This week The Futurists welcomes celebrated experimental astrophysicist Prof Brian Cox. Prof Cox dives into why our understanding of black holes and what it means for quantum information theory could change our fundamental understanding of the universe and usher in a new era of scientific advancement. Cox is one of the most articulate scientists in the world today and this interview proves once again that in an age where science faces ongoing attacks from political forces and media that our future lies in embracing knowledge and applied intelligence. It could be said that we are at the event horizon of something new and extraordinary.

In this week’s episode Steve Suarez from Horizon X Quantum and one of the speakers at the Futurists Summit discusses the reality of the famed Q-Day or Quantum Day – a date sometime in the near future when Quantum computers can break our existing RSA encryption technologies exposing banks, government and military to significant cyber security risk. How real is it and how can we prepare our institutions for this change? Suarez and Brett get into it.

Think about the place where you live. Every inch of every city and suburb has been designed by other humans. For better or worse, their choices determine how the world around you works, and how you live and navigate through it.  Jeff Speck is the world’s leading exponent of the concept of the “walkable city”, human-centered urban centers.  In this episode of the Futurists, Jeff shares his inspiring vision of the city of the future. Topics include; the New Urbanism, how cities foster society, the impact of the automobile on the organization of society, the goals of city planning and urban design, organic neighborhood evolution versus top-down zoning, the consequences of the 1969 World’s Fair, how lifespans increased when factories were separated from living quarters, how mass transit systems shape the growth of cities, and how automation and robotics will shape the city of the future.

What happens when lazy humans outsource their thought process to machines?  You get a society that vibes its way into a blurry, sub-optimal future. The surge of slop means that AI is creating more work for humans instead of stealing our jobs.  Mark Pesce returns to The Futurists to cut through the hype and the skepticism about modern tech. He calls out AI mediocrity and reminds us why human learning remains painful. Topics include: Chat GPT psychosis, why we need a generation of PhDs to revisit eternal questions about Truth, the perpetual dawn of AGI,  what happens to the political economy when the populace is siloed into bubbles, why Kremlin propagandists produce propaganda for machines instead of people, why experience cannot be generated, why autocracies need accurate data, and the real reason why people get lost in untruth.

This week Brett interview he founder of the world’s first data savings account and data wallet ecosystem, Andre Vellozo of Drumwave. Vellozo makes a compelling case that GDPR and data privacy regulations won’t work in the age of AI, that we need data ownership structures and the ability to monetize our data, especially related to digital twin models like AI-based healthcare. Drumwave maintains that owning your own data and deploying it in the emerging autonomous world might eliminate the need for UBI and other such proposals. Do you know where your data is? 

Zoltan István holds the distinction of being the first Transhumanist to run for President of the United States.  Now Zoltan has set his sights on the Governor’s office in California, a $4 trillion economy that ranks as the fourth-largest in the world, and the leader in global innovation. Zoltan joins the Futurists this week to discuss his plan to replace Gavin Newsom. He answers some pressing questions about the future risks and opportunities faced by the biggest US state.

Dan Schwarz is the CEO and co-founder of FutureSearch.ai, a startup venture that intends to become the leader in AI-powered forecasting.  Dan points out that hybrid systems that combine human forecasting with machine intelligence have already surpassed human-only prognostication, but the AI-only approaches still fall short. FutureSearch has begun to benchmark several leading AI systems on their ability to provide accurate deep research. Dan tells TheFuturists about the weaknesses in human forecasting and the areas where he sees opportunity for AI to outperform.  Topics include the anticipated trajectory of AI prediction, including the near term pitfalls and risks, and some surprising long term implications. 

Jon Snoddy is the CEO and founder of Operative Games, where he fuses gameplay with generative AI to create stories that permit the audience to interact with and engage with virtual characters. To create immersive story worlds, Jon draws on his long experience as a theme park designer, an R&D expert for movie studios, and a technologist at National Public Radio. 

This week Lisa Bodell, Top-50 ranked futurist, author, speaker and founder of FutureThink joins the Futurists. Bodell shares how she teaches structured scenario planning and why “real futurists use models, not guesses”. We discuss scenario planning at Pfizer, that eliminated thousands of hours through their “kill a stupid rule” initiative, and how AI will lead to more meaningful work and less of it. Brett hosts this one solo from Dubai with Lisa in Westchester, NY. 

Peter Hinssen is a best selling author and industry strategist focused on leadership and change management during turbulent times. His newest book is “The Uncertainty Principle”, arriving at the precise moment when business leaders must confront both massive geopolitical turmoil and runaway technological change. Don’t miss this lively discussion about the trends and management strategies that will shape the enterprise of the future.