Build The Future

In the 1960s, people imagined living and working beneath the ocean. What happened to that ambition—and what would it take to bring it back?Ulysses co-founder Will O’Brien joins me for a conversation about building underwater robots and making ocean work cheaper. Will traces the company’s beginnings to a surf trip and the painstaking work of restoring seagrass, then explains the engineering behind Mako, Ulysses’ modular underwater vehicle.We discuss a deployment that went badly wrong, the consumer technologies making ocean robotics possible, and why a future full of robots will need its own charging stations. Audience questions cover navigating without GPS, mapping the seabed, ocean restoration, company red lines and the unexpected appeal of treasure hunting.This conversation was recorded live at a World's Fair Co gathering in San Francisco on August 19, 2026. If you'd like to attend, please sign up for notifications at www.worldsfair.org.CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to World’s Fair01:26 The forgotten ocean frontier08:18 The ocean tax10:36 A surf trip, seagrass and the start of Ulysses13:44 A failed deployment and lessons learned17:40 Meet Mako: modular underwater robots22:38 Why underwater robotics is possible now25:13 Ocean stewardship and mapping the seabed30:05 Audience Q&A: climate, company values and San Francisco34:52 Restoration, security and treasure hunting38:12 Navigation, motherships and life at sea42:25 What to build next—and the next 20 yearsLinks & referencesThe 1964–65 World’s Fair Futurama experience — A 7-minute General Motors promotional film follows a visitor through Futurama II, the experience discussed at the opening.Cousteau’s underwater habitats — Background on the undersea living experiments discussed near the opening.SEALAB: living and working beneath the sea — The U.S. Navy’s history of its underwater habitat experiments.Ulysses’ seagrass restoration trial on the Great Barrier Reef — The Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s account of the robot trial, with field footage.Seabed 2030 and Ulysses — The partnership behind the seabed mapping effort mentioned in the conversation.Planet Labs and forest monitoring — Background on Will’s comparison with satellite monitoring of forests.ARIA: Forecasting Tipping Points — Related reading for the audience question about ocean observations and climate models.Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

Aryé Elfenbein is the co-founder of Wildtype -- a San Francisco startup growing real salmon directly from cells. They're pioneers of cellular agriculture and have become the first company in the world to bring cultivated seafood to market.In this live conversation, we discuss how Wildtype grows salmon from cells. We explore the work behind its texture and flavor, including techniques borrowed from textile manufacturing and changes to the cells’ diet.Aryé recalls the early failures, the first restaurant tastings, and the practical problems of scaling production. The conversation was recorded at a World’s Fair Co gathering in San Francisco, with questions from an audience that had just tasted their salmon.EPISODE PAGE + TRANSCRIPThttps://www.worldsfair.org/programs/wildtypeWATCH ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmbhsUVr3sMCHAPTERS00:00 A personal connection to salmon02:36 From cardiology to cultivated fish06:24 Why salmon?09:46 Growing the cells13:32 Recreating salmon’s texture16:26 The first years—and the first taste20:42 What kept the team going22:22 When it started to feel like food23:08 The road through regulation28:05 What’s stopping the next scale-up?30:35 Seeing people enjoy the food32:05 Audience Q&A: what still needs improving?33:22 Solving the practical problems36:38 Learning from outside your field37:30 The search for better flavor41:58 A ten-year view of food44:32 How to support WildtypeCONNECTWildtypeWebsite: https://www.wildtypefoods.com/X: https://twitter.com/wildtypefoodsWorld’s Fair Co.X: https://x.com/WorldsFairCoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldsfaircoIf you want to learn more about our in-person events, please visit worldsfair.org.Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

Rajat Bhageria is an entrepreneur, investor, and the CEO of Chef Robotics. What does it actually take to build and deploy generally intelligent robots? Rajat's company is actively scaling robotics in the food industry and is here to tell us all about it. In this conversation, we talk about what the current food manufacturing process looks like, the challenges and opportunities in robotics, what the coolest AI and robotics companies are on the market today, why the future might look like WALL-E, and much more. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:11 Introducing Chef Robotics 05:07 Automating Food Assembly 09:47 Technical Backend 17:50 Robotics Complexity 24:01 Deployment & Scaling 35:50 The Future of Robotics 46:49 Startups & Self-Actualization 50:38 Positive Vision of the future Links Chef Robotics Rajat Bhageria Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Don Davis, an artist and illustrator who has spent his career helping us imagine the wonders of space. His work with NASA, Carl Sagan, and the U. S. Geological Survey's branch of Astrogeologic Studies has been seen by millions and helps us bridge the gap between imagination and reality. In this conversation, we talk about Don's childhood fascination with space, the influence of science fiction on his work, and how the ideas around space colonization evolved. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:09 Reflecting on historical parallels between Apollo 11. 05:52 Fascination with space exploration during childhood. 08:14 Joining the USGS 12:04 Moon Paintings 15:41 Meeting Carl Sagan 19:35 Relationship between knowledge and art 22:36 Dinosaur reconstruction 28:49 Mars visions and von Braun 31:39 Painting Space Settlements 37:04 Future of rocketry 42:33 2001: A Space Odyssey 44:24 Willie Lay and,"Engineer's Dreams" 52:23 What's next for Don 52:51 Quote from "Shape of Things to Come" Links Don Davis — Space Art Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

Isaiah Taylor, founder of Valar Atomics, discusses nuclear fission for energy abundance. This podcast explores the broken system of energy, the lack of ambition in society, energy as the foundation for progress, designing the aesthetic of the future, and the moral imperative of building the future we want to live in.

