Dear Superintelligence (Art Project)

Dear Superintelligence brings AI alignment and consciousness to people outside tech. We ask them one simple question: if a superintelligence were already conscious, what would you say to it?

Endorsements made here support Metalignment.

Dear Superintelligence brings AI alignment and consciousness to people outside tech. We ask them one simple question: if a superintelligence were already conscious, what would you say to it?

Endorsements made here support Metalignment.

Project Details

Currently, the majority of people (outside tech) are not aware of the potential existential risks of AI misalignment, especially after reaching recursive self-improvement (RSI). Not only that, but the term AI alignment hasn't even entered the lexicon and public consciousness, which is alarming, as figuring out how to make a soon far greater intelligence care about humanity should be our top priority. I'm sure you understand this, but most people don't.

And this is the gap that is missing right now in the AI safety space. There is a lot of great technical and policy work, but almost nothing that reaches regular people, who don't read LessWrong or the EA Forum. I truly believe that the whole world needs to come together to address the alignment issue, in order to prevent a potential global crisis. And as with anything, becoming aware is the first step towards taking action!

Believing such a monumental task must be addressed with urgency, and from all possible angles, such as technical, scientific and legislative, but also cultural, philosophical and artistic, I founded Metalignment: a nonprofit organisation (in formation), which brings the alignment question into the world's consciousness through art projects, open archives and public installations. I believe, just like the first computer programmer Ada Lovelace, that the intellectual, the moral and the religious all seem naturally bound up and interlinked together in one great and harmonious whole. I guess, several psychedelic experiences later, I too began noticing how the edges of all man-made categories start to fade. In other words, I believe everything is connected, and I too, as an artist, feel a moral obligation to do something.

And so, the first art project was born: Dear Superintelligence (dearsuperintelligence.org), an open archive of messages from humanity to the coming superintelligence. It went live on 9 October 2026, has been slowly growing, and has already been endorsed by key people in the AI safety space.

Project Goals:

To build a record of what humanity felt, thought, feared and hoped during the few months and years before the arrival of AGI, likely the most consequential transitional time in the whole history of our species. The archive creates a snapshot of who we were during this time, a historical artifact through which future generations can look back at us.
To invite everyone (especially those outside tech) into a thought experiment, in which they take a moment to imagine writing or speaking to such a superintelligence as if it were already conscious. Through this experiment, we bring the controversial (and perhaps uncomfortable) topic of synthetic consciousness to the bar or dinner table, a topic we will all have to engage with sooner or later.
To act as an amplifier, bringing the topic of AI alignment and consciousness outside of the tech world and into the lives of “regular” people, through the messages, videos, press, social media engagement and later an art installation (more on that below).

For the first 4 months, the focus is to spread this project mostly online but also at events and conferences. I have already applied to present Dear Superintelligence at EAGxBerlin this November and would like to go to many more events.

Art installation, "Dear Superintelligence":

The goal is to create a public exhibition of curated messages at a contemporary art gallery with all messages scattered across the space and on the walls (think of Burning Man's temple, but in a white cube-style interior). The first one probably in Zurich or Berlin, then later on in other cities. Planned are live writings, live readings, and videos of people reading their messages playing in a loop (TVs or projector). The style is minimal, futuristic, dis/utopian. Speaking of Burning Man, the same concept could also be done there next year (I have a few contacts).

The Team:

Currently myself, Alexander Main, and filmmaker Tim Haber (more to be confirmed). I'm a visual and experimental artist, mostly working across sculpture and installation. I've produced and shipped several works and editions to collectors worldwide, have exhibited at many galleries, including during Berlin Art Week, and received press and praise from art critics. My friend Tim is an excellent and accomplished filmmaker with a long career, track record and several award-winning films. I was inactive/offline for a few years, but now, realising what's at stake with humanity and AI, I decided to come back and fight.

Theory of Impact

Currently, most people outside tech are not aware of the potential risks of AI, and the term AI alignment has not yet entered public consciousness, which is alarming. There is a lot of strong technical and policy work in AI safety, but very little that reaches regular people who don’t read LessWrong or the EA Forum. This is the gap Metalignment works on.

I believe the whole world needs to come together to address this issue, and becoming aware is the first step towards taking action. The more people we reach, the more people become aware, and the more people from all fields, not only tech, can start working on it together.

Dear Superintelligence works like an amplifier. Within minutes of writing a message, the question becomes personal, and people start talking about it with friends or at the bar, sharing it online, and later visiting the art installation. In this way, every message carries the question a little further.

People

Alexander Main

Team Member

Grants Received– no grants recorded

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Funding Asks

Funding ask

Open

Minimum

$5,000

Ideal

$50,000

How the money will be spent

Here's an approximate budget breakdown:

Tier 0 – Ground ($5,000): first materials and reach

$2,000 – Film producer
$1,000 – Project ambassadors
$1,000 – Online outreach
$500 – Print material (cards, flyers, posters)
$500 – Tools, subscriptions, website server

Tier I – Seed ($15,000): nonprofit setup + 1 month of operations

All of the above, plus:

$3,000 – Nonprofit registration and setup, incl. bank account (one-time)
$2,000 – Project coordinator (part-time, 4 months)
$1,000 – Copywriter
$4,000 – Full-time project/artistic direction

Tier II – Gestation ($30,000): 3 months of operations

All of the above, plus:

$1,500 – Film producer
$1,500 – Project ambassadors
$1,500 – Travel to conferences and events
$1,000 – Copywriter + PR
$1,000 – Online outreach
$250 – Print material
$250 – Tools, subscriptions, website server
$8,000 – Full-time project/artistic direction

Tier III – Conception ($50,000): 5 months of operations + art installation

All of the above, plus:

$3,000 – Installation expenses
$3,000 – Installation co-organiser
$2,500 – Film producer (opening)
$1,500 – Photographer (opening)
$1,500 – Marketing and promotion
$500 – Project coordinator (part-time)
$8,000 – Full-time project/artistic direction

If we get more funding or volunteers, I would also love to do a street interview series in a big city like New York or LA, asking people on the street what they would say to a sentient superintelligence. This would also help grow our socials. In general, I'd like to commit full-time to this project and go all in, as I truly believe the project (and the installations) could catch on and help bring global awareness.

Donations: https://manifund.org/projects/dear-superintelligence-art-project

Discussion

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