Our mission, Our AI



As a mission driven digital research library, Zendy is committed to helping reduce inequality in access to academic literature for audiences worldwide. We are committed to taking an ethically driven approach in the design, development, deployment, and use of our AI-based solutions. We prioritise the responsible and ethical use of AI, ensuring we address and minimise any potential negative impacts, whether societal or environmental. Our commitment centres around placing human values at the core of our responsible AI practices.
By working closely in partnership with publishers and data providers to create an affordable and accessible route to peer reviewed content, we aim to even the playing field of global research, enabling students and researchers from underserved markets to participate in the global academic and policy dialogue and to contribute to identifying solutions to our planet’s major challenges.
We believe that AI has an important role to play in fostering a fairer research and publishing ecosystem. By leveraging AI, we can offer a range of innovative solutions to facilitate access to content and to make the search journey quicker and more efficient, thereby supporting researchers’ needs irrespective of funding or location.
Whilst AI has the potential to transform research and education, Zendy acknowledges that it also raises ethical concerns around issues such as bias, privacy, and accountability. In response to these concerns and to the growing discussion around AI, we have formulated a list of AI imperatives to guide Zendy’s strategy for the development and integration of AI technologies into our products.
Zendy’s AI Imperatives:
AI in service of a better world
In line with our mission to reduce inequality in research and publishing, we believe AI can help to positively impact society by facilitating access to and use of scientific content. Our portfolio of AI solutions and our ongoing development work reflects this ethos, with a focus on solutions designed to support our users in their search for quality, reliable data.
As a signatory to the UN’s Global Publishing Compact, and working hand in hand with our partners, we aim to offer a more enriched, personalised learning and discovery environment for all users globally, with AI very much in service of a better world.
Openness, trust and transparency
Zendy embraces transparency in AI, committing to clear communication about how our AI systems work, the data they use, and the decision-making processes they employ.
We explain our use of AI tools, defining them in terms of their abilities and limitations. We clarify how they fit into our platform’s ecosystem and how users can make the most of them. If the tool makes use of partner copyrighted data, as per licensed agreements, we put in place limitations and clear safeguards on that use.
We recognise the need for openness, trust and transparency across all our activities to foster trust with our partners and clients, and we are always open to feedback.
Personal privacy, regulation and data governance
Zendy is a committed advocate of personal privacy. As we continue to develop new solutions and acquire larger data sets, we safeguard the personal information which is shared with us by implementing robust security policies and procedures to secure our systems. We also ensure that data is collected, reproduced, and protected in a compliant and appropriate manner in accordance with applicable privacy laws and regulations.
Zendy’s AI systems prioritise data privacy and security by adhering to data protection regulations GDPR) and implementing practices like differential privacy when necessary.
We proactively follow our own internal governance policies as well as external regulations to ensure our AI development is aligned with sustainable practices, including national and international guidelines on AI privacy and ethics.
Equity, unfair bias and data integrity
Fairness and equity are at the heart of Zendy’s mission to help create a better world. As we develop and implement new AI tools and solutions, we put in place procedures to ensure reliability and carry out extensive review. We recognise that biases and hallucinations present challenges in machine learning models, similarly to their presence in human cognition.
To minimise these challenges, Zendy AI uses high-quality, accurate data, avoiding harmful or biases data sets. We also implement state-of-the-art techniques, including prevention and mitigation mechanisms like “chain-of-verification” and “counterfactual reasoning”, which are integrated into our models.
Human oversight and accountability
We believe human oversight is key to the successful development and deployment of reliable and ethical AI-powered solutions. We maintain human oversight of the development of our AI tools and their output from design to deployment to ensure reliability and quality.
We routinely conduct evaluation benchmarks on our models to assess their tendency to reproduce falsehoods and biases, as well as to measure their accuracy. This ongoing evaluation process enables us to continually enhance and refine our models.
We are fully accountable for our tools. We apply a systematic risk management approach to each phase of the AI system lifecycle and adopt responsible business practices to address risks related to AI.
