Rapid Response: 2024 is the most significant time in human history, w/PBS host & futurist Ari Wallach
Apr 4, 2024
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Futurist Ari Wallach discusses the importance of prioritizing long-term impacts in the face of global conflicts and advancing technology. He shares insights on AI, morality in business, and the significance of shaping a sustainable future. The conversation delves into the role of futurism, ethical considerations, and the need for a forward-thinking mindset in tackling current challenges.
Embrace long-term impacts amidst global challenges to build a sustainable future for humanity.
Visualizing future selves aids decision-making and underscores the importance of aligning present actions with future well-being.
Deep dives
The Future as a Verb, Not a Noun
The future is portrayed as a continuous action rather than a static concept. Futurist Ari Wallach elaborates on his approach of not merely predicting future events but instead analyzing major trends to envision multiple scenarios. He emphasizes the importance of shaping a positive future for humanity by moving away from short-term competitiveness towards a shared, long-term focus on sustainable progress and ethical business practices.
Empathy Towards Our Future Selves
Research highlights how individuals often struggle to empathize with their future selves, impacting decision-making. Interventions like visualizing one's future self lead to better decision outcomes, such as saving more and prioritizing long-term benefits. Ari Wallach delves into the evolutionary psychology behind this dichotomy and stresses the significance of aligning present actions with future well-being.
Great Ancestor Practice for Future Impact
Ari Wallach proposes thought exercises to navigate future decisions responsibly. By envisioning oneself as a 'Great Ancestor' shaping legacies for future generations, individuals can foster a long-term perspective in daily choices. Writing letters to future selves and confronting mortality anxiety prompt a shift towards 'death awareness', encouraging actions that consider broader, intergenerational impacts.
Balancing Short-Term Incentives with Long-Term Vision
Addressing the prevalent short-term focus in corporate settings, discussions center on businesses' role in shaping societal futures. Acknowledging the ethical complexity, Ari Wallach underscores the need for aligning business strategies with a broader vision beyond quarterly gains. Encouraging a collective shift towards future-oriented decision-making, the dialogue underscores the pivotal role of enterprises in driving sustainable, impactful change.
We are biologically wired to focus on the near-term, and that’s often a good thing. But in this moment — with global conflict, fast-evolving tech, and climate change dominating our present — we need to also prioritize long-term impacts. Futurist Ari Wallach joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to dive into our biological and business motivations around what he calls “futuring.” Host of the new PBS docuseries, A Brief History of the Future, Wallach shares lessons from the longest-standing corporations on Earth, why he views AI as “immortal algorithms,” and how business leaders must embrace the moral imperative of their business as a core KPI.