“Keep The Future Human” Creative Contest
“Keep The Future Human” Creative Contest is now open for entries!
The “Keep The Future Human” Creative Contest, hosted by Anthony Aguirre, author of the influential essay “Keep The Future Human,” in collaboration with the Future of Life Institute, is an international creative challenge designed to inspire artists, writers, technologists, and thinkers to explore humanity’s relationship with artificial intelligence.
Short description
The “Keep The Future Human” Creative Contest, hosted by Anthony Aguirre, author of the influential essay “Keep The Future Human,” in collaboration with the Future of Life Institute, is an international creative challenge designed to inspire artists, writers, technologists, and thinkers to explore humanity’s relationship with artificial intelligence.
The competition seeks to raise awareness of the existential risks and ethical challenges posed by superintelligent systems, while also inspiring solutions and narratives that keep human values at the heart of technological progress.
Participants are invited to submit original works such as videos, short films, essays, games, interactive experiences, workshops, or even policy proposals that address the central question of how humanity can maintain control, purpose, and meaning in a future shaped by AI.
Entrants are encouraged to interpret and expand on the core ideas presented in Aguirre’s essay, engaging deeply with concepts like alignment, consciousness, and the preservation of human agency.
Through creative storytelling and innovation, the contest aims to foster global dialogue around AI safety, governance, and the human future, bridging the gap between art, science, and policy.
This competition welcomes diverse perspectives and creative formats.
Applicants are welcome to make multiple submissions, but they can only win a prize for one of their submissions.
Submissions will be evaluated by Anthony (author of Keep The Future Human) and colleagues at the Future of Life Institute according to the following criteria:
➜ Engaging with Keep The Future Human, and delivering on contest objectives — Your submission must demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas within the essay ‘Keep The Future Human’, and seek to explore or engage with them (organiser recommend that all applicants set aside 2-3 hours to read the full essay before deciding on your creative piece). Your submission must also contribute to the goals for the contest: To help the essay’s key ideas reach a wider range of people; to inspire others to think about and engage with the ideas more deeply; to spark public discussion about the ideas; to motivate action in the real world to further the ideas.
➜ Creative Execution — Quality of craft and creative execution in your piece.
➜ Accessibility & Portability — How easily a piece of creative content can be accessed and enjoyed by a wide range of people. This also considers the strength of your ‘distribution plan’.
By combining creativity with critical reflection, the contest positions itself as a leading global initiative for AI awareness and ethical innovation, encouraging participants to imagine a future where technology remains human-centered and aligned with our shared values.
Submission requirements:
➜ To enter the competition, you must submit a creative piece of digital media that explores or illustrates the key messages within Keep The Future Human.
➜ Your submission will be evaluated as a complete package, including the creative piece, title, description, thumbnail, and distribution plan. You should dedicate some time to ensuring that all elements of your of your submission are strong.
➜ There are no particular requirements for the length / duration of your submission, except that it should take no more than 20 minutes to enjoy (for written pieces, this equals around 3500 words).
➜ Use of AI is allowed but must be transparently disclosed in your "AI usage statement."
➜ Submissions must be provided in English.
➜ Submissions should NOT be works that are already published.
Who may enter?
The “Keep The Future Human” Creative Contest is open to individuals or teams worldwide of any age. Prize money can only be paid to winners over 18 (or via a sponsor for under-18s).
Prize:
There will be 5 grand prizes of $10,000 each, 10 runner-up prizes of $5,000 each, up to 5 special prizes of $2,500 each, plus the possibility of $500+ mini-grants for strong distribution plans, all winners receiving limited-edition merchandise (paperback of the essay, hoodies/t-shirts/caps).
Entry fees:
There is no entry fee to participate!