Sustainable AI
At Zendy, promoting responsible innovation is at the heart of our mission. We work to ensure that our development and use of AI solutions contributes positively to society and the environment and considers the long-term impact of technology on the world.
In line with the tenets of ethical AI, we deploy our technologies in a manner that adheres to responsible and ethical principles. We strive to maximise their long-term sustainability for our stakeholders and the field of research more broadly.
- Zendy is proud to be mission led with social impact at the heart of our values. Together with our stakeholders, we aim to leverage AI to contribute to solving global challenges such as the right to quality education and reducing inequalities.
- We believe in a fair and sustainable approach to using data which is licensed to Zendy for use by our AI systems. We do not train our AI systems on publisher data, instead using a technique called Retrieval Augmented Generation. We offer full referencing and compensation to publishers for use of their content.
- We commit to supporting Green AI and to minimising theenvironmental impact of AI research and operations by prioritising the development of energy-efficient models.
- We believe in fair, inclusive and equitable access to AI. Our AI tools are geared towards supporting all human learning as humans adapt to continuing AI advancements.

Zendy and e-Marefa Partner to Expand Access to Arabic Academic Content
Dubai, UAE – May, 2025 – Zendy, the AI-powered research library, and e-Marefa, the leading digital Arabic database, have signed a partnership agreement to expand access to high-quality Arabic academic resources for researchers, students, and professionals worldwide. This strategic collaboration will make e-Marefa’s extensive collection of Arabic-language journals, theses, conference proceedings, and statistical reports available on Zendy’s platform, supporting scholars in the Arab world and beyond, to enhance global access to Arabic scholarship. With over 770,000 users in 191 countries and territories, Zendy continues to grow as a trusted platform for discovering academic knowledge. By integrating e-Marefa’s content, Zendy reinforces its mission to ensure that critical regional knowledge is not only preserved but also made accessible and discoverable to a wider audience. e-Marefa’s database spans a diverse range of disciplines including humanities, social sciences, economics, education, and medicine. Through this partnership, these valuable Arabic-language resources will be more discoverable and searchable by a global Arabic academic audience, bridging language and accessibility gaps that have historically limited the visibility of Arab scholarship. The partnership also reflects Zendy’s commitment to linguistic diversity and cultural representation in research. In a global knowledge ecosystem dominated by English-language publications, ensuring the inclusion of Arabic content is key to fostering a more balanced, inclusive academic landscape. Zendy users will now be able to explore and benefit from e-Marefa’s content seamlessly, supporting regional research, curriculum development, and policy work rooted in the local context. Together, Zendy and e-Marefa aim to empower Arabic-speaking researchers and increase the global impact of their work. For more information, please contact:Lisette van KesselHead of MarketingEmail: l.vankessel@knowledgee.com About ZendyZendy is an AI-powered research library dedicated to increasing the accessibility and discoverability of scholarly literature, particularly in the global south and underserved regions. The platform currently serves over 770,000 users across 191 countries and territories, offering a comprehensive collection of academic journals, articles, and reports to empower researchers, educators, and students around the world. About e-Marefae-Marefa is the leading digital Arabic academic database, providing access to thousands of peer-reviewed journals, dissertations, statistical data, and specialised resources across a broad range of disciplines. Serving universities, research institutions, and libraries throughout the Arab world and beyond, e-Marefa is committed to advancing academic research in Arabic and increasing the visibility of Arab scholarship on the global stage. .wp-block-image img { max-width: 85% !important; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; }

Wiley and IEEE Collaborate with Zendy to Drive Ethical AI Through RAG-Based Innovation
