FairWork AI Zine
A brutalist, full-bleed experience for speculative futures, grounded field notes, and the labour politics of detoxified AI systems. Scroll section by section to explore, adapt, and publish.
An evolving zine with plug-and-play issue modules
Each issue has a ready-made slideshow. Crack it open, swap in dispatches, and publish fast without sacrificing texture.
Detox Machines, Detox Futures
Opening manifesto that maps the stakes of fair work for AI across Nairobi, Kigali, and Jakarta.
- World sketch primer
- Lab wellbeing ledger
- Policy ripple tracker
Treaties, Breaks, and Backups
Stories from annotation studios experimenting with new contracts, rest cycles, and community oversight.
- On-site diary
- Glossary remix
- Audio vignette transcript
The Cooperative Lab of 2038
Artifacts from a continental lab alliance where model launches include wellbeing audits and social clauses.
- Charter excerpt
- Interface sketch
- Expert margin notes
Design the policy response for these future fair work dilemmas
Use each vignette as a prompt. Draft the institutional moves, legal clauses, and collective care practices that keep labour dignified when AI systems accelerate beyond today’s guardrails.
The Fair Work Clause, 2038
After widespread job displacement and misaligned AI systems, continental labs ratify a Fair Work Charter. Every model launch ships with a lab wellbeing report, a social impact clause, and a public rest-and-pay audit.
Design brief
Design the policy response that keeps the clause enforceable when venture-backed labs attempt to fast-track models without the wellbeing report.
Policy cues
- Draft an escalation pathway
- Define enforcement metrics
- Map community oversight
Data Commons Treaty, 2041
Community-owned data commons begin licensing datasets to global researchers with embedded consent rituals. A state-backed AI lab wants emergency access during a climate crisis.
Design brief
Design the treaty addendum that protects community sovereignty while enabling urgent access to critical datasets.
Policy cues
- Balance emergency triggers
- Specify restitution clauses
- Guard indigenous knowledge
Rest Dividend Act, 2044
Twin cities implement a rest dividend funded by AI productivity gains. Gig platforms automate payouts but skip undocumented workers.
Design brief
Draft the regulatory fix that forces platforms to include all contributors without exposing them to surveillance or deportation risk.
Policy cues
- Define anonymous verification
- Stabilise funding pools
- Protect whistleblowers
Workflow: How to turn a prompt into a finished artifact
- 01Write a world sketch – describe your imagined future in one page.
- 02Identify 2–3 key artifacts – pick the elements that make the fiction tangible.
- 03Draft mockups or documents – use Figma, Canva, or text templates to visualise it.
- 04Add context notes – explain the provenance and stakeholders for each artifact.
- 05Publish or present – assemble your materials into a booklet, microsite, or future archive.
How we steward fair work futures
Translate internal memos into tangible zine artifacts. Step through each station to keep the fiction grounded and the labour politics legible.
Clarify the Purpose
Decide whether this artifact provokes, critiques, or visions Fair Work futures. Pin the voting chip before writing.
Define the Diegetic World
Name the year, the actors, and the societal shift. Anchor it in plural African epistemologies and grounded cosmologies.
Choose the Medium
Poster, leaked memo, voice note archive, annotated treaty? Select a form that feels lived-in and undeniably real.
Build the Artifacts
Draft the textures—type choices, marginalia, stamps, log books—that make the future tangible and believable.
Tie to Real Debates
Flag today’s policy tussles, labour demands, or gaps in AI governance so the fiction loops back to the present.
Who is holding which threads
Use this board to sync on deliverables, chase assets, and surface what every teammate needs next.
Regional Case Studies
Vanessa is assembling Kenyan, Senegalese, and Indonesian workbench notes. Drop in artefacts that shift the narrative.
Continental Alliances
Jonas is mapping partner institutions and mutual aid networks. Collect quotes, logos, and micro-timelines.
Field Perspectives
Nomusa is grounding speculative pieces with fieldwork photos, ambient audio, and reflection prompts.
Narrative Coherence
Joel is weaving the through-line. Tag him when new artifacts land so we can sync tone and stakes.
Bring rumours, lab notes, speculative artifacts, and hard-won policy hacks.
Drop drafts in the shared folder or ping us with an outline. The zine thrives on small, punchy contributions that make Fair Work futures impossible to ignore.