Future Tense - ABC RN

It's not enough to be smart. If you're to avoid being automated out of a job in future, you'll need to develop your Emotional Intelligence. New research suggests more and more companies see an organisational benefit in promoting such skills. But is the rhetoric being backed up with training? Also, a reality check on the “great resignation” - has the pandemic really spawned a new era of job mobility?

We examine the role algorithms play in limiting free-speech; we hear about the development of bacteria-driven lighting in France; we explore how the shape of our cities can influence weather patterns; and we learn about new research that applies a chemical approach to the simulation of touch.

It's time to attack the “supply side” of fossil fuels, activists argue. And the best way to do that is by establishing a fuel non-proliferation treaty similar to the one used for nuclear weapons. But what would it entail and could it ever work? Also, the sticky relationship between online personalisation and consent; and a call for CEOs to become the next target of automation.

The Future is Public is a global campaign aimed at creating a new narrative around public service. It's about curbing the dominance of Neoliberalism in public policy. While in Australia, there are expectations the new government in Canberra will decrease the use of external consultants and make changes to the way government departments and agencies operate.  

Urban life has not only reshaped what it means to be human, cities are also changing animals. Rats in different parts of New York are evolving separately. Ecologist Rob Dunn describes cities as accelerators of evolution. Also in this episode, how city administrators compete for dominance using the same approach as social media influencers. And why house-flipping has gone algorithmic. 

The crisis in Ukraine, like all wars, is a testing ground for new tactics and weapons. It's also a conflict fought off the battlefield – on people's computers, televisions and smartphones So, what have we learnt about the power of propaganda and disinformation during the current conflict? Also, the urge to shut-down – why governments of varying persuasions keep pulling the plug on their own internet services.

In this program we explore an ambitious science project aimed at to documenting the genomes of all known creatures; we'll hear why the future of the Anglican church is female; and explore the latest research into public perceptions of facial recognition technology.

Concerns that we'll soon have too many people on the Earth sit alongside apprehension that we are facing a looming demographic crisis. So how do we address both issues without further damaging the planet?

The use and misuse of our data can have enormous personal and societal consequences, so what ethical constraints are there on data scientists?

The idea that history is circular is called Cliodynamics and it's currently in vogue with many commentators on international affairs. But do such theories help or hinder our understanding of history and its predictive powers?

Boosting your productivity by up to 25% - what industry wouldn't want to do that? That's the future big tech promises for agriculture – one where extensive data is gathered on every aspect of the supply chain. But farmers are worried about privacy. And there are also questions about environmental impacts of big ag getting into big data.

Over the past two decades we've become increasingly sensitive to the overuse of plastic and more concerned about its environmental impact – but to what effect? Feel-good campaigns aside, the signs for the future are far from promising.

There are currently around 150 of these funds in the world worth in excess of $USD 9 trillion.

Scientists are busy testing ways to build a giant solar farm in space. Also, what to do about the increasing levels of space junk finding its way into our oceans?

Satire has been around for thousands of years, but is its power dwindling?

Forgetting is the only safe response to the world's problems, from a geopolitical perspective, according to author and journalist David Rieff. And forgetting is also a good thing in your personal life, say scientists. It moves us forward.

For many people, the provision of overseas aid is a democratic imperative and a universal good.   But what if the situation is more complicated than that?  

Physical cash still plays an important role in the financial system, but could it be replaced by a digital alternative? Governments around the world are looking to Central Bank Digital Currencies, but there are concerns around privacy and loss of financial freedom.

Advocates claim drones make war safer for civilians and soldiers by making it more technical and precise. But drones are also being used as a “witness” of conflict by activists keen to tell different stories about warfare and the heavy price often paid by civilians.

Banning books belongs in the dark ages and is anathema to modern liberal democracy, but in the United States there's a widespread campaign underway to censor what students can read. Also, why is the UN involved in a project to build a floating neighbourhood on the South Korean coast?