Today, we announced that Wiley and IEEE have joined Zendy’s RAG-based revenue-sharing model, exemplifying a positive move toward ethical AI collaboration within the academic publishing industry. This news builds on our March announcement of a new Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-based revenue share model, created to ensure publishers are proportionately compensated when their licensed content is cited or referenced by AI. Publishers Indicate a Shift Toward Ethical AI Partnerships The addition of Wiley and IEEE signals growing momentum behind Zendy’s RAG-based model. They join other publishers including IT Governance, Lived Places Publishing, Lexxion, British Online Archives, Bentham Press, and e-Marefa—reflecting a shared commitment to transparency, research integrity, and publisher-supported innovation at a time when such values are critically needed. Supported by these publishers, Zendy’s AI assistant, ZAIA, can now reference an even broader base of peer-reviewed content, ensuring that researchers receive high-quality, accurate, and fully attributed responses powered by our domain-specific large language model. Zendy Co-founder Kamran Kardan commented:“We’re seeing a turning point in how academic publishers view AI, we can sense an active shift from threat to partner. The inclusion of Wiley, IEEE and our other partners sends a powerful message that transparent and fair licensing and ethical AI models are the way forward.” A Transparent Model Grounded in Attribution and Licensing ZAIA uses RAG to retrieve data from a combination of open access and licensed paywalled sources. References generated by the model are attributed, enabling Zendy to calculate compensation per citation. This ensures AI can reach its full potential without overlooking the critical questions publishers are asking. We’re building this model together with collaboration at its core. This model is not just a technical solution, it’s a statement about the future of knowledge dissemination, where publishers are part of the AI value chain, not left behind by it. We also see a future where attribution goes beyond paywalled content, recognising the pivotal contributions of Open Access publishers and, ultimately, individual authors. Our model is designed to be scalable across the entire scholarly communication ecosystem, ensuring that the benefits of AI reach every stakeholder in the research value chain. Why Ethical Attribution Matters for Researchers and Institutions For the global scholarly community, this means unrestricted access to quality, reference-backed information. With trusted sources powering responses, researchers can confidently explore new ideas. For institutions, it creates a more defined path to AI adoption with publisher-approved, ethically referenced data, supporting academic integrity and compliance at every step. Get Involved in the Future of AI Collaboration We invite all stakeholders, including academic publishers, libraries, and research institutions to join us in shaping a future where AI collaboratively supports, not replaces, the foundations of scholarly communication. For more information or to book a demo of the capabilities of Zendy’s AI solutions, please visit our website. About Zendy We are an AI-powered research library with over 780,000 users across over 190 countries. Designed to accelerate the research process, we provide access to millions of journals, articles, and e-books, while offering a range of AI-driven tools, including ZAIA, an AI assistant that helps researchers expedite their research journey. We collaborate with leading academic publishers to make scholarly content more accessible and affordable, ensuring that users can explore high-quality research with ease. Zendy is a product of Knowledge E and is developed in collaboration with researchers, students, institutions, and publishers. Our mission is to democratise access to content by making it more affordable and accessible. There are no limitations on reading, just simple access to scholarly resources. For more information, visit zendy.io. .wp-block-image img { max-width: 85% !important; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; }

We Are Exhibiting UKSG 2025 Annual Conference & Exhibition in Brighton!
We're thrilled to announce that we will be exhibiting at the 48th UKSG Conference from March 31 to April 2, 2025, in Brighton, UK. Visit us at booth #79 to experience: Live Demonstrations: See how Zendy’s AI-powered tools, like ZAIA and AI Summarisation, can streamline your research with reference-backed answers to all your research questions and concise summaries of complex academic papers Personalised Consultations: Meet our team to discuss how Zendy can support your library’s digital transformation. Interactive Sessions: Learn about our affordable subscription models and global accessibility initiatives. Meet Kamran Kardan, Sara Crowley Vigneau and Lisette van Kessel to learn how Zendy is making knowledge more accessible and affordable for researchers, students, and professionals worldwide. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the future of scholarly communication. To schedule a meeting with our team, please email us at info@zendy.io About UKSG Annual Conference: The UKSG Conference is a premier event in scholarly communications, attracting global delegates including librarians, publishers, researchers, and students. It offers an excellent platform for networking and exploring the latest trends in the research and publishing community. To learn more visit: https://www.uksg.org/events/conference25/ .wp-block-image img { max-width: 50% !important; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; }