Sensay, which is a creator of AI-powered digital replicas of people, has established an AI-powered government on an island it has purchased off the coast of the Philippines – dubbed ‘Sensay Island'.

Sensay Island’s AI government is made up of AI-powered digital recreations of renowned leaders and experts from history. The Cabinet includes Marcus Aurelius as the President, Winston Churchill as Prime Minister, Nelson Mandela as Justice Minister, and Confucius as Education Minister.

Each AI replica is designed to emulate the personality, values, and decision-making patterns of the historical figure it represents, providing a governance style infused with timeless wisdom and ethical principles. To truly emulate the character of these historical figures, each recreation is uniquely trained on the literature, teaching, philosophies, and speeches of the real-life counterparts they represent.

The experiment follows hot on the heels of a research paper published in the British Journal of Political Science that showed long-term decline in trust in politics globally. Researchers found that trust in parliaments has dropped by an average of 78.4 percentage points since at least 1990 – highlighting a critical need to shakeup the way parliaments and policymaking are conducted.

Sensay is looking to demonstrate that AI can be deployed in national governance to aid policymaking free from political partisanship and bureaucratic delays, and with unprecedented transparency and participation.

Spectators around the world will soon be able to register as ‘E-residents’ of Sensay Island, allowing them to propose new policies for its AI-powered administration via an open access platform. This will combine direct democracy with AI-enhanced decision-making.

The AI cabinet will publicly discuss policy proposals, drawing on their historical perspectives and bringing different outlooks to the discussions. This will also serve an educational purpose for members of the public who will experience how historical figures tackle contemporary issues. 

After thorough deliberation, cabinet members will vote on their final decisions, fully accessible to members of the public, creating a governance structure that is effective, inclusive, and transparent. This will then be redrafted and built into the constitution of Sensay Island.

Sensay recently hired the world’s first AI employee to join the company as a Full Stack Developer. The firm secured a $2.4 million pre-seed investment, and its replicas currently participate in more than 600,000 interactions daily. 

Dan Thomson, Founder and CEO of Sensay, said: “Sensay Island is a bold and exciting venture that will challenge modern conceptions of governance and policymaking in an unprecedented way.  

“The sad truth is that people no longer trust governments, and democracies worldwide are in decline – confidence must be restored, which calls for some creativity. By blending AI with timeless principles and historical wisdom, we’ll show that technology can govern alongside humans in harmony.  

“This project shows Sensay’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI in a responsible direction – I hope our approach will show the public and world leaders that AI is a feasible and efficient way to develop and implement policies.”

Full list of Sensay Island Cabinet members:

• Head of State (President): Marcus Aurelius 
• Prime Minister: Winston Churchill 
• Foreign Affairs Minister: Eleanor Roosevelt 
• Defence Minister: Sun Tzu 
• Treasury Secretary: Alexander Hamilton 
• Justice Minister: Nelson Mandela 
• Science & Technology Minister: Ada Lovelace 
• Education Minister: Confucius 
• Health Minister: Florence Nightingale 
• Agriculture Minister: George Washington Carver 
• Environment Minister: Wangari Maathai 
• Culture Minister: Leonardo da Vinci 
• Ethics Advisor: Mahatma Gandhi 
• Innovation Advisor: Nikola Tesla 
• Infrastructure Director: Queen Hatshepsut 
• Chief Strategist: Zhuge Liang 
• Intelligence Chief: T.E. Lawrence

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