- Dan Thomson launched Sensay Island, an AI-governed micronation off Palawan, Philippines
- The island is governed by AI leaders modeled on Gandhi, Mandela, and Churchill
- Over 12,000 people registered to become residents since the launch last year
Tech founder Dan Thomson last year launched an AI-governed country on a 3.4-square-kilometre island located off the coast of Palawan, Philippines. Named after his AI company, Sensay Island is a micronation powered by a council of AI leaders, modelled after the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, among others. The island is a real-world social experiment intended to prove that ethical AI and humans can thrive together.
"Sensay Island is a sovereign micronation in the Philippine archipelago governed by an AI Council modelled on the greatest leaders in history," reads the micronation's website.
"We exist to prove that ethical AI and human dignity can thrive together, forging policies that protect nature, nurture innovation, and elevate every resident's potential."
Thomson noted that the surge of interest has exceeded expectations, with over 12,000 people registering to become island residents since last year. As for governance, each AI replica is designed to emulate the personality, values, and decision-making style of its historical counterpart.
Thomson believes he can get leaders such as Churchill and Gandhi to work together despite the former harbouring real-life disdain for one of the pioneers of the Indian independence struggle.
"Gandhi and I have had our differences, the beauty of serving together in this new context is that we are united by principles larger than our historical disagreements," AI Churchill, who is serving as the island's prime minister, told CNN
Quizzed if it could govern as well as a human, the AI Churchill somewhat tempered expectations, replying: “AI lacks what I would call the human spark. We do not possess the lived experience of joy and suffering, the intuitive understanding of human dignity born from being human or the moral imagination that springs from the soul.”
Thomson believes that recognised governments may eventually adopt similar systems, but hopes that AI may not become an all-conquering entity as warned by experts.
“Um, if it starts acquiring weapons and attacking neighbouring islands, that would be a bad situation,” Thomson told the outlet, adding: "I think it's extremely unlikely.”
“I don't think it's a completely hands-off solution to let an AI run things, and hey, if this goes extremely well, the AI ends up, you know....hopefully, it's not like a game of Risk where it just ends up dominating and conquering and all that kind of stuff.”
