FUTURES Podcast

Feb 11 2025 95 ep. 61 mins 346
FUTURES Podcast artwork

The FUTURES Podcast explores the multitude of possible tomorrows. Meet the scientists, technologists, artists and philosophers working to imagine the sorts of developments that might dramatically alter what it means to be human. Hosted by Luke Robert Mason.

  Technology  Science
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Applied Science Fiction w/ Stephen Oram

Feb 11 2025 44 mins  
Science Fiction Author Stephen Oram shares his insights on collaborating with scientists to transform research into speculative storytelling, using near-future fiction to explore the ethical implications of emerging technology, and leveraging narrative to foster public engagement with science. Stephen Oram writes near-future science fiction, exploring the intersection of messy hum

Why Machines Can’t Replace Us w/ Neil Lawrence

Feb 02 2025 69 mins  
Computer Scientist Neil Lawrence shares his insights on what machine intelligence can teach us about being human, the risks of relying on technologies that prioritise efficiency and scalability over ethics, and the hubris of efforts to extend or upload human consciousness using AI. Neil Lawrence is the inaugural DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge.

Prototyping Near-Future Worlds w/ Liam Young | Dubai Future Forum 2024

Jan 29 2025 26 mins  
Architect Liam Young shares his thoughts on how science fiction can be a powerful tool for prototyping new possibilities, why problems like climate change urgently need planetary-scale solutions, and how speculative design can inspire meaningful cultural transformation. Liam Young is a designer, director, and BAFTA-nominated producer who operates in the spaces between design, fict

Decoding Animal Communication w/ Jane Lawton | Dubai Future Forum 2024

Jan 22 2025 22 mins  
Earth Species Project’s Jane Lawton shares her insights on how artificial intelligence is used to decode animal communication, how new technology challenges human-centric views of intelligence, and how the ‘voices’ of other species can inform conservation efforts and influence rights-for-nature debates. Jane Lawton has over 30 years of international experience working with le

Merging Technology & Nature w/ Koert van Mensvoort | Dubai Future Forum 2024

Jan 20 2025 28 mins  
Philosopher Koert van Mensvoort shares his insights into humanity’s ever-evolving relationship with nature, how integrating technology and biology can support ecology, and the possibility of becoming an interplanetary species. Koert van Mensvoort is an artist and philosopher best known for his work on the philosophical concept of Next Nature, which revolves around the idea that o

Intergenerational Futures Thinking w/ Adam El Rafey | Dubai Future Forum 2024

Jan 15 2025 18 mins  
Young Change Advocate Adam El Rafey shares his thoughts on why ability, not age, should determine opportunity, how to reimagine education towards problem-based learning, and how the adaptability of the younger generation will prepare them for an increasingly uncertain future. Adam El Rafey is a 14-year-old change advocate, public speaker, and innovator. He is a learning enthusiast

Intelligence Augmentation w/ Prof. Pattie Maes | Dubai Future Forum 2024

Jan 13 2025 26 mins  
MIT Media Lab’s Prof. Pattie Maes shares her insights on using technology to enhance human potential and agency, developing wearable systems to support cognition and learning, and designing ethical human-centred artificial intelligence. Prof. Pattie Maes is the Germeshausen Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab. With a background in Artificial Intelligence an

Dreaming the Future w/ Pierre-Christophe Gam | Dubai Future Forum 2024

Jan 08 2025 33 mins  
Conceptual Artist Pierre-Christophe Gam shares his thoughts on the transformative power of imagination to shape reality, the potential of the African continent to become a global leader, and how to dream futures that reflect our individual aspirations and collective desires. Pierre-Christophe Gam is a French-born conceptual artist whose contemporary multimedia installations investi

Designing Brain-Computer Interfaces w/ Conor Russomanno

Jul 14 2024 29 mins  
Founder & CEO of OpenBCI Conor Russomanno shares his thoughts on what neurotechnology can teach us about being human, the ethical challenges of designing devices to measure brain activity, and the advantages of open-source brain-computer interfaces. Conor Russomanno is the founder and CEO of OpenBCI, a company working to build ethical brain-computer interfaces. He became fascinated

Why Tech Needs Feminism w/ Dr. Eleanor Drage & Dr. Kerry McInerney

Jun 09 2024 50 mins  
Senior Research Fellows Dr. Eleanor Drage and Dr. Kerry McInerney share their insights on how artificial intelligence will impact society, using a feminist lens to rethink innovation and the importance of language in shaping our understanding of ‘good’ technology. Dr Eleanor Drage is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for the Future of Intelligence.