Protopian Prize | Brainstorm & Discussion Salon on what a plausible better future might be

​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.