Think Like a Futurist

Technology shapes, and is shaped by us. Developing ethical frameworks for the use and development of technologies is critical in establishing futures that are equitable, and kind, and thwart fascism.

Kurzgesagt makes creative, visually-compelling short videos that explore advanced topics in simple terms. Here, they unpack the bizarre dynamics of qubits and why quantum computing is so compelling.

A great TED talk showing how quantum computing works in terms accessible to those of use who aren't quantum physicists.

Get a nine-minute quick take on what NFTs are and why they could transform economies around content creators.

The term 'metaverse' isn't a single place. It is a collection of technologies that produce virtual worlds where users interact with broad (and often speculative) shifts in perspective, use, and engagement with technology.

Network effects—network size, quality and growth rate—are critical to track for exponential projects and predict future paradigm changes. How do companies actually do it? VC firm Andreessen Horowitz explains.

The text-processing engine GPT-3 (by OpenAI) learned the worst biases of humans amplified by the internet. See how quickly things went wrong to see the importance of future AIs growing up right.

When self-driving cars cause harm, who is responsible? This problem exploration looks into the ethics, data and complexity of manufacturing AI.

Are machines coming for you and your jobs? Distinguish between automation of the industrial era and now to better understand our trajectory and the future of human (and machine) work.

The EU is participating in an international data ethics process as it proposes new bills that would "allow consumers to sue companies for damages—if they can prove that a company’s AI harmed them." This could cause a stifling impact on innovation—but it also could be a major tool to prevent algorithmic bias and other downsides of poor AI.

What would it mean if we could project a simulacrum of our dead loved ones? A new tech field is emerging, with major implications for how we process grief, retain generational knowledge, and ethically navigate our concept of those who have passed.

This article explores the potential impact machine coworkers like robots, low-code tools and plug-and-play automation systems are just beginning to have on jobs.

When we think about AI and business, we tend to think of automated production lines and robots taking jobs away from humans. However, if we shift our thinking and consider how we can redesign business processes to work with machines, the future gets much more exciting. Collaboration, not competition, is key.

Death and grieving are thorny topics that are difficult for many people to process, especially in the frenetic age of social media and compounding economy- and pandemic-related stress. However, in the midst of this chaos, a new venue for coming together, metaverse technologies have given people a new place to come together and process grief—even if they can't leave their beds.

Many of us are digitally fluent in the basic types of AI in today's headlines about ChatGPT and DALL-E, but want to know "why now?" This piece by Haomiao Huang dives into the… not-too-deep end? of why these 'generative' AI models have reached an inflection point. Unpacking the recent history and major network effects of the underlying models, datasets, and computing power, it's a great read on the trends in the field and why certain breakthroughs all seem to be happening at once.

Our bias towards action can be counter-productive if we are operating inside an outdated way of thinking.‍In a recently-published study in Nature, researchers found that humans almost always added components to solve problems instead of subtracting them. This might explain why humans often tend to add more activity to solve problems rather than subtract ineffective actions or ways of thinking.

What if you were already a cyborg - a combination of human and machine? The Cyborg Manifesto explores the interlocking relationships between technology, power, and culture and is considered a fundamental text in futurist literature. (Note: dense academic text).

Are you a nerd for cyborg anthropology? Read a discussion of the main points of Donna Haraway's classic 'Cyborg Manifesto!' (Might be a little densely academic).

I, Robot, loosely based on a classic Isaac Asimov sci-fi short story, asks the question of how we would investigate crimes committed by machines.Asimov's original story forwarded the idea of the 'three laws of robotics:'"First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."What problems do you see with those laws? How could harm 'sneak through the cracks?'

What if your Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa became sentient—and became your friend? What if you fell in love with them—and they with you? If they had the ability to become exponentially intelligent, and you didn't, what might happen? This film explores what happens when an everyday person and an AI develop feelings for each other.

Nanotechnology is often heralded as the answer to scarcity. Nanotech could mean abundant food, shelter, water, and the like. Diamond Age explores how old mental models of hierarchy and scarcity could still shape a world of abundant resources like AI and nanotech—and how tech could be appropriated by the poor to turn the tables.

In A.I., we see what might happen if humanoid robots (androids) were to encounter a lost child in need of help. What would their initial programming guide them to do—and how might they evolve in response to the very human experiences they are all having?

As AI becomes integrated into society, there is growing concern about how these technologies may affect individual and human privacy, human rights, and societal values. But what about the rights of the machines? This rich visual journey explores various facets of the idea.

Uploading one's mind to a computer, also known as whole brain emulation or brain uploading, is a theoretical concept in transhumanism and futurism that proposes to transfer the entirety of a person's consciousness, memories, and personality into a digital substrate, such as a computer or a robotic body. What could go right? What could go wrong? Kurzgesagt's thinkers and animators help us conceive of what some see as nirvana and others see as insanity.

In their prescient TED talk "We Are All Cyborgs Now," Amber Case, a cyborg anthropologist, argues that integration of technology into our daily lives has made us all cyborgs. She defines a cyborg as an organic being that uses technology to extend its physical and mental capabilities, and believes that our smartphones, computers, and other devices have become integral parts of our identity.