Future Curious

As well as looking after Nesta for the last nine years, Geoff has had an eclectic career, involving research, policy-making and shaping the way the UK ‘does’ social innovation.   In this episode, Geoff Mulgan and Tiernan Douieb discuss:   The theory of ‘The Bees and the Trees’. Why the best way to create change is to be the opposite of Concorde. Simple steps to personal happiness.   Geoff also reflects on some of the Nesta projects that he has overseen during his time as Chief Executive. If you want to learn more about Geoff’s work, he has released a new book. It’s called Social Innovation - How Societies Find the Power to Change and it’s published by Policy Press.   Future Curious is presented by Tiernan Douieb and produced and published by Nesta’s communication team. Recorded by Sonia Foday and edited at Wardour Studios. Original music by Ged Flood.   Get in touch with Future Curious: futurecurious@nesta.org.uk    Or on Twitter @Nesta_UK

Yesterday, 28 October 2019, the EU agreed to a Brexit flextension to 31 January 2020. Who correctly predicted the turn of events - and how did they form those views and gather their insights?   On 16 October, we recorded this episode to look at predictions and forecasts about the way Brexit events might unfold - ahead of the 31 October withdrawal deadline.   So who got it right? Which method gazed accurately into the future?    Using Brexit as a case study, this episode discusses different prediction and forecast methods - polling, betting, the wisdom of the crowds and academic research.   Host Tiernan Douieb is joined by an expert line-up of YouGov’s Chris Curtis, University of London’s Professor Chris Hanretty and Nesta’s Aleks Berditchevskaia. They weigh up experimental techniques, explore the merits of traditional prediction methods and discuss how we can predict and forecast in turbulent times.  We also hear from Sarbjit Bakhshi at Smarkets. He gives a snapshot into how betting and betting exchange activity can show the ebbs and flows of public opinion.   Useful links featured in this episode: goodjudgment.com/nesta    Get in touch with Future Curious: futurecurious@nesta.org.uk   Or via twitter @Nesta_UK / #futurecurious   Future Curious is presented by Tiernan Douieb and produced and published by Nesta’s communication team. Recorded and edited at Wardour Studios. Original music by Ged Flood.  

What are the applications or the ramifications of new tiny mechanical bees? And how will society adjust?     This episode is about the technologies that we may well see in the 2020s, such as swarm robotics. We look at the uses but also the responsibilities that need to accompany such technological and scientific shifts.      Dr Edmund Hunt talks to Nesta’s Bea Karol Burks about his work in swarm robotics. Science and tech writer, speaker and thinker Sumit Paul-Choudhury joins Bea and presenter Tiernan Douieb to discuss tomorrow’s innovations and the consequences and considerations they may hold for society.     From swarms of robots to swarms of cells, you will also hear a snippet from broadcaster and writer Philip Ball talking about turning his own skin cells into neurons and how they organised themselves in to ‘mini brains’.     Useful links featured in this episode:     The Tipping Point Prize Dr Edmund Hunt’s ‘robot swarm’ essay Bristol Robotics Laboratory  Philip Ball talking about How to Grow a Human as part of Nesta’s ‘Talks To…’ series   Get in touch with Future Curious  by email at futurecurious@nesta.org.uk      Or via twitter @Nesta_UK / #futurecurious     Future Curious is presented by Tiernan Douieb and produced and published by Nesta’s communication team. Sound by Sonia Foday. Edited by Wardour Studios. Original music by Ged Flood.

Future Curious is back! Season 2 kicks off by discussing ‘The Survival Kit for the Future’. What do you want your future to look like? What shape will it take? What skills do you need to get there? And who do you want to share it with? In this episode, Steve Cross, Maryam Pasha, Kajal Odedra and Tiernan Douieb discuss: How to build your own future (and the resilience to make it happen) Why survival kits are about skills and experiences, and not about rubbing twigs together What’s in their toolkit for the future How to share your ideas to influence others to create a better world. The team also gives a preview of Nesta’s FutureFest 2020 event, which is happening on Friday, 20th March 2020 at Tobacco Dock in East London.FutureFest 2020: https://www.futurefest.org/futurefest-2020 (promo code tucked inside the episode for £10 off adult tickets) FutureFest Lates: https://www.futurefest.org/lates Get in touch with Future Curious: futurecurious@nesta.org.uk Future Curious is published by Nesta. Nesta.org.uk @Nesta_UKPresenter: Tiernan Douieb Guests: Dr. Steve Cross, interim co-director, Explorations, Nesta Maryam Pasha - Director and Curator of TEDxLondon and FutureFest 2020 curator Kajal Odedra - Executive Director, Change.org, author of Do Something; activism for everyone + FutureFest 2020 speaker. With thanks to BBC Ideas for the clip of Glamrou. Sound: Sonia Foday Produced Nesta communications team for Nesta.  