Fashion is getting even faster, but there are also efforts underway to rein-in the waste and make fabrics from more environmentally-friendly materials.

As Earth's upper atmosphere becomes more congested, it's also becoming more polluted, and the impact could be dire. Also, why doing without could make for a fuller future; and what's behind China's ban on really tall buildings?

Pollution has long been seen as a health problem, but increasingly its being redefined as an opportunity cost to both individuals and society -  and as a burden on future generations.

Rare Earths are essential to modern life, but their extraction comes at a price. So, how do we clean-up mining efforts & build a diverse network of suppliers without destroying the environment?

Most of us are healthier, wealthier and better educated than ever before. We have greater access to knowledge and expertise than any previous generation. So, why do humans keep doing stupid things? And why is the world awash with conspiracy? Have we already passed “peak intelligence”? And if so, what can we do to ensure a smarter future?

Responses to climate change are often marked by frustration as much as fear. Those seeking to end our fossil-fuel dependency are increasingly turning to litigation to force the hands of companies and governments - often on human rights grounds. But do the courts have a legitimate role to play in leading the way? Or is this a form of judicial activism?

Stories like opinions have become a necessity of modern life.  Everybody is encouraged to have an opinion and everybody – in the vernacular of countless motivation speakers – is encouraged to be the “hero of their own story”. But are we in danger of making too much of them? If the story becomes the central device for much of our communication, do we risk losing our sense of objective reality? 

Some animals, like sea sponges, can live for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. They also never get cancer. Understanding why that's the case has led scientists to question conventional notions of ageing. The idea that future humans may never grow old now seems theoretically possible.

Rewilding is a conservation approach based on the reintroduction of lost animal species to their natural habitats. Its original manifestation was controversial because it centred on apex predators like wolves. But the approach has matured and advocates believe it now has a crucial role to play in securing future biodiversity levels.

Despite increased safety features, policies and content moderation practices, social media platforms continue to be sites where people perpetrate and experience harm. A new approach to platform governance called Transformative and Restorative Justice could help address the underlying causes of harmful behaviour and promote safer and more inclusive digital communities.

When the global pandemic struck the world's major cities were plunged into silence. But were they? New research casts doubt on just how quiet it really got when people were suddenly forced from the streets. It adds to our complex understanding of noise and sound and how both will shape our future.

What will the global political landscape look like when the world's dependency on fossil fuels is finally over? Adjustments are already being made, but for so-called “petrostates” like Saudi Arabia and Russia, the prospects look particularly bleak. Experts warn of new inequalities and shifting power dynamics. They also warn of a fall in available energy levels as nations transition to renewables.

Paul Howe has a novel theory that could help explain the current state of humanity. Adolescence, he says, isn't so much a time of life as a state of mind – and it's transforming our adult world. Also, why an emphasis on human rights has failed to reduce global inequality; and redefining minimalism as “intentional living”.

Historian and economist, Marc Levinson, argues we've entered the fourth age of globalisation. An era, he says, that will be driven by the movement of “bits and bytes, not goods”. Also, should fintech companies be marketing their wares to children as young as six? And why is NASA planning to open fire on a pair of asteroids?

The technology sector has a long history of designing devices to lock in customers and accelerate consumption. But “planned obsolescence” as it's called is facing a push-back. We also speak with Margaret Mitchell, who helped set up the AI ethics group at Google, only to find she was shown the door when the company's bosses didn't like what she had to tell them.

Simon Chesterman argues for a new global agency to regulate the development of artificial intelligence. One that would also ensure an equitable distribution of its benefits.

If you think coal is controversial, spare a thought for nuclear energy. It may not be everybody's choice as a replacement for fossil fuels, but the technology is evolving, new reactors are being built and researchers are working on making them smaller and mobile. In this episode we give an overview on the size and scale of the nuclear energy sector - and the changes and challenges it faces.

