Generative AI's accessibility has disrupted cultural and creative industries whose primary product is meaning, creating urgent tensions between technology adoption and creative labor that demand protocol-based solutions. Nicolás Madoery maps these sociotechnical tensions and proposes moving forward through a protocol lens, while announcing a Buenos Aires meetup and new essay bounties.
This issue features worldbuilding analysis of the AI-generated film South Beast Asia, examining ten core traits designed to explore distributed AI systems through a Southeast Asian-inspired lens developed at the Khlongs & Subaks workshop. The piece unpacks how fictional 'strange rules' address questions of AI distribution while the issue also hosts a guest talk with AI Snake Oil author Arvind Sarayanan.
Sam Chua
This issue reports on SIGFPT's latest activities, including discussions on process calculi and the upcoming exploration of motion languages from robotics as a framework for understanding protocols. The editorial reflects on protocols as fundamentally different from AI systems—the "evil twin" relationship—while announcing new initiatives like the Tan Paper project and writing bounties.
Venkatesh Rao
This issue explores AI as public infrastructure and coordination mechanisms, featuring discussions on AI swarms, hardened commons, and public intelligence from Kevin Kelly, alongside updates from protocol-inspired projects in water management and community coordination. The editorial curates emerging conversations about how protocols enable both technological governance and spontaneous social coordination across diverse communities.
Protocolized
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