The program has produced white papers on autonomous vehicle ethics (“A robot may not injure a human” vs. the trolley problem) and military drones. In 2023, they were invited to consult on the EU’s AI Act—not as lobbyists, but as “narrative ethicists.” The Foundation’s most ambitious (and controversial) effort is a data-science simulation called Seldon’s Crib . Using publicly available economic, social media, and migration data, a team of young mathematicians attempts to model short-term societal shifts—essentially, a toy version of psychohistory.
They are clear about their limits. “We cannot predict revolutions,” says lead modeler Carlos Fuentes. “But we can predict, with 87% accuracy, the lifespan of a trending hashtag. Or the likelihood of a blackout during a heatwave. Asimov knew the future is probabilistic, not prophetic.” la fundacion isaac asimov
For more information, visit their digital archive (currently restoring Asimov’s 1974 essay “The Ancient and the Ultimate” from a degraded microfilm reel). Donations of vintage Spanish-language pulp magazines are welcome. The program has produced white papers on autonomous
Critics call it pseudoscience. The Foundation calls it a “pedagogical instrument.” Either way, it has become a cult favorite among data science students across Spain and Latin America. In December 2024, La Fundación Isaac Asimov launched its magnum opus: the Enciclopedia Galáctica en Español , a free, wiki-like repository of Asimovian concepts, annotated by modern scientists. Every entry on “positronic brains” is cross-referenced with real neural networks. Every mention of “Trantor” links to essays on ecumenopolises and urban logistics. “But we can predict, with 87% accuracy, the
On the wall of their makeshift office in Madrid, a quote from Foundation’s Edge is painted in bold: “Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.” For the Foundation, the right thing is simple: to ensure that when the next dark age comes, someone will still remember how to build a robot, write an essay, or save a book.