Are you curious about what our shared future holds? Join us for season 2 of Future Curious from Nesta. In this thought-provoking and chatty podcast, we bring together leading experts and radical thinkers to discuss the big issues that will affect our future, and what we can all do about them. Each week, Future Curious will bring new insights, challenge existing wisdom and explore new thinking into some of the most challenging issues of our time.   We'll be bringing you the first episode of the new season very soon, so subscribe now to hear it first!

Are you curious about what our shared future holds? If so, the new Future Curious podcast from Nesta could be right up your street. In this thought-provoking but chatty podcast, we bring together leading experts and radical thinkers to discuss the big issues that will affect our future, and what we can all do about them. Each week, Future Curious will bring new insights, challenge existing wisdom and explore new thinking into some of the most challenging issues of our time.   We'll be bringing you the first episode very soon, so subscribe now to hear it first!

It's time for Nesta’s ten predictions for 2020! This episode delves into the trends, social movements and technological breakthroughs set to impact our lives over the next twelve months. From the beginning of the end for fireworks to an outbreak of silly walks and the chance to meet your digital twin, host Tiernan Douieb introduces Nesta’s predictors for a rundown of what could be on the cards for 2020. Useful links Nesta Predictions 2020 Vicki Sellick Tris Dyson Get in touch with the Future Curious team: futurecurious@nesta.org.uk Or on twitter @Nesta_UK, #FutureCurious and #NestaPredicts Future Curious is presented by Tiernan Douieb and produced and published by Nesta’s communication team. This episode was recorded by Sonia Foday and edited by Wardour Studios. Original music by Ged Flood.

With alternative visions and possibilities before us, we explore the connection between what the future could look like, and how largely science fiction has contributed to this vision. Through a distinctive mix of installations, talks and debates, FutureFest Lates offers audiences an opportunity to imagine and lay claim to a different vision of what might lie ahead. Recorded at Nesta’s first ‘FutureFest Lates’ event, Nesta’s Nigel Campbell is joined by: Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics, broadcaster and author of a new science fiction novel, Sunfall Celia Hannon, Nesta’s Director of Futures Find out more on the FutureFest website.

If economic eras are defined by their most advanced form of production, then we are clearly living in one where knowledge plays a decisive role in the organisation of production, distribution and consumption. But the benefits of the knowledge economy are far from equally shared, so how can we make sure the knowledge economy is more inclusive? Joining Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Madeleine Gabriel, Head of Inclusive Innovation at Nesta and Isaac Stanley, Researcher in Inclusive Innovation at Nesta - both co-authors of Imagination Unleashed: Democratising The Knowledge Economy. Included in this episode, Nesta Chief Executive Geoff Mulgan talks to Roberto Mangabeira Unger, a philosopher and politician who is Professor at Harvard Law School - and a co-author of Nesta’s ‘Imagination Unleashed’ report.

Technology has transformed the way we communicate with each other but many people are still left feeling out of touch and lacking that sense of community. How can we change the way we interact to tackle the rise in loneliness? And how can we make sure technology is bringing people together instead of isolating people behind a screen? Joining Nesta’s Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Sanderson Jones, Founder of The Sunday Assembly (New Radical 2014) and comedian Carrie Deacon, Head of Social Action Innovation at Nesta. We also hear from Ivo Gormley from GoodGym an organisation that supports people to get fit while doing good in their local communities. They enable young people to make regular runs to an older person who may find it difficult to leave their home, building a one-to-one reciprocal relationship.

