PUBLIC AI PRIZE CATEGORY





Public AI Prize Category


Submit your original short fiction imagining a positive future for humanity that foregrounds the potential of AI designed to serve the public good—and actionable steps to get us there.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing, reshaping work, relationships, creativity, and community. Financial and environmental resources, policies, and norms are solidifying. The benefits could be huge, but so could the risks, and global society has many urgent, critical decisions to make. Compelling narratives and shared visions of the future we want and how to work towards it can help ensure that these decisions are made in ways that benefit us all. Public AI is an alternative to the paradigm of centralized corporate ownership—AI as public infrastructure, accountable to the public, and designed for public benefit. 

Tech CEOs have the platforms to share their versions of our future AI world. Hollywood and news media dystopias are showing us others. These futures are not inevitable. Now it's time to share your Protopian Public AI vision.








ABOUT PUBLIC AI


Public AI is the concept of AI as public infrastructure—provisioned like electricity, water, roads, libraries, or the Internet itself. Public AI could be created by one or more governments working together, or through other collaborative and non-commercial entities with a mission to support the public good. Its basic principles:


It is publicly accessible
ensuring AI delivers benefits to all.
It is publicly accountable
ensuring AI reflects society’s values.
It delivers permanent public goods
ensuring AI is a reliable foundation.






THE GOAL OF THE PRIZE



We’re looking for short stories that:





1


Incorporate positive visions of an AI-enabled future that foreground Public AI.


2


Help the public understand how we can shape an AI-based state for the public good.


3


Inspire and empower us all to imagine and create the AI future we want.


4


Give us a north star, and ideas for how to move towards it.


5


Bring to life the complexities, tradeoffs and paths of action to maximize human flourishing.






Contest Rules









GUIDING QUESTIONS






Some possible story prompts

  • How can we restructure AI development and deployment to serve rather than exploit human creativity?

  • How can AI systems support human adaptability and climate resilience rather than enabling surveillance and control?

  • What laws, institutions, or incentives are needed to ensure AI is used to augment human capabilities instead of taking away human jobs?

  • What new imaginaries, institutions, mechanisms, or processes could enable creating synergies between social, technical, ecological, and legal design of AI systems?

  • What needs to happen to give society as a whole, rather than a few powerful players, the deciding voice on what kinds of AI get developed and how they’re used?









    • RESOURCES & LINKS


    Resources & Links




    We have collected some relevant research and ideas to help you think about public AI stories and futures. This is not required background for participating in the contest, but inspiration and jumping-off points for those who'd like to learn more.



    • Public AI White Paper | Comprehensive framework for developing and deploying AI systems as public infrastructure with democratic oversight









    ♡ SPECIAL THANKS TO CCI ♡



    The Public AI Prize is made possible by the Center for Cultural Innovation.

    PUBLIC AI PRIZE CATEGORY