Future Curious

Are you curious about what our shared future holds? Join us for season 2 of Future Curious from Nesta.

In this thought-provoking and chatty podcast, we bring together leading experts and radical thinkers to discuss the big issues that will affect our future, and what we can all do about them. Each week, Future Curious will bring new insights, challenge existing wisdom and explore new thinking into some of the most challenging issues of our time. We'll be bringing you the first episode of the new season very soon, so subscribe now to hear it first!

With alternative visions and possibilities before us, we explore the connection between what the future could look like, and how largely science fiction has contributed to this vision. Through a distinctive mix of installations, talks and debates, FutureFest Lates offers audiences an opportunity to imagine and lay claim to a different vision of what might lie ahead.

Recorded at Nesta's first 'FutureFest Lates' event, Nesta's Nigel Campbell is joined by:

Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics, broadcaster and author of a new science fiction novel, Sunfall

Celia Hannon, Nesta's Director of Futures

Find out more on the FutureFest website.

If economic eras are defined by their most advanced form of production, then we are clearly living in one where knowledge plays a decisive role in the organisation of production, distribution and consumption. But the benefits of the knowledge economy are far from equally shared, so how can we make sure the knowledge economy is more inclusive?

Joining Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Madeleine Gabriel, Head of Inclusive Innovation at Nesta and Isaac Stanley, Researcher in Inclusive Innovation at Nesta - both co-authors of Imagination Unleashed: Democratising The Knowledge Economy.

Included in this episode, Nesta Chief Executive Geoff Mulgan talks to Roberto Mangabeira Unger, a philosopher and politician who is Professor at Harvard Law School - and a co-author of Nesta's 'Imagination Unleashed' report.

Technology has transformed the way we communicate with each other but many people are still left feeling out of touch and lacking that sense of community. How can we change the way we interact to tackle the rise in loneliness? And how can we make sure technology is bringing people together instead of isolating people behind a screen?

Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are

• Sanderson Jones, Founder of The Sunday Assembly (New Radical 2014) and comedian
• Carrie Deacon, Head of Social Action Innovation at Nesta.

We also hear from Ivo Gormley from GoodGym an organisation that supports people to get fit while doing good in their local communities. They enable young people to make regular runs to an older person who may find it difficult to leave their home, building a one-to-one reciprocal relationship.

Over-prescribing of antibiotics is leading to a global rise in bacteria which are resistant to conventional antibiotics. If we are to avoid a world where common infections and routine operations become fatal, urgent action to reduce over-prescribing is needed. Yet in many countries, treating infection is still rather hit-and miss, with multiple rounds of drugs, each potentially creating new resistant strains. Nesta's Longitude Prize is leading the fight back - incentivising over 70 teams globally to develop innovative new approaches to diagnosing and treating infections, so the world can still rely on the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are:

• Dr Tina Joshi, Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology at the University of Plymouth and an expert in bio-microbial resistance,
• Caroline Purslow, Programme Manager for the Global Health Team, including the Longitude Prize, at the Challenge Prize Centre.

We also hear from Mary Millard who shares her experience of living with chronic bacterial infection, surviving acute septic shock, and the health challenges she has been dealing with since.

Technology is inevitably changing the way we work, no matter what the industry. As with all forms of automation, there are pros and cons - but are we doing enough now to protect workers rights and ensure technology is creating a better working environment?

Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are:

• Kate Bell, Head of the Rights, International, Social and Economics department at the Trades Union Congress
• Eliza Easton, Head of Policy Unit, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) and Principal Policy Researcher at Nesta

We also hear from Meghan Casserly at Humu, a startup run by three ex-Google employees in California that uses AI to 'nudge' people into being happier at work.

Read Nesta and Pearson's report, The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030 to find out how employment is likely to change in the future - including the implications for skills - and a number of new occupations

Have a look at Nesta's UK Skills Taxonomy to find out which skills are increasingly in demand as the world of work changes.

The 20th century saw huge leaps forward in life expectancy through innovations such as the NHS, major advances in drugs, and massive changes in lifestyle.

In the 21st century, digital tech is set to take its place amongst these as the new force for improving our wellbeing and delivering healthcare. Artificial intelligence, algorithms offer the prospect of personalised care, better diagnosis, improved access to treatment and prediction of health problems. But at what cost to our privacy, our sense of being in control of our own health decisions and our relationships with those professionals that care for us?

Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are

• Ivana Bartolleti, privacy and data protection professional and Chair of the Fabian Women's Network, who has written about the risks of AI in health
• Sinead Mac Manus, Senior Programme Manager for Digital Health in Nesta's Health Lab

We also hear from Phil Keating about GoodSAM, an app that enables off-duty doctors, nurses, paramedics and other members of the emergency services to support those experiencing medical emergencies. GoodSAM includes a built in crowd-sourced defibrillator registry that allows those with first aid skills to offer life-saving support at the point of need.

Future Curious is a Chalk & Blade production. Produced by Ruth Barnes, Laura Sheeter and Lily Ames. Original music by Ged Flood.

What will the future cities of 2040 really look like? Electric drive technology, autonomy and AI could fundamentally change the way we work and live. With drone technology advancing rapidly, cities now have a unique opportunity to shape this disruptive new mode of transport - to maximise the economic and social benefits it could bring, whilst ensuring safety.

Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are

• Kathy Nothstine, Lead for Future Cities in the Challenge Prize Centre working on the future of urban transport and global cities.
• Mark Westwood, Technical Director at the Transport Systems Catapult, working on the development and delivery of the Technology Strategy for Intelligent Mobility, alongside leading a portfolio of autonomous vehicle related projects including the drone and driverless car domains.

We also hear from Gareth Sumner, Foresight Manager in Transport for London's Innovation Directorate advising on how autonomous vehicles, drones and AI could change the way we move around London.

We've all heard of Artificial Intelligence by now, but what about Collective Intelligence (CI)? How we can mobilise human intelligence for the benefit of society, and what can we achieve when we combine the collective intelligence of crowds with AI? Is CI the missing link that drives forward human development while embracing the opportunities of technological progress?

Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are

• Professor Chris Lintott, Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. Chris is is involved in a number of popular science projects including Zooniverse, the world's largest platform for people-powered research
• Gregory Landua, CEO of Regen Network, a global community and platform focused on ecological monitoring and regeneration
• Eva Grobbink, Researcher in Nesta's Centre for Collective Intelligence Design, working on ways to address how humans and computers can work together more intelligently in order to tackle social problems.

We also hear from Christine Von Raesfeld, patient advocate from PatientsLikeMe, which has been using Collective Intelligence in the field of health.

With a recent piece of artwork created using artificial intelligence (AI) selling for $432,500 at Christie's last year, creative AI is now well and truly entering the mainstream. Could an algorithm ever write a song to move you to tears, or win the Turner Prize? Maybe, but beyond the hype, how can AI enable new forms of human expression and enhance our own creativity?

Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are

• Dr Rebecca Fiebrink, Senior Lecturer in Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Rebecca works on a variety of projects developing new technologies to enable new forms of human expression, including using machine learning
• Georgia Ward Dyer, Researcher and Curation Assistant in Nesta's Futures and Explorations Team.

We also hear from Mark Davis, Senior Director of Design Research at Autodesk, to tell us about Autodesk's pioneering work in generative design for office spaces and industry, even working with NASA on the design of spacecraft.

Future Curious is a Chalk & Blade production. Produced by Ruth Barnes, Laura Sheeter and Lily Ames. Original music by Ged Flood.