In this conversation, we talk with Rick Guidice, an artist and illustrator renowned for his visionary depictions of space habitats and futuristic concepts, which have significantly contributed to NASA's Ames Research Center's visual explorations. His iconic work has played a pivotal role in shaping public perception of space exploration and human settlement beyond Earth. In this conversation, we talk about the impact of Rick's space-themed artwork on envisioning future possibilities; his artistic process, inspirations, and the cultural influence; and the evolution of space exploration imagery and its role in shaping public perception and enthusiasm for space endeavors. Enjoy! Mentioned in this conversation The MandalorianSpace Settlements: A Design StudyEmerging Ecologies Exhibit"Megastructures" by Neil Blevins Chapters 00:00 Welcome to Build the Future 01:10 Introducing Rick Guidice 01:53 Why art makes future ideas tangible 03:07 From architecture to NASA illustration 08:33 Digital tools and the changing illustration industry 12:01 The space-settlement design study 17:49 Designing places people would want to live 21:32 Perspective, color and the painting process 24:56 Painting at home and raising a creative family 26:52 The artists and stories that inspired Rick 30:55 Growing up with Silicon Valley 34:17 Ambitious projects and unrealized concepts 39:06 Exhibitions and preserving the NASA art archive 44:20 Space art’s influence on a new generation 49:12 Film imagery and advice for aspiring artists 53:37 Closing Links Rick GuidiceThe MandalorianSpace Settlements: A Design StudyEmerging Ecologies — exhibition archive (2023–24)Megastructures by Neil Blevins — original book project Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

Jim Pethokoukis, author of 'The Conservative Futurist', talks about the unfulfilled promises of the 1960s space race, the role of media in shaping attitudes towards the future, and the need for an up-wing culture focused on innovation and progress.

Isaac Arthur is a physicist turned YouTuber and science educator. Join us as we discuss the roots of progress and its potential into post-scarcity futures, the challenges of building in practice, Isaac's favorite science fiction media and his vision for his channel, his personal journey studying physics to becoming a YouTuber, and what innovation and future utopian scenarios may be possible, including space colonization and virtual reality. Isaac's story is proof that passion and optimism can blossom into a lasting career. We hope you find inspiration in his story to go build your own visions for a positive future! Chapters 00:00 Long-form conversation and the changing media landscape 02:25 Fiction we enjoy and worlds we would choose 03:35 Progress, recurring ideas and everyday needs 07:01 The everyday benefits of progress 10:48 What post-scarcity means 12:31 Information abundance and trust 14:53 Science fiction and the complexity of governing 19:05 Communities, housing and different preferences 22:32 Space habitats and movable communities 25:14 Social needs, entertainment and abundance 29:33 Favorite science fiction and guilty pleasures 32:09 A playful idea for a manufacturing parody 34:40 From physics and the Army to YouTube 38:14 Choosing topics and telling science stories 39:35 Colonizing the Sun and challenging intuitions 43:44 How art, science and fiction reinforce each other 50:02 Different visions of utopia and virtual worlds 54:04 Turning future ideas into immersive experiences 57:46 Space progress and what to build next 01:00:44 Patience and long-term progress 01:02:19 Where to find Isaac’s work Links Science & Futurism with Isaac ArthurIsaac Arthur on YouTube Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Don Clark, the incredible artist behind Invisible Creature. Mentioned in this conversation David Klein ArtStan GalliSyd MeadPhantom City Creative Chapters 00:00 Introducing Don Clark and Invisible Creature 00:49 Family, music and the path into illustration 03:19 The gig-poster resurgence 04:59 Choosing illustration and discovering visual development 07:46 The unseen work behind a film 10:03 Creative feedback and leadership 12:41 Shipping work and accepting constraints 14:17 Creative companies and independent opportunities 19:39 Art, shared culture and creative financing 22:22 What drew Don to the World’s Fair 25:01 Modernism, color and optimism 29:10 Designing an appealing future 32:55 Imagining bigger creative projects 34:49 How the World’s Fair posters developed 38:50 Composition and the power of travel posters 43:33 Contemporary poster artists and developing taste 47:18 Tangible things and an authentic future 50:43 Where to find Don and Invisible Creature Links Invisible CreatureDavid Klein postersStan Galli postersPhantom City Creative Syd Mead Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Eliot Peper the novelist behind great science fiction books like Reap3r, Veil, Cumulus, and Bandwidth. Mentioned in this conversation Our World in DataNadia Asparouhova's tweetMan in SpaceOliver Morton's The Moon Chapters 00:00 Introducing Eliot Peper 01:05 Curiosity about the present 04:32 Writing an absorbing story 07:22 Reap3r and the reader’s experience 10:55 Questions instead of a message 13:41 Ambition across different lives 16:21 Speculative technology in Reap3r 18:17 Progress, gratitude and dissatisfaction 24:05 Agency in a complicated world 28:26 How fiction influences builders 31:18 Borges and the imagination of the internet 33:10 Spaceflight and its cultural prehistory 37:16 Institutions, technology and scrutiny 40:03 Finding a bias toward action 42:28 Data, culture and patronage 44:39 Eliot’s books and where to find him Links Eliot Peper — books and newsletterOur World in DataThe Moon — Oliver Morton twitterNadia Asparouhova's tweetMan in Space Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.