Future Tense

Sometimes, despite the hype, despite extensive funding, and despite clever and ingenious thinking, good ideas fail. Or at least don’t live up to their initial promise. There are lessons to be learnt and interesting anecdotes to be told. In this episode we look at four future-focused projects that have never really taken off: Google Glass, solar roads, space tourism and hyperloop technology.  Original broadcast on November 24, 2024. Guests  Dr Paul Sutter – Astrophysicist, SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, New York  Sarah Marquart – freelance journalist, editor of From Quarks to Quasars Andrew Hawkins – Transportation editor, The Verge  Quinn Myers – Chicago-based journalist and author 'Google Glass'

This is the program’s final episode and, as such, we look back over the past 17 years. What did the future look like back in 2009 when the show first aired? What have been the major trends during that time? Which predictions came to fruition and which didn’t? And what cautions do our guests have as we look ahead?  Guests  Mica Sifry – US-based writer and editor  Neema Singh Guliani – lawyer and policy expert  Cory Doctorow – Canadian-British blogger, journalist and sci-fi author   Professor Michael Mann – climatologist and geophysicist  Associate Professor James Dyke - Earth Systems Science, University of Exeter   Assistant Professor Sven Brodmerkel – Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University  Professor Quassim Cassam – Department of Philosophy, University of Warwick  Associate Professor Laura D’Olimpio – School of Education, University of Birmingham  Effy – chatbot user  Professor Frank Pasquale – Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School

How many of the articles you see on the internet are actually written by AI, not by humans? We'll give you a figure based on the latest research. Also, why is Google moving away from its well-established search-engine algorithm in favour of AI-generated summaries; The importance of remembering that urban planning isn't just about buildings, it's about people and spaces; And how digital technology is opening up a new relationship between humans and animals. Guests  Megan Morrone – Tech editor, Axios  Dr Collin Jennings – academic and author  David George Holm – architect and author  Dr David Roberts - Associate Professor of Computer Science, North Carolina State University  Sari – the most adorable, black cat

Designing a futuristic city is a fraught task — a mixture of ambition, state of the art technology, inevitable budget blowouts and the need to not just inspire, but awe. We get an update on the progress of two mega metropolises — Xiongan in China and Neom in Saudi Arabia. Also, how a better understanding of the brain can help deter future conflicts. Guests Dr Andrew Stokols — Assistant Professor of Urban Studies, Singapore Management University Eliot Brown — London-based reporter, Wall Street Journal Dr Nicholas Wright — Neuroscientist, University College London and Georgetown University

The global Covid 19 lockdown may seem like an eternity ago, but the threat of another full-scale pandemic has never resided.  Scientists warn that as the Arctic permafrost continues to melt ancient viruses and bacteria are gradually being freed from the ice. The risks are significant, but researchers are working to identify potential threats and better prepare the world for future pandemics. Uppermost in many minds is the need to ensure future global cooperation in the event of another zoonotic outbreak.  Original broadcast on March 26, 2023. Guests  Dr Christine Prat – Director of Operations, European Virus Archive  Dr Jean-Michel Claverie – Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Aix-Marseille University  Dr Aaron Bernstein – Director, The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health