An aerial concept rendering of Praxis’s proposed waterfront resort in Uruguay, featuring minimalist architecture, a swimming pool and landscaped surroundings. (Image: Praxis)
The project involves a projected investment of about $1 billion in the +Colonia development near Colonia del Sacramento. The first Praxis residents are expected to arrive around mid-2027, while construction of the larger community continues over the following years. Praxis says its wider online community has more than 150,000 members, including entrepreneurs, investors and people working in technology and artificial intelligence. The $1 billion figure attached to the project represents projected investment, rather than money already spent on construction. The initial Praxis area is expected to cover approximately 350,000 square metres, or roughly 20% of the planned +Colonia urbanisation, according to El País and El Observador.
El País reported that the land sale had not been completed when Praxis announced the project, meaning the full development remains dependent on subsequent agreements, purchases and construction. However, the currently announced plans do not establish that the town will have AI-controlled utilities, autonomous transport or an AI-run government. The confirmed physical plans focus on housing, hospitality, cultural facilities and community spaces.
In this context, the description of the project as “AI-powered” primarily reflects Praxis’s technology-driven vision rather than a confirmed specification for all of its infrastructure. Praxis, a technology-focused community backed by Apollo Projects, a fund associated with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has selected Uruguay for its first physical development. Plans include private residences, a resort and spaces for art, music and other cultural activities. Praxis presents the project as an experiment in how communities could live and organise in a future shaped by artificial intelligence. Much of the projected spending is expected to be connected to residences and other facilities that Praxis members will purchase or develop. The land transaction is also expected to progress in stages. Altman’s connection to the project comes through Apollo Projects, which Uruguayan media identify as a fund associated with the OpenAI CEO and one of Praxis’s backers. That connection does not mean Altman personally owns or is directly developing the Uruguay project, nor does it mean OpenAI is building the community. Praxis is led by Brown, who has described the development as a way to explore how people might live, work and find purpose as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly influential.
The organisation says it wants to develop new cultural, economic and governance systems for what it describes as a post-AGI world. The physical development is closely tied to Praxis’s broader philosophy about the impact of artificial intelligence.