Summary
This document is intended to offer news and information about innovations and technologies that can serve future generations and improve quality of life. Initially there are some videos from a PBS series that present realistic and positive future outcomes.
A Brief History of the Future
The videos below are from the six part series “A Brief History of the Future” produced by PBS. This is a documentary series about our futures and how we can reimagine them. [YouTube]
1 – Beyond the Now (3 Apr 2024)
Widen your perspective of time beyond our lifetimes and join Ari Wallach as he embarks on a journey to seek the individuals and ideas that can shape a better, more sustainable future that each generation can build upon. See the science behind how humans perceive the future. Learn about long term “cathedral thinking” and the emerging field of future design. [Source]
2 – Chaos and Complexity (10 Apr 2024)
Ari Wallach explores the historically transformational moment we are currently living in, why it causes so many of us to feel overwhelmed and afraid, and how it actually offers unprecedented possibilities for new and exciting futures we can create together. Learn about how artificial intelligence is developed, see how mushrooms could become both packaging and food; plus a glimpse into the architecture that reimagines the cities in which we live. [Source]
2 – Once Upon a Time (17 Apr 2024)
How do the stories we tell shape the boundaries of our beliefs about what is possible? From the dawn of time, stories are how humans have made sense of the world. This episode emphasizes the fundamental role stories play in our lives, our inclination towards dystopian narratives, and the potential for bigger, better stories to unleash the power of human imagination and creativity moving forward. [Source]
Episodes 4 – 6 will be posted here as they become available.
60 Minutes (Dec 2023)
The following video is about 4 hours and 45 minutes long. It is a compilation of 60 Minutes reports on AI and other future technologies compiled from 2023. The complete video was posted on 26 May 2024. A description is below the video.
- From December 2023, Scott Pelley’s report on quantum computers, which could give us answers to impossible problems in physics, chemistry, engineering and medicine.
- From January 2023, Pelley’s report on the nuclear fusion breakthrough that could be a step to unlimited clean energy.
- From October 2023, Pelley’s interview with Geoffrey Hinton about the promise and risks of artificial intelligence.
- From July 2023, Pelley’s interview with Google CEO Sundar Picha about the future of artificial intelligence.
- From April 2024, Bill Whitaker’s interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the man behind the $2 trillion company powering today’s artificial intelligence.
- Also from April 2024, Dr. Jon LaPook’s story on mental health chatbots powered by artificial intelligence developed as a therapy support tool.
- From March 2023, Lesley Stahl’s interview with Microsoft President Brad Smith and others about the emerging industry of artificial intelligence systems people can have conversations with.
- From August 2021, Stahl’s report on the future of microchips.
- From July 2022, Anderson Cooper’s report on eVTOLs, the flying vehicles that may be the future of transportation.
- From July 2022, Whitaker’s story on supersonic flight.
- From April 2023, Whitaker’s report on carbon capture technology.
- From May 2023, Whitaker’s report on the race to develop what’s being called Lithium Valley in California, with plans to extract the metal to power batteries.
- From July 2022, Whitaker’s story on how the Bahamas embraced solar power in the wake of a hurricane disaster.
- From July 2023, Sharyn Alfonsi’s visit to the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
- From December 2023, Whitaker’s interview with Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon about his pursuit of a green, carbon-negative agenda in one of the nation’s reddest states.
- From October 2023, Stahl’s report on a Texas company that’s 3D printing houses on Earth and partnering with NASA to 3D print infrastructure on the moon.
- From July 2023, Pelley’s story on advancements in artificial prosthetics technology.
- From October 2023, Dr. LaPook’s report on how building owners are turning to new workplace air and ventilation systems to help contain contagious respiratory viruses.
- From 2020, Stahl’s report on the effort to preserve Holocaust stories for future generations using 3D recordings.