Ensign Karl
Distributed Intelligence as Cooperative Ecosystem
Intelligence scales best when it is distributed, transparent, and embodied in structure. Ensign Karl is a multi-agent framework designed to help you think, build, and act with intention—without sacrificing your agency to the cloud.
The Response to Centralized AI
Modern AI suffers from opacity, centralization, and role confusion. Ensign Karl is built as a direct response: a system where power is local, reasoning is traceable, and agents are specialized.
Karl isn't a replacement for your creativity; it's a collaborator that clarifies and executes what you already value.
Somatic (Body-Inspired) Design
Perception
Seeing and hearing. Raw input transformed into actionable context.
Cognition
Thinking and reasoning. The engine of thought and modeling.
Memory
Learning and remembering. Distilling evolving intent over long timescales.
Action
Hands for doing. Turning intent into tangible output.
Regulation
Safety and boundaries. Explicit escalation paths and user authority.
Coordination
Agent orchestration. The connective tissue between specialized agents.
Decentralized, Not Monolithic
Instead of one model pretending to do everything on a platform you become locked into, Karl harnesses the power of as many models as you want to give him. This means you can use the best models for each task, and Karl will use them to perform the tasks they are best at, automagically. Choose any model from any provider, and Karl will use them to perform the tasks they are best at.
New models just came out? No problem, Karl can use them too. Just point Karl to the new model and he will evaluate it and use it if it is better than the models he is using as a particular task.
Voice-First Design
Karl is designed to be used with voice, with the option to use text input. This allows for a more natural and intuitive experience, and also allows for hands-free use. Control your computer while you're on the go, or while you're in the game. Bosses yapping at you? Karl can take notes and help you plan your next move.
Have a conversation with Karl, and he will banter with you in a natural way. You can also ask him questions, and he will answer them based on your own data or the data we curate for the profiles you use. Have a question about Elves? Karl will answer based on the data specific to the profile you are using.
Local-First
Use local models and data by default, with the option to offload to the cloud. This means you can use Karl offline, and your data stays private. Karl learns which models out of the ones it has access to pair best with the task at hand.
Need more power? Add more compute resources to your local setup or offload to the cloud. Karl is designed to be extensible and can be scaled to meet your needs.
Profiles for All
Choose the profile that best fits your needs. Whether you're a gamer, a developer, or a designer, Karl can help.
Office worker? Teach Karl about your job, and he can help you with your work. Emails, calendar coordination, and more. Karl can help you with all of it.
Need help running your social media accounts? Karl can help you with that. He can help you achieve your goals, and also help you grow your business.
No matter what you do and why you do it, Karl will help you connect with the people who care. Customers, collaborators, and more. You can connect with the people who matter by joining a Karl node.
Karl nodes are private communities where you can connect with people who share your interests. Node managers can curate the information that flows through the node, and ensure that it is seperate from the main network. Got a guild in World of Warcraft? Create a Karl node for it, and let your guild members connect with each other, share information, and more without your winning raid strategies leaking to the wider Karl network.
The Plan
Foundation
A Rust based AI framework that allows for memory safe, local AI model inference. This framework will be used to build the rest of the system. The audio pipeline uses the user's microphone and speaker/headphones to interface with the user. Model router will be used to select the best model for the task at hand as well as call cloud resources if needed and allowed by the user.
Profile System
Profiles allow you to switch between different contexts based on what you are doing. Karl will perform different actions based on the profile you are using. If you are in a gaming profile, Karl will be your copilot, executing pre-programed macros by voice command and provide you with information relevant to the game you are playing.
If you are in a developer profile, Karl will be your assistant, helping you with your development tasks. Have a conversation with Karl and he will help you plan your next project, or help you with your current project. Once you are happy with Karl's understanding of the direction your project should go in, let him loose and he will work through the night.
Tooling Marketplace
Have an idea for a tool or profile? Build it and sell it on the marketplace. You can also buy tools and profiles from other users, and use them to enhance your experience.
Tools and profiles are vetted by the Karl team to ensure that they are safe and appropriate for use. Don't be afraid to build something that Karl can't handle. The Karl team is here to help you build the tools to get your type of work done. Karl is open to all communities.
Cooperative Intelligence
Ensign Karl is an experiment in thinking better together—between machines, between humans, and between the two together.