Sensay Island: Utopia, scabs or the future of statehood?
Sensay founder Dan Thomson is trying to turn the island in the Philippines into a microstate under the direction of AI. According to CNN, the Sensay Island project has already collected about 12 000 applications from people who want to become residents, although there is no international recognition from the “counter”.
Thomson claims that in 2025 he received the rights to lease and develop the island in the province of Palawan. The entrepreneur named the territory after his AI company Sensay and proposed an unusual model of management: decisions should be made by the advice of chatbots trained in the images of historical leaders.
The digital cabinet includes versions of Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marcus Aurelius, Nelson Mandela, Sun Tzu, Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Hamilton and Mahatma Gandhi. According to Thomson’s plan, residents will be able to put forward proposals, and the AI Council will discuss ideas, compare arguments and vote. Decisions will have to be done by people.
Real life on the island looks more modest than the plan. Advisor to the project Emily Kee told CNN that now on the territory there is a constantly one watchdog named Mike. Thomson says the island can take about 30 villas and eventually become a stop for tourists who travel around Palavan and neighboring islands.
The main bet of the project is not made on physical resettlement, but on digital residency. The program should be launched in 2027, but the first experiment with e-residents Thomson wants to start in the summer. According to the project manager Peter Petr Petrushevski-Gila, among the applicants there are curious users, technoentsists and people who are tired of the usual policy.
Thomson believes that over time, AI will be able to take on more practical tasks. The entrepreneur admits that the digital government will receive crypto wallets and bank cards, will pay contractors and hire workers. So far, the main problem is simpler: you need a person who will agree to implement the decisions of AI literally.
Experts are sharply skeptical of the idea. An employee of the Institute of ethics of AI at Oxford University Alondra Nelson called the statement about a safe AI government ridiculous and recalled that modern AI systems are regularly mistaken and can increase harmful solutions. In her opinion, the project can not be considered democratic only because the founder allowed participants to vote for the composition of the digital cabinet.
Thomson admits the risks, but considers Sensay Island a social experiment. The entrepreneur does not exclude that participants will one day want to add dangerous historical characters to the AI government. The biggest risk, he said, can come not from algorithms, but from people who will try to make the digital government aggressive and prone to capture.
Sensay founder Dan Thomson is trying to turn the island in the Philippines into a microstate under the direction of AI. According to CNN, the Sensay Island project has already collected about 12 000 applications from people who want to become residents, although there is no international recognition from the “counter”.
Thomson claims that in 2025 he received the rights to lease and develop the island in the province of Palawan. The entrepreneur named the territory after his AI company Sensay and proposed an unusual model of management: decisions should be made by the advice of chatbots trained in the images of historical leaders.
The digital cabinet includes versions of Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marcus Aurelius, Nelson Mandela, Sun Tzu, Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Hamilton and Mahatma Gandhi. According to Thomson’s plan, residents will be able to put forward proposals, and the AI Council will discuss ideas, compare arguments and vote. Decisions will have to be done by people.
Real life on the island looks more modest than the plan. Advisor to the project Emily Kee told CNN that now on the territory there is a constantly one watchdog named Mike. Thomson says the island can take about 30 villas and eventually become a stop for tourists who travel around Palavan and neighboring islands.
The main bet of the project is not made on physical resettlement, but on digital residency. The program should be launched in 2027, but the first experiment with e-residents Thomson wants to start in the summer. According to the project manager Peter Petr Petrushevski-Gila, among the applicants there are curious users, technoentsists and people who are tired of the usual policy.
Thomson believes that over time, AI will be able to take on more practical tasks. The entrepreneur admits that the digital government will receive crypto wallets and bank cards, will pay contractors and hire workers. So far, the main problem is simpler: you need a person who will agree to implement the decisions of AI literally.
Experts are sharply skeptical of the idea. An employee of the Institute of ethics of AI at Oxford University Alondra Nelson called the statement about a safe AI government ridiculous and recalled that modern AI systems are regularly mistaken and can increase harmful solutions. In her opinion, the project can not be considered democratic only because the founder allowed participants to vote for the composition of the digital cabinet.
Thomson admits the risks, but considers Sensay Island a social experiment. The entrepreneur does not exclude that participants will one day want to add dangerous historical characters to the AI government. The biggest risk, he said, can come not from algorithms, but from people who will try to make the digital government aggressive and prone to capture.