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In this editorial issue, Protocolized introduces Tongzhou Yu's protocol fiction story about a couple whose relationship is mediated by communication protocols, exploring what domesticity feels like when conflict resolution systems optimize away human friction. The opening depicts a mundane argument over soy sauce that escalates into questions about whether perfectly coordinated communication actually enhances or diminishes intimate partnership.

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Human Enough Dae

This issue explores identity verification protocols and their societal implications while featuring a guest talk on alignment protocols for AI agents, which propose using purpose-driven roles and swarm-like dynamics to coordinate collective intelligences. The alignment protocol approach draws from nature-inspired swarm behavior and classical economic division of labor to solve the coordination problem of distributed AI agents.

editorial fiction protocols

Marie-Hélène Lebeault

Article

Lessons From the Librarians

Protocolized reflects on the conclusion of its protocol fiction serial The Librarians, which emerged from six teams' work at the Summer of Protocols Knowledge Futurama workshop at Edge Esmeralda 2025, where participants designed 1,000-year library preservation systems across technological and social dimensions. The series distills six principles for protocol futures derived from this collaborative exploration of knowledge artifacts, preservation technology stacks, and the social contexts required for long-term cultural survival.

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Timber Stinson-Schroff

Article

Strange New Rules

Protocolized launches as a new magazine devoted to fiction, case studies, and nonfiction research essays about protocols, expanding beyond its previous role as a utilitarian news updates email for the Summer of Protocols program. The inaugural issue features stories, studies, and science exploring themes like protocol fiction, bureaucratic systems, and what the editors call "protocolization debt," while inviting the community to submit pitches and help catalyze a global scene around protocol-focused work.

article editorial fiction

Venkatesh Rao

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