse expertise and perspectives to represent a broad range of global stakeholders involved in open AI infrastructure. Through its work, the Data Working Group provides guidance on how data can be collected, governed, and shared in ways that promote openness while remaining transparent, equitable, and accountable. Key areas of focus include mapping critical stakeholders in open AI infrastructure, developing policy and governance frameworks for responsible data use, and building partnerships that expand and strengthen the ecosystem of openness in AI.
“We’re excited to welcome the Alliance for Responsible Data Collection to the Open Forum for AI,” said Carnegie Mellon University Libraries Associate Dean for Digital Infrastructure and Director of the Open Source Programs Office Sayeed Choudhury, executive director of OFAI. “Their mission and work emphasize that there are other uses for data beyond AI. Having them join OFAI and its Data Working Group, we can ensure that data are shared, accessed, and managed in a comprehensive manner, including for AI, while adhering to open standards and technologies.”
The Alliance for Responsible Data Collection is an inter-industry coalition dedicated to advancing standards and frameworks for ethical data practices. ARDC’s mission is to provide universal guidelines that enhance transparency, accountability, and trust among data collectors, organizations, and the public. By fostering collaboration, ARDC seeks to preserve open access to public web data while aligning best practices for automated data collection in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
“Building trust in AI starts with transparency in how data is collected and used,” said Jo Levy, Chair of the Alliance for Responsible Data Collection. “By joining OFAI, we look forward to collaborating with partners to advance shared standards that protect access to public web data while promoting responsible and transparent practices across the AI ecosystem.”
The Data Working Group, which ARDC joins alongside organizations including Creative Commons, Common Crawl, OpenMined, and the Open Source Initiative, contributes technical, policy, and governance expertise to OFAI’s work on an open infrastructure stack for AI, including curated datasets responsibly acquired and hosted on publicly managed infrastructure such as supercomputing facilities.
About the Alliance for Responsible Data Collection (ARDC)
The Alliance for Responsible Data Collection (ARDC) is a multi-stakeholder organization whose mission is to preserve open access to public internet data by creating a trusted framework for responsible web data collection. ARDC develops guidelines, technical standards, and governance frameworks for web scraping and crawling that support responsible innovation, protect access to public web data, and promote a fair and open digital ecosystem.
About the Open Forum for AI (OFAI)
Led by Carnegie Mellon University, the Open Forum for AI is an international initiative designed to support responsible and human-centered artificial intelligence. By fostering collaboration across academia, civil society, government, and industry, OFAI seeks to build a more open, inclusive, and accountable AI ecosystem.