Over-prescribing of antibiotics is leading to a global rise in bacteria which are resistant to conventional antibiotics. If we are to avoid a world where common infections and routine operations become fatal, urgent action to reduce over-prescribing is needed. Yet in many countries, treating infection is still rather hit-and miss, with multiple rounds of drugs, each potentially creating new resistant strains. Nesta’s Longitude Prize is leading the fight back - incentivising over 70 teams globally to develop innovative new approaches to diagnosing and treating infections, so the world can still rely on the effectiveness of antibiotics. Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are: Dr Tina Joshi, Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology at the University of Plymouth and an expert in bio-microbial resistance, Caroline Purslow, Programme Manager for the Global Health Team, including the Longitude Prize, at the Challenge Prize Centre. We also hear from Mary Millard who shares her experience of living with chronic bacterial infection, surviving acute septic shock, and the health challenges she has been dealing with since.

Technology is inevitably changing the way we work, no matter what the industry. As with all forms of automation, there are pros and cons - but are we doing enough now to protect workers rights and ensure technology is creating a better working environment? Joining Nesta’s Nigel Campbell to discuss this are: Kate Bell, Head of the Rights, International, Social and Economics department at the Trades Union Congress Eliza Easton, Head of Policy Unit, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) and Principal Policy Researcher at Nesta We also hear from Meghan Casserly at Humu, a startup run by three ex-Google employees in California that uses AI to 'nudge' people into being happier at work. Related reading Read Nesta and Pearson’s report, The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030 to find out how employment is likely to change in the future - including the implications for skills - and a number of new occupations Have a look at Nesta’s UK Skills Taxonomy to find out which skills are increasingly in demand as the world of work changes.

The 20th century saw huge leaps forward in life expectancy through innovations such as the NHS, major advances in drugs, and massive changes in lifestyle. In the 21st century, digital tech is set to take its place amongst these as the new force for improving our wellbeing and delivering healthcare. Artificial intelligence, algorithms offer the prospect of personalised care, better diagnosis, improved access to treatment and prediction of health problems. But at what cost to our privacy, our sense of being in control of our own health decisions and our relationships with those professionals that care for us? Joining Nesta’s Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Ivana Bartolleti, privacy and data protection professional and Chair of the Fabian Women's Network, who has written about the risks of AI in health Sinead Mac Manus, Senior Programme Manager for Digital Health in Nesta's Health Lab We also hear from Phil Keating about GoodSAM, an app that enables off-duty doctors, nurses, paramedics and other members of the emergency services to support those experiencing medical emergencies. GoodSAM includes a built in crowd-sourced defibrillator registry that allows those with first aid skills to offer life-saving support at the point of need. Future Curious is a Chalk & Blade production. Produced by Ruth Barnes, Laura Sheeter and Lily Ames. Original music by Ged Flood.

What will the future cities of 2040 really look like? Electric drive technology, autonomy and AI could fundamentally change the way we work and live. With drone technology advancing rapidly, cities now have a unique opportunity to shape this disruptive new mode of transport - to maximise the economic and social benefits it could bring, whilst ensuring safety. Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Kathy Nothstine, Lead for Future Cities in the Challenge Prize Centre working on the future of urban transport and global cities. Mark Westwood, Technical Director at the Transport Systems Catapult, working on the development and delivery of the Technology Strategy for Intelligent Mobility, alongside leading a portfolio of autonomous vehicle related projects including the drone and driverless car domains. We also hear from Gareth Sumner, Foresight Manager in Transport for London's Innovation Directorate advising on how autonomous vehicles, drones and AI could change the way we move around London.

We’ve all heard of Artificial Intelligence by now, but what about Collective Intelligence (CI)? How we can mobilise human intelligence for the benefit of society, and what can we achieve when we combine the collective intelligence of crowds with AI? Is CI the missing link that drives forward human development while embracing the opportunities of technological progress? Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Professor Chris Lintott, Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. Chris is is involved in a number of popular science projects including Zooniverse, the world's largest platform for people-powered research Gregory Landua, CEO of Regen Network, a global community and platform focused on ecological monitoring and regeneration Eva Grobbink, Researcher in Nesta's Centre for Collective Intelligence Design, working on ways to address how humans and computers can work together more intelligently in order to tackle social problems. We also hear from Christine Von Raesfeld, patient advocate from PatientsLikeMe, which has been using Collective Intelligence in the field of health.