Future Tense

In which ways is poetry being used in the modern world? And can the very human quality of poetry survive the development of non-human poets?

Many Australians are dissatisfied with the narrow economic focus of politics, research by the University of Melbourne’s ANDI Project confirms.

They want the progress of their society to be measured by a much broader range of factors, like health, environmental standards and youth wellbeing.

They’re not alone. Across the globe there’s a growing movement to move “beyond GDP”, to start planning for the future based on wider models of societal progress.

The hope of nuclear fusion is the dream of a fossil-fuel free future - of limitless baseload power.

Enthusiasts say fusion offers all the benefits of nuclear energy without the dangers.

In theory and in practice fusion energy is already a reality, but getting the economics right is proving much more difficult than imagined.

Blockchain is a much-hyped technology that underpins the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. 

Enthusiasts believe its potential to transform other areas of business is huge. But what if Blockchain is really just a solution in search of a problem?

Also in this episode: are businesses becoming political advocates? And why are we seeing a return from algorithmic to human curation?

Political campaigning is fast changing in the digital era. 

Elections are now being contested with data and algorithms. 

Parties see it as a great opportunity. Others see it as a threat to democracy. 

And the changes are now playing out in real time in the United States.

Barack Obama was often referred to as the first Internet president, but Donald Trump is fast becoming the king of social media.