Origins

In 2017, a team of authors* began collaborating to envision a "Smart City" of the first world 100 years in the future, examining the results of projected modern trends such as ubiquitous computing, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, biotech, anti-aging and green technologies - alongside corporate governance and social upheaval. Under the curation of writer/editor Tod Foley, their works were interwoven to define a sub-genre that came to be called "Fractopian Fiction" -- a cross between social science fiction and speculative literature of the human condition."Fractopia (n.) -- A highly-stratified capitalist culture rich in ambient technological intelligence, augmented reality, pervasive AI and robotics, ubiquitous advertising, corporate governance and green technologies, featuring Universal Basic Income and significant economic disparity. From the Latin fract(us) (broken, uneven) + Greek topia (place)." * The original team consisted of Niko Carcosa, Antony Copeland, Tod Davies, Tod Foley, DeAnna Knippling, Shawn Koch, Shariann Lewitt, Adrian McCauley, Brent Newhall, and Tiffany Reynolds.

The stories and concepts created by these authors were set against the backdrop of a fictional setting called "Union City" (colloquially known as "UbiquiCity"): a place where the most wealthy and powerful districts possess all the latest in smart fog-based technology, where every building, device and control system is connected via the Internet Of Things, and all city services operate under the watchful eye of "CitySystem" - a massive distributed AI network governing the use and distribution of resources.

Fractopian Fiction aims to be part entertainment and part prognostication, blurring the line between "genre" and "literature", with key elements drawn from current trends and nascent advances in technology and societal organization.

The Fractopian sub-genre now branches out beyond the confines of UbiquiCity and opens itself to the world, inviting readers, writers, and roleplayers to participate in the creation and publication of written, spoken, and visual works.