Guiding AI with
Human Wisdom
At Ordinary Wisdom, we believe that in a world of pervasive AI, each organization will expect its AI applications and agents to align with societal and organizational values — rather than being limited to the values chosen by AI model developers. Our mission is to deliver a robust, flexible and easy-to-implement pipeline that bridges the gap between evolving artificial intelligence and human values, ensuring that AI serves human organizations with integrity and purpose.
Our technical pipeline combines a variety of AI techniques, both well-established and cutting-edge, with values and data sourced from collective human intelligence. By allowing you to move from generic models to value-aligned systems, we help you build AI that reflects the wisdom of your specific domain.
Co-Founders
Maury Shenk
CEO
Maury Shenk is a serial entrepreneur, lawyer, investor and AI-focused innovator. He is founder of AI-driven edtech start-up PlaylistBuilder and consulting firm Lily Innovation (through which he manages a portfolio of advisory and investment activities), former London managing partner and ongoing advisor of law firm Steptoe, director of Anduril UK, and senior advisor to edtech unicorn PeopleCert. Maury is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School, speaks about 9 languages (depending how you count), and writes the Substack blog LearnTech.
Professor Michael Mainelli
Executive Chairman
Michael Mainelli is Chairman of Z/Yen Group & Ordinary Wisdom, and President of the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry. A qualified accountant, securities professional, computer specialist, and management consultant, educated at Harvard University and Trinity College Dublin, he earned his PhD at the London School of Economics. Michael's AI experience dates from large-scale neural networks in the 1970s to support vector machines in the 1990s. He is a prolific writer; his book co-authored with Ian Harris, The Price of Fish: A New Approach to Wicked Economics and Better Decisions, won the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards Finance, Investment & Economics Gold Prize. He was Lord Mayor of London 2023–2024.