Join our new Existential Hope Worldbuilding Course!
The Worldbuilding Challenge:
Co-Creating the World of 2045
In this virtual and interactive course, we engage with the most pressing global challenges of our age—climate change, the risks of AI, and the complex ethical questions arising in the wake of new technologies. Our aim is to sharpen participants’ awareness and equip them to apply their skills to these significant and urgent issues.
As we focus largely on worldbuilding, participants will be immersed in a collaborative space where the frontiers of science and technology meet strategic discussions on risk and ethics. Central to our exploration is the integration of AI in all aspects of our worldbuilds. We recognize that positive, hopeful visions of AI futures are not only lacking but also urgently needed. By incorporating AI alongside other technologies, we seek to cultivate a balanced and forward-thinking perspective on how AI can contribute to global solutions.
We extend an invitation to become an architect of the future, leveraging unique skills to construct a meaningful and optimistic tomorrow. Spots are limited, so please make sure to apply today.
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Applications are now closed.
Goal Of The Course
This course is a convergence point for innovative minds passionate about the interplay between technology and society. Whether you have a background in science or bring a unique viewpoint from another discipline, this course is where you can apply your enthusiasm for the role of technology in driving societal progress.
In this course, you'll craft detailed and sophisticated visions of the world in 2045, with a special focus on integrating AI into our worldbuilds. Recognizing the urgent need for positive and hopeful narratives around AI, we will explore how AI, along with other emerging technologies and sciences, will shape our future. This includes looking into the economic frameworks, institutions, and societal values that will support them.
Moreover, you'll gain proficiency in critical and strategic thinking methodologies such as red teaming and forecasting. These are essential tools in your toolkit for anyone passionate about making a significant, positive impact on the world.
We welcome you to join a community from across the globe, united in the pursuit of thoughtful innovation. Let's come together to create well-thought-out worlds filled with optimism and lay the groundwork for a future we can all aspire to.
Course Timeframe and Format
- Dates & time: Starting February 14, 2024, 6 pm UTC
- Location: Remote, across Zoom
During the eight weeks of the Existential Hope Worldbuilding Course, participants will:
- Gather Virtually: Meet on Zoom for live, interactive sessions where they'll engage in the collective worldbuilding experience.
- Form Collaborative Groups: Be placed into diverse teams of 4-5 from session three, allowing for a range of skills to come together and enhance the worldbuilding process.
- Communicate Continuously: Stay in touch and collaborate with their teams and the larger participant community through dedicated Slack or Discord channels.
- Receive Expert Guidance: Have facilitators available during sessions to provide assistance, ensure productivity, and help maintain the course's direction and focus.
- Learn Strategic Methods: Explore tools and methodologies for forecasting, red teaming, and scenario planning, equipping them with the necessary skills for thorough and impactful worldbuilding.
- Conclude with a Showcase: Present their sophisticated visions of the world in 2045, incorporating their understanding of future technologies, economic systems, and societal values.
- A winning world is chosen by our judges: The final winners get to showcase their creations at Foresight Institute’s Vision Weekend, have their worlds featured on the Existential Hope website, get interviewed on the Existential Hope podcast, and connect with experts for potential real-life project collaborations.
Participants will join an international collective, all striving to imagine and design a future where innovation is both thoughtful and optimistic. Through this course, they will shape worlds not just to hope for but to strive towards.
Curriculum
Mentors & Judges
Is this course for you?
Our Existential Hope Worldbuilding Course utilizes a diverse range of resources to provide valuable insights from thought leaders and visionaries. Explore some of these materials that can influence your learning experience:
- Existential Risk and Existential Hope - by Owen Cotton-Barratt and Toby Ord, for those intrigued by the balancing act between potential perils and the promise of progress.
- Worldbuilding contest winners - from the Future of Life Institute, showcasing imaginative leaps into what the future could hold.
- Differential Technology Development - by AJ Kourabi, discussing strategies on how technology might develop unevenly and its implications.
- The dial of progress - by Zvi Mowshowitz, a thought-provoking piece on adjusting the pace and direction of human advancement.
- Meta-Ethics Sequence - by Eliezer Yudkowsky, for a deep dive into the ethical frameworks that could underpin our decisions for the future.
- International AI Institutions - by Matthijs Maas and José Jaime Villalobos, exploring the global governance of AI and its potential to shape our world.
If these topics resonate with you, you could be the perfect fit for our course. Come join us to dive into these resources and actively contribute to shaping the future.
Apply
Applications are now closed.