Straight out of a dystopian thriller, a remote island in the Philippines is preparing to be ruled entirely by artificial intelligence – with a government of robots based on history’s greatest minds.
Stretching across the country’s western edge, Palawan is an archipelago of over 1,700 tropical havens boasting turquoise lagoons, lush rainforests and white-sand beaches.
Among them is Sensay, a tiny 3.6km island bought in 2025 by tech founder Dan Thomson, who runs an AI chatbot company of the same name.
His main objective? Establishing it as a micronation governed by a council of 17 AI-powered robots.
The British entrepreneur believes his elite fleet has what it takes to successfully govern – after all, they’re modelled on renowned historical figures known for their divine wisdom, unique talent, and leadership and peace-making skills.
The Cabinet will feature AI replicas of Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marcus Aurelius, Nelson Mandela, Leonardo da Vinci, Sun Tzu and Gandhi, all trained using the actual writings, speeches, teachings and philosophies of their namesakes.
These replicas are designed to deliberate, argue from the point of view of their personas, and vote on whether to incorporate proposals into the island’s constitution.
While they might have the skills to rule, critics and Thomson himself caution that things could go terrifyingly wrong if the AI evolves more than planned.
This tiny island in the western Philippines could soon be governed entirely by AI leaders – with personas based on historic governors, artists and peace-makers
The island of Sensay was purchased in 2025 by tech founder Dan Thomson (pictured)
The AI currently relies on human proxies to manually implement its choices, with a long-term plan to connect the AI council to independent banking cards and crypto wallets.
The island operates a dual-token economy of Wisdom-Credits for civic services and SNSY Token for global trade.
However, giving software the power to hire and pay workers in the real world without human approval is a huge risk and could lead to dangerous and expensive mistakes.
Speaking to CNN Travel, Dan said: ‘If it starts acquiring weapons and attacking neighbouring islands, that would be a bad situation,’ though he quickly added, ‘I think it’s extremely unlikely’.
There is a ‘Human Override Assembly’ in place to help counteract potentially harmful decisions made by the digital council, comprising of nine elected residents.
So far, the project is purely an experiment without international recognition, though it has strangely begun accepting residents – with thousands expressing their interest.
The island is currently home to just one person – a groundskeeper referred to as a ‘guy called Mike’ by project communications advisor Emily Keogh.
However, Dan – who claims to hold a lease and development rights for Sensay – plans to build up to 30 villas on the island, transforming it from an isolated location into a popular stopover for the throngs of tourists who visit Palawan each year.
Palawan (pictured), a province located along the western edge of the Philippines, is famed for its turqouise lagoons, white-sand beaches and lush rainforests
He said: ‘It’s enormous, but it’s not nothing. I think it’ll be mostly visitors; there may also be some permanent residents, but mostly visitors that come from the neighboring islands around Coron Island.’
Over 12,000 people have registered their interest in becoming an e-resident on the island, a number the founder says he hadn’t predicted, though he believes is as a result of ‘so many people having such little faith in their own governments’.
An e-resident is a digital identity that allows non-residents to securely access a country’s e-services.
However, there are plans in the pipeline to eventually host permanent residents.
Physical deployment on the actual island will follow a phased rollout in the coming years, starting with this year’s launch of ‘Observer Visas’, which allows digital backers to physically track progress.
Dan hopes to deploy sustainable, renewable micro-grids and open-source research labs onsite later in 2026.
2027 will see the official launch of the full digital e-residency programme, the implementation of 100 per cent renewable energy, and the commencement of research residencies for physical settlers, according to Sensay’s website.
By encoding the insights and ethics of these individuals, Thomson hopes the island can flourish with policy that is ‘data-driven, rights-anchored, and ‘audited for fairness’.
In addition, the creator predicts the computer-driven island will show what happens ‘without the sort of lobbyists, without the personal gains and motivations, just keeping it purely objective, based on their historical characters’.
