An Introduction to Thinking Differently about Technology, Society & The Future

There’s growing awareness that business as usual with tech innovation is heading for a train-wreck — but how do we think differently about tech & the future?

This summer I took my course on socially responsible and ethical innovation (which conveniently uses science fiction movies as a starting point) online.

The course is FIS 338: The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future, and this is an exciting departure from the in-person class. It’s also meant that I’ve needed to capture some of the essence of that course on video.

One of the introductory videos for the new course format is a version of a 20 minute lecture I give on the need to think differently about the intersection between technology, society and the future. It is, in effect, a 101 introduction to why we need to think differently about technology, society, and the future, if we’re to avoid making an utter mess of things, just because we think we’ve been successful in the past.

Given how important this is,  I thought it worth posting the video from the class here.

The course itself is based around ten science fiction movies, which are the entry point to discussing the complexities of socially responsible and ethical innovation. You don’t need to know this as you watch the video — but the context may help explain the occasional movie reference!

This was recorded for students in the class, and so is not as entertaining as your average TED talk. But it is important, and it distills a lot of research and thinking down to content that I hope that it’s accessible to anyone who’s concerned with where we’re heading as a society, and is looking to understand how we can do things differently.