The Futurists

Monika Bielskyte is a futures researcher and designer currently based in South Africa by way of Lithuania. She conveys to Brett and Rob her vision for a radically inclusive and more hopeful future. As Monika’s frames it, her Protopian concept of the future presents a distinct alternative to the utopian -vs- dystopian binary that prevails in science fiction and popular culture. Monika draws on the Bantu-origin concept of Ubuntu to characterize her approach to future scenario planning, and she relates it to a wide range of current issues through the lens of equality, fairness and empathy.

This week The Futurists examine the much-ballyhooed claims that extreme weather events are growing more intense and more frequent. Surprise! It’s not what you think. Brett and Rob unpack the economic impact of extreme weather, the growing perception of risk, and the political gridlock that thwarts practical proactive measures. Topics include: FEMA, Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene, how the insurance companies cope with the increase in damages and losses, and the broader societal and political impact of extreme weather events.

In this week’s episode of The Futurists, David Orban joins Brett King in the hosting chair and we get to talk Quantum with Roberto Siagri, a theoretical physcist working on putting quantum processors in orbit. We talk about the advances in photonic quantum multi-dimensional cubits (yes you heard that right), the likelihood of Q-Day (Quantum Day), and of course, what secrets of the universe quantum just might unlock. We discuss Roberto’s new startup Rotonium, working on exactly these questions. What happens when a physicist becomes a futurist engineer? Let’s find out.

Jerome Glenn is the CEO and co-founder of the Millennium Project, a global consortium of hundreds of experts in 70 nations, hailing from academia, government and private sector. Each year these experts collaborate on forecasting a consensus view of future trends. Jerome shares with The Futurists a summary of insights from this year’s 500-page report, The State of the Future. He describes a range of forecasting tools and techniques invented at the Rand Corporation in the 1970s and tells how they were used to generate the trends analyzed in the report. And he shares findings about General Artificial Intelligence, nuclear weapon proliferation, climate change and global temperature, and pandemics.

Andrew Hessel believes that biology is the first technology because it created all living things, including us. And it’s also the most mysterious technology because we still do not understand exactly how the cells in our bodies convert molecules into new materials at room temperature. In this episode of the Futurists, Andrew explains how the science of synthetic biology enables humans to harness the phenomenal generative power of nature to accomplish incredible goals: curing cancer; devising personalized medicine; growing novel proteins; designing new materials and clean fuels. Biology is technology; synthetic biology confers the immense creative force of nature onto humans. Topics include genome sequencing, genome synthesis, how to write DNA, and the role of AI in reprogramming life. 

Michael Clark, a data scholar and futurist, explores the intricate landscape of global data infrastructure and its crucial link to AI and humanity. He emphasizes that data is more precious than water or money and should be owned by individuals rather than corporations. The discussion spans the proactive governance of Dubai, the importance of personalized AI for well-being, and the significant role of universal data access in fostering creativity and identity. Clark advocates for better data management and literacy to empower individuals in a rapidly evolving digital age.

This week on TF we go to the cradle of civilization with Futurist, Economist and Professor Adrian Saville. Adrian, based in South Africa, is the Founder of Boundless World, a Professor of Economics, Finance and Strategy at GIBS (Gordon Institute of Business Science) and the founding director of the Centre for African Management and Markets (CAMM). We discuss how Africa’s nascent economy and infrastructure gives it incredible opportunities to leapfrog the rest of the world in adapting to climate changes in particular. 

This week Brett and Robert are joined by Futurist, Founder and Author Terence Mauri as he gets ready to launch his new book, The UPside of DisrUPtion. We talk long term disruptive potential of AI, how it will impact employment, economies and corporations. But we also get into future proofing strategies for businesses and individuals alike. One thing is for sure, you’re going to want to be as adaptable as possible for the future that is coming!

Journalist and media pundit Jeff Jarvis returns to The Futurists to discuss the strategies deployed by newspapers and magazines to prevent technology firms from dominating journalism. It’s an uphill battle. Jeff describes the growing rift between independent journalists and big publications controlled by private equity; the role of government and new legislation; and the future of journalism in a media market shaped by artificial intelligence.  

In this week’s episode we see the return of the philosopher futurist and award-winning science fiction author David Brin. We talk through the Fermi paradox, the ongoing civil war in the US, the geopolitical changes that are coming and how we get humanity to a place of real enlightenment. Brin brings his usual energy and intellect to a wide-ranging conversation that is sure to get you thinking.