Future Tense

Future Tense

A critical look at new technologies, new approaches and new ways of thinking, from politics to media to environmental sustainability.

Episodes

Emotional Intelligence and the promise of a better workplace

July 10, 2022 • 29 mins
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?
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Algorithmic audiencing, bioluminescent lighting and the virtues of a circular city

July 3, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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A non-proliferation treaty for fossil fuels

June 26, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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Reembracing the spirit of public service

June 19, 2022 • 29 mins
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.  
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Cities – the hot beds of evolution

June 12, 2022 • 29 mins
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. 
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Disinformation and propaganda in a time of conflict

June 5, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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The Earth BioGenome Project; the church of women; and what do we really think about facial recognition technology?

May 29, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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The population conundrum

May 22, 2022 • 29 mins
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?
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Does data science need a Hippocratic oath?

May 15, 2022 • 29 mins
The use and misuse of our data can have enormous personal and societal consequences, so what ethical constraints are there on data scientists?
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Cliodynamics, the Hinge of History and why all history is revisionist

May 8, 2022 • 29 mins
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?
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Big data and farming – the promise and the fear

May 1, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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A slow move towards a plastic free future

April 24, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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Are Sovereign Wealth Funds the best way of safeguarding the future?

April 17, 2022 • 29 mins
There are currently around 150 of these funds in the world worth in excess of $USD 9 trillion.
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Space-based Solar – energy above the clouds

April 10, 2022 • 29 mins
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?
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The future of satire is no laughing matter

April 3, 2022 • 29 mins
Satire has been around for thousands of years, but is its power dwindling?
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Forgetting, not memory, moves us forward

March 27, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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When development aid goes wrong - propping up bad regimes

March 20, 2022 • 29 mins
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?  
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The fall of cash & the rise of central bank digital currencies

March 13, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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Drones, witnessing and the view from above

March 6, 2022 • 29 mins
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.
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Banning books and floating suburbs

February 27, 2022 • 29 mins
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?
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