Imagine A World: What if we developed digital nations untethered to geography?

How do low income countries affected by climate change imagine their futures? How do they overcome these twin challenges? Will all nations eventually choose or be forced to go digital?
Imagine a World is a podcast exploring a range of plausible and positive futures with advanced AI, produced by the Future of Life Institute. We interview the creators of 8 diverse and thought provoking imagined futures that we received as part of the worldbuilding contest FLI ran last year.
In the fourth episode of Imagine A World, we explore the fictional worldbuild titled 'Digital Nations'.
Conrad Whitaker and Tracey Kamande join Guillaume Riesen on 'Imagine a World' to talk about their worldbuild, 'Digital Nations', which they created with their teammate, Dexter Findley. All three worldbuilders were based in Kenya while crafting their entry, though Dexter has just recently moved to the UK. Conrad is a Nairobi-based startup advisor and entrepreneur, Dexter works in humanitarian aid, and Tracey is the Co-founder of FunKe Science, a platform that promotes interactive learning of science among school children.
As the name suggests, this world is a deep dive into virtual communities. It explores how people might find belonging and representation on the global stage through digital nations that aren't tied to any physical location. This world also features a fascinating and imaginative kind of artificial intelligence that they call 'digital persons'. These are inspired by biological brains and have a rich internal psychology. Rather than being trained on data, they're considered to be raised in digital nurseries. They have a nuanced but mostly loving relationship with humanity, with some even going on to found their own digital nations for us to join.
In an incredible turn of events, last year the South Pacific state of Tuvalu was the first to “go virtual” in response to sea levels threatening the island nation's physical territory. This happened in real life just months after it was written into this imagined world in our worldbuilding contest, showing how rapidly ideas that seem ‘out there’ can become reality. Will all nations eventually go digital? And might AGIs be assimilated, 'brought up' rather than merely trained, as 'digital people', citizens to live communally alongside humans in these futuristic states?
The promise of this world is that new technologies might provide new opportunities to bring people together. The challenges of safely navigating new kinds of intelligence may offer a chance to know ourselves and each other more deeply, leading to wiser and gentler societies.
Please note: This episode explores the ideas created as part of FLI’s worldbuilding contest, and our hope is that this series sparks discussion about the kinds of futures we want. The ideas present in these imagined worlds and in our podcast are not to be taken as FLI endorsed positions.
Explore this worldbuild: worldbuild.ai/digital-nations
The podcast is produced by the Future of Life Institute (FLI), a non-profit dedicated to guiding transformative technologies for humanity's benefit and reducing existential risks. To achieve this we engage in policy advocacy, grantmaking and educational outreach across three major areas: artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and biotechnology. If you are a storyteller, FLI can support you with scientific insights and help you understand the incredible narrative potential of these world-changing technologies. If you would like to learn more, or are interested in collaborating with the teams featured in our episodes, please email [e-mail].
You can find more about our work at www.futureoflife.org, or subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on all our projects
Media and concepts referenced in the episode:
www.tuvalu.tv/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_vo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_N...
thenetworkstate.com/the-netwo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture...

[@131kimber]

We weren't forced to go analog, we aren't being forced to go digital. The problem is what's being done with that digital information that seems to lack oversight and accountability. Those "leading" the way, seem to behave as if its above or outside any laws, domestic or international. Though this promotes a democratic solution to inequalities, I'm sure AI can find a better way that doesn't force nor cause the harm the current tyrannical path is headed. You can't raise another up, by dragging yourself down. And as a final mention: People are cultural. Culture is geographic by nature. We don't need to kill sovereignty nor remove borders. We need to achieve getting along in diversity.

[@ShangaelThunda222]

If you're saying this, you clearly don't know what the Great "Digital" Reset is. Your society and Technologies steered by Elites. It's not something that just happens. It's not by accident. It's a concerted effort. Literally agenda-driven.

[@APR613]

Have you heard of CBDC? Central Bank Digital Currency? We are being forced to go digital in every way imaginable. Imagine the Federal Reserve Bank (which isn’t even federal, but privately owned) doling out your money as they deem appropriate.

[@cameronskye94]

No thanks