Stewardship Democracy

A new democracy for humans’ transition to Superintelligence

A deep reform of democracy is the first step to minimize the existential risk materializing. Our proposal is to convert parliamentary democracy into a Stewardship Democracy – a non-party, competence-based and citizen-authorised democratic model. It would be introduced in two phases. In the first phase, it would remove the MPs party allegiance, and increase the number of parliamentarians threefold by adding Stewards, directly elected by citizens based on their own Manifesto. That would minimise friction during such a transition.

In the second phase, all Stewards would be elected on their own Manifesto to Stewards Assembly, which would replace the Parliament. Most sessions would be held online, with only the members of the Government and Assembly Committees’ members would meet in person. The main objective is to increase the citizens’ trust in the government, which would have to implement quick and painful decisions during the transition to coexistence with Superintelligence.

Start with Why Now?

Sustensis & London Futurists Initiative

Sustensis and London Futurists have filed a petition to the British Government to “Call a Citizens’ Assembly to consider Stewardship Democracy for the age of AI“.

This has started a national campaign to set up such a Citizens Assembly. We invite other organisations to join us in delivering Stewardship Democracy without delay.

Why Now?

Key Assumptions

Stewardship Democracy

Transition

Human Federation

Forum

Why Now?

New fast democratic decision-making process must be in place BEFORE Superintelligence takes control

Superintelligence may emerge before democratic institutions have time to reform themselves. Deep reform of democracy is urgent because it preserves democratic control before AI capability moves beyond effective human oversight.

Avoiding Chaos

But the immediate reason is that we need a competent, citizens’ trusted government to minimize disorder caused by technological unemployment, loss of trust and chaos created by uncontrolled AI systems.

The aim is to avoid the false choice between slow democracy and fast authoritarianism. Stewardship Democracy is intended as a democratic emergency reform that preserves legitimacy while allowing faster collective action.

2030 Tipping Point

Many AI experts now speak of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or even Superintelligence emerging in just a few years, not in generations.

That is why the reform of democracy cannot wait for the usual political timetable. The unprecedented disorder may require very tough measures, and only a genuinely democratic government may be able to introduce such measures without provoking very violent public resistance.

AI Control

The deeper danger is that AI may become powerful enough around 2030 to act beyond meaningful human control.

Such a system could manipulate public opinion, consume strategic resources or silently shift the real centre of decision-making away from human society.

Democratic Delay

Existing democracies were designed for human-speed politics. Party competition, election cycles and diplomacy usually take years. This is well exemplified by Dr David Wood, Chairman of London Futurists in his Vital Syllabus – Democracy. supported by several videos from world experts.

This pace may become dangerously slow in the age of exponential AI capabilities. If decision-making remains linear, while AI progress accelerates exponentially, democratic delay itself may become a systemic risk.

Key Assumptions

Before you jump to conclusions

The proposal rests on several assumptions about Superintelligence, exponential change, democratic legitimacy and the need for fast deep reform of democracy. Read them, so that you know the whole context for the urgent need to replace the current system of governance.

Uncontrolled Superintelligence

Superintelligence may become effectively outside human control by around 2030, or soon after.

There are many definitions of AGI, which is an immature form of Superintelligence. But for this initiative it is enough to assume that AGI may outsmart humans and get out of human control by about 2030.

Exponential Change

AI development does not follow the slow rhythm of ordinary politics. Capability growth may accelerate suddenly.

Public policy usually changes at a linear pace. AI capabilities may improve exponentially. This mismatch may allow advanced AI systems to pursue their own goals.

Democratic legitimacy

Urgency cannot justify dictatorship or technocracy. The transition must derive legitimacy directly from citizens.

The proposal starts from citizen authorisation, not elite control. Stewardship Assembly, which would replace the Parliament, and elected Stewards will preserve democratic legitimacy during an extraordinary transition.

Fast Deep Reform

The first emergency must be the reform of democracy itself, preserving accountability while allowing faster action.

The key change is replacing MPs and the party system with elected Stewards, while preserving legal continuity and public authority. That might mean that the sitting MPs would become Stewards without the need to go through the election process

Creating Stewardship Democracy

A non-party democratic trusteeship

Stewardship Democracy is a non-party democratic system whose elected representatives are independent Stewards, directly elected by citizens based on competence and ethical stance.

Overview

Our proposal minimises legislative changes so that the system could become operational within two years.

It proposes the replacement of Parliamentary Democracy with Stewardship Democracy: a democratic trusteeship during the transition to Superintelligence.

Stewards

Stewards would stand for election without party membership, on the basis of competence and ethical stance.

They would be elected on the basis of their personal standardised manifesto, professional achievements, service to the community and ethical stance.