Surveillance has become mainstream in the 21st century. It's now so ubiquitous that many of us no longer notice its intrusion in our personal lives. But not all forms of monitoring are designed to exploit and/or contain. In this episode we look at several interesting monitoring technologies designed to assist and heal.

Google has affirmed its decision to ban all third-party cookies from its popular Chrome browser by the end of 2023. Cookies have long under-pinned the business model for online marketing. Some analysts are predicting a “cookiepocalypse”.  But others say that's hard to swallow. Also, the world is currently facing a global shortage of computer chips. We examine why that's occurred and when the blockage is likely to shift.

We all know the value of planning, but in a complex, complicated and often confounding world it can be difficult knowing how to start. Scenario Planning is planning tool for uncertain situations - find out what it entails and how it might benefit organisations and businesses.

The big traditional religions of the world are losing followers, but not just, as is commonly thought, to atheism and secularism. Religion as such won't die any time soon because human beings are “hard-wired” to believe in the religious and the supernatural. Some analysts say the world is experiencing a shift toward individualistic spiritual expression, including a return to paganism.

The terms “sustainability” and “sustainable development” are now so commonplace as to be meaningless – according to the sceptics. Worse still, a focus on sustainability, they say, can actually mask the very real problems we have in dealing with climate change and managing the world's diminishing resources.

Facebook's CEO has spoken about changing the social media platform into a “metaverse” company and he's pledged billions to the cause. The metaverse is a term Silicon Valley uses for the next stage of the internet: a world in which all activities are conducted in an immersive Virtual Reality environment. But would Zoom-weary humans want to live in such a world? And is it really just a cover for surveillance capitalism?

New legislation aimed at curbing the power and influence of the big technology companies has been drawn up in both the United States and Europe. While in China, the government has already implemented sweeping changes to the way Chinese technology companies can operate in the PRC and beyond. So, have we now entered a new age of tech regulation?

Is our inability to think long-term influenced by the sheer number of threats we face? In times of crisis, it seems, human beings find it harder to think beyond their immediate difficulties. We investigate. Also, new research on why threats of punishment often fail to deter bad behaviour; and we get an update on Seabed2030, the global initiative to map the ocean floor.

The cliché is that once something goes online, it's up there forever. But the truth is that the Internet has a memory problem and some of what we're losing – or could potentially lose – has significance and value. While archivists struggle with the challenge of preserving our digital record, the rise of pay walls present a particular problem.

An Australian court has given inventor status to a piece of Artificial Intelligence. It's big news in the tech sector, but does it have real world significance? Also, a new research discipline called "Affectivism" – what is it and how will it influence our understanding of human behaviour? And why one New York researcher has labelled Virtual Reality the “rich white kid with famous parents” who “never stops failing upward”.

Almost every week, Bitcoin makes the headlines. Rollercoaster prices, environmental concerns and even the latest scams regularly make the news. But the sheer proliferation of stories surrounding Bitcoin has made it hard to understand what's happening, let alone the technology itself. This week, Edwina Stott unpicks some of the biggest headlines in Bitcoin to get to the bottom of what's really going on and what it means for the future.

President Joe Bidden wants to establish a new alliance of democracies to counter the rise of authoritarianism. He's planning a global summit for later this year. But is such an alliance achievable in a 21st century marked by heightened geo-economic interdependency? Or is it simply a nostalgic yearning for the past? And if such an alliance could be formed, is the United States really up to the job of leading it? 

Automation and outsourcing are dirty words for many people in Western countries worried about their future employment prospects. Developing countries are seen to be the major beneficiaries of off-shore labour, with multinationals hoovering up increased profits. But the reality is a lot more complex and even messy. Now, even developing countries are starting to feel the pain.

New technologies are transforming agriculture, but getting farmers to experiment with different tech combinations remains an issue. A technologically-infused approach can bring benefits, but it also carries risks. In the developing world it can sometimes undermine traditional farming practices and increase inequality.