
IN SPOTLIGHT
The war in Ukraine, three years on: Which scenarios still stand?
In 2022, we outlined four possible futures for the war in Ukraine. Now, three years later, as new geopolitical realities emerge, it’s time to reassess which scenarios still hold and what the latest developments mean for Ukraine, Russia, and the West.
BLOG BY FUTURES PLATFORM
Source of Great Wisdom?
UNU is a platform utilising a combination of AI algorithms and collective human intelligence. So far, it’s been able to do surprisingly accurate forecasts all the way from Oscar winners to presidential elections. Will an efficient combination of algorithms and human swarms be the solution to finding answers to our tricky future problems?
Co-Living Matches Made in Heaven?
Finding new friends and partners online is already very common, but have you considered searching for a roommate for co-living? Co-living match does not need to be made in heaven; when instead, an algorithm will sort it out while you share enough of your personal details on a co-living service, the number of which is growing.
To Work or Not to Work?
The Finnish basic income experiment sparked a lot of international interest before and after its launch in January Kela, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, has received inquiries from all over Europe and other continents, including countries like Canada, US, Korea, Mexico, Australia and Japan.
Road Hackers in 2030?
When there will be cars without drivers, it is inevitable that all vehicles on the road will be monitored, and if necessary, taken over by software that runs the entire road traffic system. Where there is software, there will be hackers, who can hack the cars, and what the car AI thinks are roads.
Mid-Sized Cities Prosper
The social and economic power of millennials will increase remarkably during the coming years. Currently, it seems that major cities in the U.S. might be at risk of losing the competition over millennials to their mid-sized counterparts, and big cities all over the world are expected to face the same challenge in the future.
Living Afloat
Seasteading Institute claims to build floating ”sea top communities” by 2020. French Polynesia’s Council of Ministers has passed a memorandum of understanding to allow Seasteders to build in a littoral zone in exchange for financial benefits the new floating city would bring forward.
AI That Writes Itself
Microsoft and the University of Cambridge have published an Artificial Intelligence software called Deep Coder that writes code by copying existing segments that it can find. Deep Coder is a radical innovation, a software robot that makes software.
Out of Batteries?
Demand for electricity off the grid and during peak hours is going up. Without a massive growth of energy storage, a new energy crisis is possible.
Software in Driver's Seat
The difference in evaluation suggests that analysts consider car and traffic software to be a much more viable industry in the future than the sheer manufacturing of cars. This said, Opel and Vauxhall were producing a steady deficit.
Is the Internet Broken?
A key inventor of the WWW, Tim Berners-Lee is concerned about the current state of the Internet. According to Berners-Lee, three trends threaten the Internet; people have lost control over their personal data, misinformation spreads fast, and political advertising lacks transparency.
Data Successfully Stored in DNA
Data files have been successfully stored into DNA and extracted from it. According to Wired, researchers from Columbia University and the New York Genome Center have stored a movie, an operating system and other files on DNA molecules. The method is called DNA Fountain.
Are Climate Refugees the Next Global Crisis?
Going home at the end of the day is something most of us take for granted. However, that is a luxury that not all people have.
We are no strangers to refugees on this planet. For as long as humans have been around, there have been people who have been pushed from their homes or countries for political, social, or economic reasons.
However, there is a chance that we might have to brace for the largest migration of refugees the earth has ever seen.