Reckons

In a complex world, foresight methodologies offer an alternative to prediction. This approach can help map new possibilities to plan for future disruption.

If Balaji Srinivasan is any guide, then the Silicon Valley plutocrats are definitely not okay.

The new era of tech seems to be built on superstitious behaviour

Or a glimpse into post-entertainment society (it's not pretty)

It's all driven by who gets what

I don’t know whether these billionaires know what a city is, but I do know that they have laid their hands on the city...

This is a conversation between Professor Cameron Tonkinwise, and our Design & Futures Lead Oskar Stokholm Østergaard on design-driven missions, transition design, and the role of design and designers in radical societal change

Explore philosopher Daniel Williams' perspective on the multifaceted nature of misinformation as a symptom of a larger societal issue, challenging the notion that debunking and censorship alone can provide a comprehensive solution to this pressing concern.

How cooperatives and collectives can build the AI sector toward justice, equity, and shared prosperity

The first generation of corporate design leaders are transitioning out of their executive roles at companies like IBM, McKinsey, and others. What comes next?

How one writer's trip to the annual tech conference CES left him with a sinking feeling about the future.

Silicon Valley has its own ascendant political ideology. It’s past time we call it what it is.

Beautiful pictures of control

Tech downgrades, it's just business, becoming a billionaire, and building useful things for useless people

Agent

Thinking about voice-enabled assistants, learned services, and the immediate hurdles for these products to overcome.

Enter the wind tunnel (User Zero, Chapter 13)

“To see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” –Georgia O’Keeffe * Someone at the dinner table wanted to know what everyone’s turning point on climate was, which is to say she w…

The immediate future of generative AI looks a bit like Facebook’s past.

About 10 years ago, I became an assessor for funding agencies. I have since worked for AHRC, Innovate UK, EIT and EU programmes to help them assess funding applications. As a result I spent a lot o…

Mark Esposito, Josh Entsminger and Terence Tse warn that society is practically defenseless against those who would use technology to automate manipulation.

Copyright infringement issues could sink their business, but why should they have to pay licensing fees like everybody else?

Tesla cars are shoddily built pieces of shit liable to fall apart and malfunction in dangerous ways at inopportune moments. No, this is not a blog from 2012! It is also not a blog from 2015 or 2018 or 2022. It is not even a blog from two weeks ago about Tesla’s self-driving systems killing […]

A Very Niche Foresight Report

Tech's center of gravity has shifted a lot over the past thirty years

Modern AI puts us firmly into an age of exploration of computational reality

Design thinking has failed to deliver on its promise to solve the world’s thorniest social challenges. Adopting a critical design stance can help designers serve communities, rather than their own methodology.

Programming Note: Summer Lightning will be on a break till the new year. Thanks to everyone who has supported my writing in the last year. This is the 57th and last edition of the newsletter for 2023. I will pause paid subscriptions, which will resume in January 2024. You can find the archive of posts