The Futurists

An erratic President, a bungled raid on American cities, two fatal shootings by ICE agents, a massive protest by thousands of citizens in Minneapolis and other US cities, and flood of dishonest and misleading statements by Presidential aides and cabinet members: the United States begins 2026 in utter turmoil. Technologist and author Ramez Naam joins the Futurists to share his perspective on the political unrest in American civil society and the collapse of governance norms. Are populist forces fighting against a future defined by accelerating change? Is this a desperate attempt to restore society to a mythical past that never existed? Or is something more sinister afoot? What are the long term effects, domestically and internationally? The discussion includes a range of views on American chaos and some lively debate about the long term implications. 

As the founder of The Future of Storytelling, Charles Melcher curates a collection of the world’s most provocative and vivid immersive experiences. To Charlie, future stories won’t be linear or confined to the pages of a book: they will be participatory and responsive. Charlie tells The Futurists what makes this type of drama so effective and memorable. In our modern media landscape, where books and TV shows have become commoditized and formulaic, the most successful stories tend to work harder by engaging all of the senses and the imagination fully. After you hear Charlie’s account of his amazing adventures, you’ll never look at storytelling the same way again.  

Global economist Peter Middlebrook has advised governments in many nations on modernization and economic policy, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Rwanda, Afghanistan, India, and the UK as well as the United Nations, the EU and the World Bank. He joins the Futurists to share his perspective about the current and future trajectory of capitalist economies and geopolitics. Topics include: the fate of 250 million displaced people; how governments drive up the cost of housing and other assets when they inflate away debt;  what happens when Western nations attempt to combine capitalist economies with socialist policies; why Asia represents the greatest growth opportunity of the future; why the United States seeks to consolidate South America; why the BRIC nations are de-dollarizing trade; why the future economy is both hyperlocal and hyper global;  the illusion of the free market and the growing significance of industrial policy; why multimillionaires are fleeing from the UK; why Western nations need strategic plans. 

The Futurists starts 2026 with a stimulating conversation with serial entrepreneur Matt Miesnieks, a true pioneer of AR/XR and spatial computing. In his new startup venture, Primate AI, Matt is focused on a novel approach to artificial intelligence. He intends to construct spatial and dimensional concepts that replicate the way humans develop a mental model of the real world. Topics in this episode: how the limitations of LLMs create opportunities for new approaches, such as Yann LeCun’s JEPA (Joint Embedding Predictive Architecture); the distinction between trying to understand the real world and trying to generate new worlds; why it is so hard to get a robot to cross a busy street safely; why 3D world models are needed; what happens when the real world is machine-readable.

Technology innovator Akshay Chopra joins the Futurists to discuss his new book: “After Us: A Tale of Life Beyond Superintelligent AI.”  In this work of speculative fiction, Chopra posits scenarios of a world dominated by a benevolent superintelligence.  Topics include: the challenge of envisioning a positive outcome in a world organized by AI; the perils of AI-induced delusions;  AI as an evolution of mankind, not a substitute for humanity;  the Dataism philosophy and the Panspermia hypothesis; the appeal and relevance of magical realism;  how AI denialism is a form of grief processing as we mourn the loss of our status as a species;  the struggle to think exponentially instead of linearly;  the threats that Akshay thinks we should be concerned about.  http://mybook.to/afterus/opt/1

Arwa Damon, a former CNN reporter and founder of INARA, shares her profound insights on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. She discusses her mental health journey as a frontline reporter and how that informs her mission to provide medical aid to children affected by war. Arwa emphasizes the importance of small acts of kindness amidst despair and the innovative ways Gazans cope with financial barriers. Her thoughts on the challenges of storytelling in conflict and the resilience of the Gazan community are both eye-opening and inspiring.

Industry strategist John Sviokla is the co-founder of GAI Insights and an Executive Fellow at the Harvard Business School. He tells the Futurists about the real challenges and opportunities in the process of reorganizing businesses around unlimited intelligence.  Topics include: The existential threat to the big strategic advisory firms. Why talking to machines is such a significant change.  The remarkably rapid rise of machine IQ and the power of emergent capabilities.  John’s forecast for the evolution of new AI models. How proprietary data, especially intent, will fuel the transition from search engines to answer engines.  The logic behind the partnership between Walmart and OpenAI.  What happens to a company’s organization when you can buy expertise on demand.  How every human worker will become a platoon of experts.  The two populations in most organizations that use AI. The net present value of AI projects.  GAI Insight’s four-step process for fostering new corporate capabilities based on AI. 

Shelly Palmer, a media and technology strategist, dives into the disruptive role of AI agents in media. He predicts these agents will revolutionize how news and entertainment are distributed and monetized, starting in 2026. Palmer highlights the shift from human management to AI supervision, the potential for personalized content curation, and concerns about the future of journalism amidst algorithmic changes. He also discusses the emotional impact on creators and the need for leaders to adapt to this rapidly evolving landscape.

Mike Pell is an author, an artist and the director of the Microsoft Garage, the worldwide innovation program where he applies “fast design” principles to bring ideas to prototypes quickly. Mike’s hackathons scale to include 10,000 participants.  Mike tells the Futurists how artificial intelligence systems accelerate ideation during the innovation process.  The challenge: managing a team of AI agents will require human workers to adapt to entirely new processes and discard some outdated practices. Visualization is one of the key elements in Mike’s approach to this process, as conveyed in his recent book, “Visualizing Business”.  

Join filmmaker Jeffrey Morris, known for his thought-provoking science-fiction documentaries, and science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson as they dive into the captivating world of 'Space 1999.' Jeffrey shares insights on his documentary 'The Eagle Obsession' and discusses the ambitious 'Persephone,' focusing on colonizing Proxima b and the ethical dilemmas of alien life. The duo also debates the need for optimistic sci-fi, the risks of AI in storytelling, and envisioning lunar bases within the next few decades. Buckle up for a stimulating journey into futurism!