Our story
From values to AI decisions
Core Compass didn't start with technology. It started with a question about people: how do we know what matters to us, and live by it?
Where it began
Rev. Dr. Marian Edmonds-Allen has spent nearly 30 years helping people and organizations understand who they are and what they value: as a pastor, as a hospice chaplain, and as a leader of organizations. That work has always crossed lines of faith, belief, and culture.
Over those years, one practice proved itself again and again. When people get clear about what matters to them, in their own words, they make better decisions. They also find it easier to live and work alongside people who see the world differently.
- What matters to me?
- Where did that come from, and do I still claim it?
- Do my choices reflect it?
- Who am I becoming?
Belonging across difference
Much of this work grows out of covenantal pluralism: a way of living with deep differences in religion, belief, and culture without turning them into a culture war. People don't have to agree to commit to one another, or to work together for the common good.
That idea shapes everything in Core Compass. No tool tells you what to believe. A person of any faith, or of no faith, can bring their own convictions and find them reflected in their own words.
The Personal Moral Compass
In early 2026, inspired in part by the work of Saffron Huang, Marian put that practice into a guided conversation: the Personal Moral Compass. It asks one question at a time and helps a person notice patterns. Then it helps them put into words what they value, what has shaped them, and how they want to choose.
Editions followed for faith leaders, universities, high schools, workplaces, and international programs on pluralism. Through FaithWise.ai, a research, education, and formation initiative at the intersection of faith, technology, and human dignity, the work kept asking one question: what happens to human identity, agency, and judgment as AI becomes more capable?
Why education
Higher education is where that question became urgent. Every day, students decide whether AI should do a piece of their work. Faculty decide what AI belongs in their courses. Departments try to agree. Most have been given rules, bans, or detection tools, but very little help deciding for themselves.
So the Personal Moral Compass became Core Compass. Educators, curriculum designers, and researchers joined the team. Together we built tools for students, faculty, and departments. We shared Core Compass at the AAC&U Conference on AI and Higher Education in October 2026, and opened it to campuses that November.
What we believe
AI can extend what people are able to do. It can also quietly take over the very things that make us capable: our thinking, our judgment, our voice.
We believe people should decide which is which, and decide it from what they value. Before you decide about AI, decide what matters.
See what it feels like.
About 10 minutes. No account required. Your choices stay yours.