---
title: "Consent, reciprocity and sovereignty"
description: "Te Hiku Media's three guarantees for community-led AI development"
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/empire-of-ai/consent-reciprocity-and-sovereignty/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

# Consent, reciprocity and sovereignty

> Te Hiku Media's three guarantees for community-led AI development

Karen Hao's framework, from Empire of AI, pp. 354 to 433.

Framework 7 of 7 from [Empire of AI](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/empire-of-ai/index.md) by Karen Hao. Category: AI.

## The steps

1. **Consent.** Ask the community and elders whether the project is wanted, and collect data only from people who understand its use
2. **Reciprocity.** Listen to the community for the resources that would help most and own the compute rather than depend on a tech giant
3. **Sovereignty.** Keep data under community stewardship and license it only to organisations that respect Maori values

## Where it comes from

From chapter: Part IV, pp. 354–433

## The animation

24 seconds, 4:5, no sound.

- MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/empire-of-ai/consent-reciprocity-and-sovereignty.mp4
- MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/empire-of-ai/consent-reciprocity-and-sovereignty-dark.mp4
- Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/empire-of-ai/consent-reciprocity-and-sovereignty.png
- Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/empire-of-ai/consent-reciprocity-and-sovereignty-dark.png