The Disclosure Foundation is relevant to the AI agent ecosystem through its advocacy for "all-domain" sensing and high-fidelity data transparency. The study of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) is essentially a massive data processing problem. Identifying rare anomalies within petabytes of sensor data from satellites, radar, and sonar requires autonomous agents capable of real-time anomaly detection, sensor fusion, and multi-hypothesis testing.
Because the foundation is pushing for the release of sensor data and the adoption of more automated monitoring systems, they are effectively advocating for the infrastructure that AI agents will eventually inhabit. Their board includes individuals with deep expertise in AI startups and defense technology, positioning the foundation at the intersection of intelligence policy and automated scientific inquiry. For builders in the agent space, the Disclosure Foundation represents the policy layer required to open up new, high-stakes datasets for agentic analysis in defense and aerospace.
Disclosure Foundation is a research and advocacy organization based in the United States that focuses on the transparency of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). The group is led by a combination of former high-ranking government officials and academics who aim to shift the public and legislative discourse around UAP toward a framework of national security and rigorous scientific inquiry. Their primary function is to facilitate engagement between the public sector, academia, and the private sector to advocate for policy reform and the release of classified data.
The foundation is chaired by Christopher Mellon, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Mellon's involvement provides the organization with significant institutional weight, as he previously served as the Staff Director of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Jordan Flowers serves as the Executive Director, bringing a background in investment and entrepreneurship from firms such as McKinsey & Co. and LGT Capital Partners.
The foundation emphasizes "all-domain" awareness, which refers to the detection and tracking of anomalies in the air, sea, and space. A core part of their mission is to challenge existing classification systems within the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. They argue that these systems currently prevent scientific progress by keeping sensor data siloed within classified programs. By advocating for the release of high-fidelity data, the foundation seeks to create a baseline for researchers to apply modern analytical techniques, including machine learning and automated anomaly detection.
Their advisory board reflects this multidisciplinary approach. It includes Avi Loeb, a Harvard professor and founder of the Galileo Project; Timothy Gallaudet, a retired Rear Admiral and former acting administrator of NOAA; and Eric Davis, a physicist with decades of experience in government aerospace research. This concentration of expertise allows the foundation to speak authoritatively on the technical requirements for UAP research, from oceanographic sensing to orbital debris monitoring.
While the Disclosure Foundation is a non-profit entity, its members are active in the technological and intelligence spheres. For instance, board member Matthew Pines is the CEO of a stealth AI startup, and Eric Davis is the Chief Scientist at Cohere Technology Group (a defense contractor). This intersection of intelligence, defense, and emerging technology is central to how the foundation operates. They advocate for the deployment of advanced sensor arrays that can collect data without human bias, providing a more objective view of atmospheric and space-based anomalies.
In the competitive landscape of UAP advocacy, the Disclosure Foundation is part of a movement of professionalized organizations that include Americans for Safe Aerospace and the UAP Disclosure Fund. These groups differ from traditional civilian research organizations by focusing heavily on legislative strategy and supporting specific bills, such as the UAP Disclosure Act. Their goal is to establish a permanent, legally mandated process for the government to share findings with the scientific community, ensuring that UAP research is treated as a mainstream scientific pursuit rather than a fringe curiosity.
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