How might Artificial Intelligence transform liberal societies over the next ten years?

This is the central question of the scenario workshop "Contested Futures," which brings together science fiction and social science. Together with three science fiction authors, researchers, and participants from the sci-fi community, possible future scenarios will be developed – spanning utopia, dystopia, and plausible paths in between.

The workshop is part of the SCRIPTS Forum 2026 and an experimental project by the Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS, which examines the challenges and resilience of liberal orders. The goal is to open up new perspectives on societal developments in the context of AI, and to explore these further both literarily and academically.

The ideas generated during the workshop will form the basis for:

• short literary texts by the participating authors
• a scholarly reflection on the process

The results will also be presented and discussed the following evening at a public event at the Otherland bookshop.

Participation Details

• Limited number of participants (approx. 10–15 people)
• Binding registration required
• Closed workshop (no late entry possible)
• Working language: German