A Note as 2025 Closes | Artificiality Book Awards 2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we wanted to write directly and take stock of where the Artificiality Institute is, and where we’re heading. This year marked a real shift for us and we're excited for new things in 2026.

But before we get to these reflections, don't miss Helen's Artificiality Book Awards 2025. Congrats to Blaise Agüera y Arcas, N. Katherine Hayles, Christopher Summerfield, Steven Pinker, Kees Dorst, Carl Benedikt Frey, and Nina Beguš—and thank you for writing great books!

Reflections on 2025

In October, the 2025 Summit brought together roughly twice as many people as our first gathering. We had serious conversations about meaning, agency, and what actually deserves to scale as AI systems become more embedded in daily life. 

Our research, The Chronicle, has moved from an idea into a proof of concept about how AI is already reshaping cognition, work, and identity. The AI Adaptation Cube and our work on cognitive sovereignty are all attempts to give language and structure to experiences many people are having but struggling to name. 

That said, we also heard the feedback. Some of you found the ideas exhilarating. Others told us—fairly—that parts of this year’s work felt just out of reach. Too abstract. Not "landed" enough in the realities of work, tools, and daily decisions.

We take that seriously. We don’t think abstraction is a mistake—staying ahead of this technology requires deep conceptual work. But in 2026, we’re focusing much more deliberately on translation: how these ideas show up in design choices, organizational practices, and personal boundaries. 

The 2026 Summit's theme is Unknowing. It comes directly out of the question that closed this year’s gathering: whether we need a different way of designing altogether and how design can support an emergent space between humans and AI without pretending the uncertainty will disappear. And while the theme might seem abstract, we promise to develop and deliver the program with the goal of connecting the dots, reaching each of you where you are, and leave you with new ideas for how you can change your world.

What’s changing in 2026

The world around us is shifting. Public sentiment on AI is increasingly negative, and the gap between AI experts and the public's perception is widening. Our stance for 2026 is simple to say and hard to practice: stay human, author yourself. 

We’re committing fully to a "third path"—neither booster nor denier, where people participate and use AI without being subsumed. To do that, the Institute is a “thought-and-action” nonprofit, using frameworks and design as our primary way of protecting human agency. These are both underpinned by our research on people's lived experience of thinking and being with AI.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

• The Chronicle: We aim to collect and analyze 10k stories in 2026. We are currently working with one of the Institute's partners on the tech to help get us there. Our goal is to use these stories for our own work but also to make them available to other researchers and collaborators to help make AI systems that people actually want. Think of this as the first step in building the Internet Archive for the human experience of AI.
  • We are actively looking for participants, research partners, and donors to support this work. We cannot do this alone—our success will be entirely dependent on our ability to motivate our community to collective action.
• The Venture Studio: We are building a studio to bridge the gap between how AI is built and how it is experienced. We want to design products and tools that help people maintain their own sense of authorship. Our vision is contrary to the dominant venture narrative: people-centered, edge-first, and lightweight systems that create the conditions for emergence in the space between humans and machines.
  • We are looking for partners, collaborators, and investors to join us on the bold path of making AI-enabled products that are people-centered, design-led, and research-backed. Reach out if you'd like to learn more about our plans.
• The Documentary: We are working with Softcut Films to document this period of human-AI transformation.
  • We are looking for supporters and partners to help us bring this visual record to the screen. Please reach out to us if you are interested in supporting a movement-building film that will spark people to imagine a more hopeful future and embrace that the future of AI is not inevitable—we can collectively choose the future.
• Video #1: We will be publishing videos of all of the talks from the Summit. And, they're going to be great thanks to Softcut Films!
  • We are looking for supporters for these productions. If you're interested in showing your support for these lectures/presentations—and receiving name recognition for your support as an individual or organisation—please let us know.
• Video #2: We will be changing how our work shows up publicly. Next year we’ll start publishing shorter, more direct pieces on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. When those channels go live, we’ll let you know.
  • Following or sharing it is the simplest way to help it reach people who won’t ever read a long essay about our research or watch an hours-long pod with a thought-leader.
• AI and Democracy in Athens: From May 7–10, we are partnering with the House of Beautiful Business for their forum in Athens. We will be leading an AI and Democracy Marathon to look at how these systems impact our collective ability to govern ourselves.
  • Join us in Athens for a relevant and vital marathon (literally - we will be walking around Athens for this). Learn more here and reach out to us with any questions.
• Speaking & Events: We’re expanding our speaking and event work. More people are grappling with how AI is showing up in their working lives, and we think there’s real value in sharing what our research has uncovered about how humans are adapting—psychologically, culturally, and professionally. The way AI is being talked about often misses what’s actually happening for people, and that matters. What we try to offer instead is a clear, grounded way for people to make sense of their own experiences with these systems and why they feel the way they do.
  • We’d love to come and work with your team by providing a talk and/or a custom Summit for your organization. We also greatly appreciate any recommendations or referrals you can make to others. Our speaking revenue is a critical source of support for our work at the Institute.

How to stay involved

If this direction resonates, here are a few ways to stay involved next year:

• The 2026 Summit (October 22–24, Bend, Oregon): Next year’s theme is Unknowing. It’s our most ambitious gathering yet, focused on how individuals and institutions operate when certainty is no longer available—but responsibility remains. 
  • Register now to secure Super Early rates—available through December 31
• The Circle: We will shortly be opening our Community Circle to everyone. Then in 2026, we will offer a membership for those who want to be more in touch with our work. We aim to build a year-round community for shared sensemaking: comparing notes, spotting patterns, and thinking together as the landscape keeps shifting.
  • Email us if you'd like to join our Community Circle 
• Supporting the research and film: As a nonprofit, our independence depends on aligned partners and donors. If you value the Chronicle as a long-term research effort or want to support the Softcut Films project, please get in touch. 
  • Donate here or email us if you'd like to learn more about supporting our research and film projects

Thanks for staying with us through a year of real change. We’re trying to build something durable, honest, and impactful for a future where we can live a more meaningful life with AI.

Warmly,

Helen & Dave
Artificiality Institute