What does a plausibly better future w/ AI look like? | Brainstorm & Discussion Salon for the Protopian Prize
What does a workably better AI future actually look like? Not utopia. Not collapse. Something harder: a future that's plausibly better than today, built through real people making real change against real obstacles.
What does a plausibly better future w/ AI look like? | Brainstorm & Discussion Salon for the Protopian Prize
What does a workably better AI future actually look like? Not utopia. Not collapse. Something harder: a future that's plausibly better than today, built through real people making real change against real obstacles.
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Event sourced
Thu 28 May
3:00 am - 5:00 am
Mox, 1680 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Address not available
About
What does a workably better AI future actually look like? Not utopia. Not collapse. Something harder: a future that's plausibly better than today, built through real people making real change against real obstacles. We are hosting a salon based on the Protopian Prize, a 2026 fiction contest asking writers to imagine liberatory futures and the messy work of getting there. The Prize's two tracks frame our conversation: Public AI Imagine AI development, policy, and tools, built for—and following basic principles of— public benefit. Stories might address ethical training, sustainable maintenance, creator-friendly implementation, collective rather than corporate ownership, and/or new uses that complement rather than replace human strengths. Democratic Futures Imagine institutions, tools, and organizational methods that expand and enhance public autonomy and shared control over societal futures. Stories might address inclusive community-building, decision-making processes, better delivery of public goods, and/or new techniques for combating disinformation, surveillance, and authoritarian constraints. How the evening works: Brainstorm | We open with two seed prompts answered popcorn-style. Bring stories you've enjoyed and can reference. Together we build a shared mind map on the board Small groups of 4–5 go deep on one branch each We reconvene, share findings, and draft a short collation for the EA Forum (Optional) Welcome to anyone who just wants to think rigorously about what "better" actually requires, not just writers.