Dystopian AI futures dominate our cultural imagination. But if we want a good future, we need positive visions to build toward. So what would a normal day look like in 2035, if AI development went well?
This short film brings to life a world radically transformed by AI for the better, with powerful systems built to extend human judgment, not replace it. It follows a day in the life of an AI auditor through democratic oversight work, digital health tools, and AI that stays a bounded tool.
The film is based on our Tool AI scenario, developed with researchers from Anthropic, DeepMind, the Future of Life Institute, and Metaculus, among others.
Want to help build this future?
The world in this film is a choice, not a forecast, and making it real takes people. If it resonated, share it, and explore where to start:
→ AI Pathways: the scenario behind the film
→ Existential Hope: subscribe to stay in the loop about opportunities and visions for a future worth wanting
→ Working on AI? 80,000 Hours, the Foresight Institute, the Future of Life Institute, and others can help you find your path.
Credits
Executive producer: Beatrice Erkers
Written and directed by Elizabeth Cox
Narration: Aric Floyd
Animation: Paddy Wright
Character design: Paddy Wright
Illustration: Lorin Wendell
Music: Ty Simon
Sound design: Cosmic Sound
Every morning, you look out at the same view. But after today, that might change. It all depends on what you discover at work.
The year is 2035 and you are an AI auditor for the government. Based on your biomarkers, your health dashboard recommends a nutritionally optimal breakfast for the demanding day ahead of you. You ignore it.
You run a quick diagnostic test that checks for early signs of cancer and other diseases. The data is used to update your digital twin. If you ever get seriously ill, this simulation of your exact physiology can be used to model how you'll respond to different courses of treatment.
Now you're ready to get to work. Like most people, you only work a few days per week, and your salary is supplemented by universal basic income. Today, you'll review the AI system's recommendation to rezone rural land on the outskirts of the city for a major robotics hub. The AI made this policy recommendation based on hundreds of thousands of detailed citizen surveys. The profits from the factory would increase the universal basic income for everyone, but will have noise and environmental impacts on the surrounding communities. The AI also flags that a neighborhood near the proposed project had a very low response rate to the survey. Your job is to find out why, and decide whether to move ahead with the plan or delay until you can get more citizen input.
You head to the area to investigate. On the train, you are reassured to see germ-killing lights and sensors that detect and flag pathogens in the air. Open-source rapid vaccine development helped prevent outbreaks that would have become global pandemics ten years ago. With precautions like these in place, you enjoy work days where you get to leave your desk.
Your job didn't even exist until five years ago, when AI systems started to enable democratic participation and coordination by directly processing citizen input. The role of elected officials as middlemen has been reduced, and with it the grand standing that used to put you off politics.
For a while in the mid to late 2020s, it looked like humans might hand over control to AI systems entirely. But then a series of accidents drove a push to hold the makers of those systems responsible for the harm caused by their AIs. Highly autonomous AI systems became uninsurable, and the industry pivoted to develop tool-like AIs that are easier to control. The tension isn't totally resolved. There's still pressure from some industries to allow more autonomous AI systems and less human oversight, but you do your part to enforce liability by checking AI policy work.
You visit your community partner who works at the local school. Students study one-on-one with adaptive AI tutors that tailor teaching methods to their individual needs. They have human teachers to lead social and emotional learning. Your community partner knows the residents and their needs well. Many locals work in agriculture and are uncertain how the robotics factory might impact their crops and livestock. Could the government make suggestions to address this concern and extend the response deadline?
On your way home, you call your colleagues at the capital. They agree to delay the decision in order to get more input from the most impacted citizens.
Back at home, you're greeted by your cat — or more specifically, your cat's AI-enabled communication collar. Felix gives today's service one star.
You're looking forward to a day off tomorrow. Your AI entertainment assistant recommends a personalized hiking route for you and a friend. Tonight, you have a VR game night with friends who live in different cities.
Meanwhile, the combined human-AI workforce will get to work making sure the future benefits as many people as possible.
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