  Inspired by Turing's famous "imitation game" and recent advances in
generative pre-trained transformers, we pose the participation game to point to
a new frontier in AI evolution where machines will join with humans as
participants in social construction processes. The participation game is a
creative, playful competition that calls for applying, bending, and stretching
the categories humans use to make sense of and order their worlds. After
defining the game and giving reasons for moving beyond imitation as a test of
AI, we highlight parallels between the participation game and processes of
social construction, a hallmark of human intelligence. We then discuss
implications for fundamental constructs of societies and options for
governance.
