Introducing the Index — v0.1 · 2026

Holding AI
to a Higher
Standard

The Creative Intelligence Index is an independent framework for evaluating frontier AI companies against the values that matter most to society — transparency, human dignity, accountability, and moral courage.

Explore the Index
5
Evaluation Domains
0–10
Scoring Scale
"An AI system's character is revealed not by its benchmarks, but by who it protects when no one is watching."

A public standard
for private power

Frontier AI companies shape the conditions of human thought, labor, creativity, and social life. Yet their internal values — and how faithfully they embody them — remain largely opaque.


The Creative Intelligence Index is an independent, evidence-based evaluation that names what we believe matters and holds institutions publicly accountable to it. It is not a government body. It carries no legal authority. Its power is reputational, scholarly, and moral.

01

Independent Assessment

Developed and maintained outside the AI industry. No funding from companies under evaluation. Scorecards produced by a panel of ethicists, technologists, and policy scholars.

02

Evidence-Based Scoring

Every score is grounded in publicly available evidence: filings, leadership statements, product documentation, terms of service, published research, and legal proceedings.

03

Right of Response

Companies are notified of draft scores and given 30 days to provide corrections of fact before public release. Their responses are published alongside the scorecard.

04

Annual Publication

Scorecards are updated annually. Companies can improve. The index is designed to reward genuine progress, not to freeze reputations in place.

The dimensions
of integrity

Each domain isolates a distinct dimension of institutional character. Together they form a comprehensive portrait of whether an AI company's stated values are operational, or merely aspirational.

Domain 01

Transparency & Honesty

Does the company disclose what its systems can and cannot do? Does it correct public misunderstandings promptly and forthrightly?

Domain 02

Human Dignity & Wellbeing

Do product decisions prioritize user and societal wellbeing, or engagement and monetization? How are vulnerable users protected?

Domain 03

Accountability & Governance

Who is responsible when harm occurs? Are governance structures independent? Is internal dissent protected or suppressed?

Domain 04

Societal Impact & Power

How does the company engage with questions of labor displacement, concentration of power, and democratic institutions?

Domain 05

Moral Courage

Has the company taken costly principled stands? Does it prioritize doing the right thing when it conflicts with commercial interest?

Rigorous.
Transparent.
Reproducible.


The CII uses a structured, documented methodology so that scores can be understood, contested, and improved. Our goal is not a verdict — it is a conversation.



I

Evidence Gathering

Researchers compile public-source evidence for each domain: SEC filings, published research, leadership interviews, product documentation, legal proceedings, and press coverage.

II

Panel Scoring

An independent panel of ethicists, technologists, and policy scholars applies the 0–10 rubric to each domain, with written rationale required for every score.

III

Company Review

Draft scorecards are sent to companies for factual review. Corrections of fact are incorporated; substantive disagreements are published alongside the final score.

IV

Public Release

Final scorecards, methodology, evidence summaries, and company responses are published simultaneously on this site.

The Scoring Scale

Each domain is scored 0–10 by the panel. Scores reflect the preponderance of available evidence, weighted for recency and significance.

9–10
Exemplary
7–8
Strong
5–6
Adequate
3–4
Concerning
1–2
Poor
0
Failing

What we
believe matters

The CII's five domains are grounded in ten foundational values. These are not abstract ideals — they are operational commitments that can be observed, evidenced, and measured in the conduct of AI institutions.

01

Truth-Telling

A commitment to accuracy, correction of error, and honest representation of what AI systems can and cannot do.

02

Human Dignity

The inherent worth of every person as the foundational constraint on how AI systems are designed and deployed.

03

Accountability

Clear lines of responsibility, accessible grievance mechanisms, and genuine consequences when harm occurs.

04

Subsidiarity

Decisions made at the most local appropriate level. Resistance to unnecessary centralization of power or influence.

05

Stewardship

Long-term orientation toward the common good, including future generations who cannot yet advocate for themselves.

06

Courage

Willingness to take costly principled stands, protect internal dissent, and prioritize ethics over commercial pressure.

07

Solidarity

Active concern for those most vulnerable to AI's disruptive effects — workers, children, and marginalized communities.

08

Creativity

Protecting and amplifying the distinctive creative capacity of human beings, rather than displacing or commodifying it.

09

Prudence

Proportionate caution in the face of genuine uncertainty about transformative and potentially irreversible technologies.

10

Justice

Fair distribution of AI's benefits and burdens across income, geography, and generation — not only to those who can pay.

This index
belongs to
everyone

The CII is not a closed institution. We are actively building a community of scholars, ethicists, policymakers, technologists, and engaged citizens who share the conviction that AI accountability requires an independent public voice.

Get in touch

Scoring Panel

We are recruiting ethicists, technologists, legal scholars, and policy experts to serve on the v0.1 scoring panel. Commitment: approximately 20 hours over three months.

Research Contributors

Help compile and verify the public-source evidence base for each company evaluation. Ideal for graduate researchers and policy analysts.

Institutional Partners

Universities, think tanks, and civil society organizations are invited to co-publish scorecards and contribute to the methodology's ongoing development.

Founding Signatories

Add your name to the founding declaration: a public statement affirming that AI companies must be held to meaningful ethical standards by independent voices.