Wow! The 9th World Futures Day 24-hour conversation around the world!

Wow! The 9th World Futures Day 24-hour conversation around the world!

  • Posted by Mara Di Berardo
  • On 3 March 2022
  • 0 Comments
  • futures, global conversation, report, World Future Day, world futures day
WFD

The open, no-agenda discussion moved around the world among many cultures, academic and professional backgrounds, sharing a very broad range of understandings of future possibilities. It was a future-mind massage, making new neural connections in our brains, broadening our understanding of future issues and possibilities, and created brain/heart/planet connections.

Summarizing the main points of a global 24-hour conversation is very difficult if not impossible without AI, but Mara has volunteered with some of the MP organizational team. This may take a few months. In the meantime, my subjective reflections:

  • Some New Zealand/Australian participants stressed that traditional or indigenous views should inform futures research.
  • Participants were encouraged to read the UNSG’s report Our Common Agenda and ask their Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support in it speeches at the UN General Assembly.
  • Vint Cerf, Internet pioneer joined for the third year and discussed the future of the Internet and artificial intelligence.
  • Ted Gordon, Futurist pioneer co-founder of The Millennium Project commented on some changes in futures research over the years since his work at RAND.
  • World Futures Day can be considered a participatory horizon scanning method.
  • The Zimbabwe Node of The Millennium Project officially opened during WFD.

Some questions discussed:

  • What happens if future AGI’s from US, China, Alibaba, Google meet each other?
  • What are the long-term threats to humanity?
  • Could medical science lead to indefinite life extension?
  • If life is to go on indefinitely, don’t we have to leave the solar system?
  • What does foresight have to say about Ukraine?
  • Can Quantum General Intelligence be governed?
  • Is it possible to have enough bandwidth for 5+ billion people to be in the metaverse?
  • What is the future of cryptocurrencies and what are the environmental implications of its high energy needs?
  • What are the implications of digital censorship and biases to democracy?
  • Will future governments be artificial intelligence?
  • What are consequences of short-termism for decision making?
  • How should we change education and learning to face our global challenges?
  • What is the future of futures research and futurists?

One result from the 2021 World Futures Day was the open letter to the UN Secretary-General signed by over 200 thought-leaders from around the world asking for a feasibility study of a UN Office of Strategic or Existential Threats. This led to an RTDelphi created in cooperation with the UNSG’s office to explore how to implement five foresight elements of the new UNSG report: Our Common Agenda (pending final UNSG approval).

What will emerge from the 2022 World Futures Day this time?

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) requested and received endorsement from UNESCO to make World Futures Day on December 2nd UAE’s National Day. UAE/UNESCO staff was informed about the long-standing WFD of MP and they said they would like to collaborate with us, WFSF, and APF on December 2nd. I let them know I was coming to Dubai a couple of weeks ago, but they never responded to my email.

All the best,

Jerome C. Glenn

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WFD 2022 Organizing Committee: Jerome Glenn (CEO Millennium Project), Elizabeth Florescu (Director of Research, Millennium Project), Mara Di Berardo (Communication Director Millennium Project and Italian Node Co-chair), Paul Epping (Dutch Node Chair), Brock Hinzmann (Silicon Valley Node Chair).

The Millennium Project Partners for WFD 2022: Association of Professional Futurists: Shermon Cruz Shermon@afp.org; Humanity+: Natasha Vita-More, natasha@natashavita-more.com; World Academy of Art and Science: Gary Jacobs garry.jacobs@worldacademy.org; World Futures Studies Federation: Erik Ferdinand Overland, secretariat@wfsf.org.

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Some comments about 2022 WFD:

Enjoyed the dialogue!

Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer

I am awed by the depth and significance of the comments!

Ted Gordon, Futures Pioneer

It was great! You did an amazing job.

Victor Motti, Director, World Futures Studies Federation

Yesterday was a great day full of meaning and inspiration! Great insights!

Mariana Todorova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

We had many great discussions for World Futures Day.

Paul Werbos, NSF Program Manager (ret.)

These spaces are of great importance to share the real applications that we have been carrying out and the challenges that we still have to face.

Jhonattan E. Marcelo-Farfan, CEO Future Innovation Corp.