Artificial intelligence and data are no longer abstract ideas—they are shaping business models, powering digital infrastructure, and driving the next generation of the global economy. The question is: how do we ensure that this transformation unfolds responsibly, creating resilience and public benefit rather than new risks?
For the past 18 months, the Project Liberty Institute (PLI), Encompassed by Project Liberty, PLI is a 501(c)(3) organization with an international partner network that includes Georgetown University, Stanford University, ETH Zurich, and other leading academic institutions and civic organizations, has been implementing the recommendations of its Fair Data Economy Task Force by engaging with more than 60 institutional limited partners (LPs) representing over $5T in capital. This global investor process, led by Paul Fehlinger, Director of Policy, Governance Innovation & Impact, aims to give investors practical frameworks for backing next-generation AI and data technologies in ways that are both responsible and meaningful.
This work has been possible thanks to close collaboration with key partners. Alongside VentureESG, the leading global network of more than 500 venture capital funds and LPs committed to responsible practices, PLI has developed a structured dialogue for institutional investors. This process has been jointly convened with Omidyar Network, the philanthropic investment firm founded by eBay’s Pierre Omidyar. Together with VentureESG and ImpactVC, the world’s largest network of 700+ impact investors, PLI has extended the effort into the venture community itself, bringing together those who finance early-stage innovation with those who shape institutional capital. Together, these collaborations are helping to build the scaffolding of a new investment ecosystem with responsibility and mindfulness at the center.
London: FRAME and ImpactFlock
This September, London became the focal point for this global effort. On 17–18 September, the FRAME Conference, VentureESG’s flagship annual gathering, brought together more than 250 LPs and VCs from across the world. Now in its second year, FRAME is the stage where private market investors collectively confront the risks and opportunities of investing in powerful technologies like AI and data. The Project Liberty Institute is a proud institutional supporter of the Conference.
At this year’s event, Paul Fehlinger hosted the LP-only session on Responsible Investment in AI and Data, joined by leaders from Cambridge Associates, a leading advisor to pensions, endowments and family offices on fund commitments, Legal & General, one of Europe’s largest long-term asset managers, and Omidyar Network. The session reviewed the LP engagement process to date and mapped out concrete next steps. Paul also led the VC & Policy session, exploring how venture funds should deal with regulation and governance while building companies responsibly.
Just after FRAME, attention turned to ImpactFlock, hosted by ImpactVC. This peer-to-peer forum convened a critical mass of global impact investors to exchange insights and strategies. At the meet, leaders from PLI, ImpactVC, Better Society Capital, and VentureESG presented early findings from a pioneering survey of VC investors launched earlier this year. The survey is the first of its kind to capture how the venture community is approaching responsible and impactful investment in AI, and its results will inform the development of new best practices, guidance, and toolkits.
Why It Matters
The investment choices being made today will determine which business models succeed, which digital infrastructure takes root, and how next-generation AI technologies enter society. The gatherings in London are an important milestone in ensuring that capital is aligned not only with financial return but also with resilience, fairness, and long-term socio-economic benefit.
By working hand-in-hand with institutional investors, venture capital, and impact investors, and with the support of partners like VentureESG, ImpactVC, and Omidyar Network, the Project Liberty Institute is helping to build the conditions for an investment ecosystem that drives innovation responsibly for a future in which users ultimately will have more voice, choice, and stake in the digital future.