The AI Safety community has successfully recruited top engineers and policy experts... it has however, failed to recruit top storytellers! The Automation & Humanity Documentary Fund aims to solve this talent constraint!

Who Let The Docs Out, a new filmmaker-led nonprofit, is launching its Spring 2026 Automation & Humanity Fund to find real stories that will engage with millions. The fund addresses a critical failure in the current media landscape: while fiction films about AI are ubiquitous and deep - emotionally resonant documentaries about the actual technology we are now facing, are still rare.

Recognising that investigating AI systems requires time and access, the Spring 2026 cycle focuses on Research Grants ($8,000). These grants are designed to support the earliest phase of a project - funding travel to find contributors and stories, archival research, or preliminary shooting to test a story before full production begins.

Key Dates & Information

• Status: Open Now
• Submission Deadline: March 16, 2026
• Notification: Mid-April 2026
• Eligibility: Global applications welcome; projects must be independently produced.
• Application Form: https://docsout.org