Futures & Foresight

As the boom of text-to-image generative artificial intelligence (AI) continues, artists are threatened not only by cheaper, AI-fuelled competition but by the risk that their work is scraped from the web and used to train AI models, without consent or compensation. Recently, some artists have started to fight fire with fire, trialling ‘data poisoning’ as a technical solution: deliberately inserting corrupted or malicious data into the training material for AI models to prevent its proper function. Could this presage the bust to follow AI’s boom? --- Every year we identify the signals that could show us the shape of things to come. Read about them here: https://www.nesta.org.uk/feature/future-signals-2024/

In many organizations, tightly scheduled calendars prioritize urgent projects with measurable short-term outcomes. Instead, make time to think about the future.

Given the staggering pace of generative AI development, it’s no wonder that so many executives are tempted by the possibilities of AI, concerned about finding and retaining qualified workers, and humbled by recent market corrections or missed analyst expectations. They envision a future of work without nearly as many people as today. But this is a miscalculation. Leaders, understandably concerned about missing out on the next wave of technology, are unwittingly making risky bets on their companies’ futures. Here are steps every leader should take to prepare for an uncertain world where generative AI and human workforces coexist but will evolve in ways that are unknowable.

#MuseumOfTheFuture #DubaiFutureForum2023 #DubaiFutureForum Speakers: Prof. Alex Fergnani, Rabat Business School Sarah DaVanzo, Pierre Fabre Foundation Alisha Bhagat, Forum for the Future Moderated by: Dr. Gabriele Rizzo, Foresight Executive Advisor Held at the Dubai Future Forum 2023 (Museum of the Future, Dubai). Re-uploaded with permission from the Dubai Future Foundation. SESSION ABSTRACT This session aims to give voice to contrasting views on arguably the most pressing yet unanswered question in the larger field of futures studies and strategic foresight: who is a futurist/foresight professional (and who is not)? Answering this question means disentangling a set of underlying interrelated problems: what are the credentials necessary to be a professional in the field? Why have we not standardized such credentials yet? How can we describe and measure levels of capabilities and competencies regarding those credentials? What should the barriers of entry to become a professional in this field be, if any? How do we ensure that the field grows and achieves democratization without losing in quality? What and how do we define “quality”? Dubai Future Foundation YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dubaifuturefoundation2066

‪A Fergnani‬, ‪Academy of Management Perspectives, 2022‬ - ‪Cited by 10‬

Powering innovation with AI, quantum computing and other breakthrough technologies to power the next wave of innovation.

The authors of On the Brink of Utopia say that we must reinvent innovation; we must think in leaps, not steps for the good of humanity.

Chasing Possibilities, Wild Cards and Extremes by Flipping the Tables on the Status Quo

What tech will matter most in the coming year? Read Amy Webb's annual letter.

The "degrowth" movement to fight the climate crisis offers a romantic, utopian vision. But it’s not a policy agenda.

Degrowth is an idea that critiques the global capitalist system which pursues growth at all costs, causing human exploitation and environmental destruction. The degrowth movement of activists and researchers advocates for societies that prioritize social and ecological well-being instead of corporate profits, over-production and excess consumption. This requires radical redistribution, reduction in the material size of the global economy, and a shift in common values towards care, solidarity and autonomy. Degrowth means transforming societies to ensure environmental justice and a good life for all within planetary boundaries.

View PDF Journal of Futures Studies, September 2021, 26(1): 91–100 Communicating the Future: Foresight as Mindfulness – An Interview with Sohail Inayatullah Bes Pittman Baldwin, Principal Futurist at Best Futures Forward, Durham, NC USA Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity, IIUM, Malaysia ; Professor, Tamkang University, Taiwan ;

You never knew AI could be this brokenly woke until Google came along.

Is there a new role emerging for futurists? For many years, I’ve used the slide depicted in the figure to suggest potential positionings for an organizational futurist: Planner: Many organizational insiders have been dutifully subscribing to futures publications, going to futures conferences, and working with consulting futurists are now staking their claim as futurist. They tend to be political savvy and in

Check your biases at the door, please 👉 An icon within future studies, Pierre Wack, once said that the best and most difficult task of a futurist is to make… | 18 comments on LinkedIn

There is a common misconception among critics that degrowth proponents do not engage with the question of technology, instead leaving the implementation of technological solutions to the planetary…

The feasibility and desirability of endless economic growth is being increasingly questioned by scholars and activists. Whilst envisioning alternative economic ...

Degrowth will make the environmental crisis worse.

Degrowth is an idea that critiques the global capitalist system which pursues growth at all costs, causing human exploitation and environmental destruction. The degrowth movement of activists and researchers advocates for societies that prioritize social and ecological well-being instead of corporate profits, over-production and excess consumption. This requires radical redistribution, reduction in the material size of the global economy, and a shift in common values towards care, solidarity and autonomy. Degrowth means transforming societies to ensure environmental justice and a good life for all within planetary boundaries.

McKinsey chats with Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, about his new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism.

It's been playing on Twitch since December 2022.

Future Agenda is an advisory firm and open source think tank. Our aim is to connect the informed and the influential to help organisations identify emerging opportunities and make considered decisions.

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Embark on an enlightening exploration of a globally pressing issue with the insight of Samista Jugwanth, joining us from the vibrant heart of South Africa. Prepare to unravel the intricate tapestry of WASH—Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene—challenges...