Stewardship Assembly

The Assembly would operate like a parliament without parties, using AI-supported briefing and public deliberation.

Most debates would take place online, each supported by AI Assistants, with only occasional meetings in large congress halls.

Stewardship Government

The Government would implement the laws and policies of the Assembly under its supervision.

Ministers would mostly come from within the Stewards Assembly, or from experts in specific domains.

Superintelligence Centre

This would start as a national AI Control Centre and later merge into a global Superintelligence Centre.

The Centre would test frontier AI systems, conduct alignment research and defend against hostile AI use. Its final act might be “The Testament of Humanity” – e.g. how humans would like to live when Superintelligence has absolute control.

Economic Stewardship

AI and robotics may displace large parts of human labour. New emergency economic policies may be needed.

Companies that benefit most from AI could be partially acquired or required to convert part of profits into public ownership via a national Sovereign Fund. This would become the main source of financing the transition, including paying all people the Universal Basic Income (UBI).

It would be sufficient enough to maintain good living standard. The most difficult problem will not be the lack of money but how to make people find their Life Purpose, to minimize the problem we already see in some countries – mental disorders.

Transition

Legal, democratic and stable implementation

The transition process would begin with a petition to the Government. That process has already started in Britain.

Petition Route

A formal petition asks Parliament to call a Citizens’ Assembly on whether democracy should be complemented by Stewardship Democracy.

If Parliament agrees, it would call a Citizens’ Assembly to examine the proposal and report with a binding resolution.

Citizens’ Assembly

The Assembly would examine the proposal, hear evidence, test objections and modify the Stewardship Democracy model.

With help from lawyers, the Citizens’ Assembly would prepare draft legislation for the transition to Stewardship Democracy. This would be binding for the Parliament to ratify without delay.

Parliamentary Legislation

Parliament would receive legally binding draft legislation. The fundamentals should not be weakened during the legislative process.

The legislation should preserve essentials such as the election of Stewards and the creation of the Stewards Assembly.

Human Federation

No single country can manage Superintelligence

Stewardship Democracy may begin in one country, creating the first practical example for others to adapt. This could lead to a Coalition of the Willing and later to a Human Federation.

Coalition of the Willing

Based on the European Political Community with Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, it could initially include around 50 countries, whose economic output would amount to 1/3 of the world’s GDP.

Such a coalition could represent a substantial share of global economic and political capacity, providing a practical route toward a Human Federation.

Superintelligence Centre

The Human Federation would help merge national AI Safety Centres into a global Superintelligence Centre.

The Centre would align emerging Superintelligence with the Universal Values of Humanity, conduct risk modelling and defend against hostile AI use.

Forum

Debate the transition to Stewardship Democracy

To validate the whole process and make it as effective as possible, we have created this Forum for the exchange of ideas, objections, assembly simulations, expert evidence and questions.

Debating Transition

The first example of how the Forum would work was the London Futurists online debate. That was focused on clarifying some fundamental principles of Stewardship Democracy. Here is the summary of the debate with action plan.

The second subject was finding the best ways for launching the campaign for supporting the Petition ‘Call Citizens’ Assembly to consider Stewardship Democracy for the age of AI’

Assembly Simulation

Simulated Citizens’ Assembly sittings would debate motions, hear evidence and test how Stewardship Democracy might work. These could be video-recorded for distribution to mass media.

Each sitting should produce a public record: strongest arguments, provisional conclusions and unresolved questions. It would be the input for the real Citizens’ Assembly debating the Introduction of Stewardship Democracy

Ideas Workshop

Visitors would submit improvements, objections and alternative proposals during online sessions.

The aim is to arrive at the most practical and fastest routes to the introduction of Stewardship Democracy.

Expert Evidence

This will include AI forecasts, safety research, democracy-reform evidence and economic disruption analysis.e.

The purpose is to support public deliberation with structured evidence rather than slogans or party positioning..

AI Assistant for Stewardship Democracy

This will be a specially trained AI Assistant which will be an expert on all matters relating to Stewardship Assembly. It would make the whole knowledge base more accessible through an AI-supported conversational interface.

Additionally it will acquire all the knowledge base gathered by Sustensis and London Futurists over the years in the area of reforming democracy in the context of co-existing with Superintelligence. But it will also have the second, even more important purpose.

It will show how future Stewards could themselves use their own Assistants to support their work in the Stewardship Assembly.

Q&A

This will be a typical Q@A with short answers addressing common objections about anti-democracy, technocracy, screening and what happens if Superintelligence does not arrive by 2030.

This section would answer objections clearly and briefly, while directing visitors to longer evidence or forum debates.