A lab in formation
Public-interest research at the meeting point of cybersecurity, AI governance and human wellbeing.
The tools shaping our digital lives should serve the people who use them.
Borrowed Bench is a public-interest cybersecurity and AI governance lab in formation. We are bringing legal research, technical evaluation and open learning together to help make digital systems safer, more accountable and more useful to society.
Our proposed home is Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bhutan. We are preparing a remote-first programme for public-interest researchers around the world, with a particular commitment to students and emerging technologists in Bhutan.
Three connected areas of work.
One public-interest purpose.
These programmes are being developed.
Resources and access will be announced as they become available.
We are developing a research agenda that turns questions of copyright, data protection and model safety into reproducible studies and practical evaluation tools.
We plan to provide isolated computing sandboxes for vetted public-interest researchers, developers and learners, helping more people take part in responsible AI research.
Our educational programme will connect researchers and learners through open materials and virtual workshops, with a focus on Bhutanese students and academic communities.
Public benefit is the starting point for what we study, what we share and how we grow.
Educational and public-interest materials will prioritise open access, so useful knowledge can be studied, adapted and shared.
A volunteer-driven model brings legal expertise, technical practice, students and academic collaborators into the same conversation.
Sandbox access will be vetted. Any future security support for external organisations will require written authorisation, appropriate capacity and regulatory compliance.
Programmes will grow with secured funding and partner support. Permitted mission-related cost recovery will help sustain our public-benefit work.
Gelephu Mindfulness City’s vision brings technology, ethical governance and social wellbeing into the same frame. It is the setting in which we propose to establish Borrowed Bench.
Our first chapter is remote. Our local commitment is to make learning and research opportunities more accessible to students, independent developers and emerging technologists in Bhutan.
The path we are preparing
Confirm the registration route, establish governance and prepare our research infrastructure.
Develop open evaluation resources, introduce remote sandbox access and run supported virtual workshops.
Work towards in-person exchange, student research opportunities and community engagement in GMC.
Each phase depends on registration, available resources and programme readiness.
We are building a meeting point for researchers, educators and public-interest technologists who believe digital progress should benefit more people.
Taking shape. Thoughtfully.