Humans and Technology

A look at how technologies from AR/VR, brain-computer interfaces, and chip implants to health trackers, biometrics and social media are changing the most basic aspects of human life—work, friendship, love, aging, sickness, parenting, learning, and building community.

Humans and Technology

Freeman Dyson remembered by people who knew him: “an unusual visionary”

Colleagues reflect on the life and work of the renowned physicist, who died last week.

Freeman Dyson (center) with colleagues

Humans and Technology

Freeman Dyson in his own words

One of the 20th century’s foremost physicists died today.

Freeman Dyson

Humans and Technology

Zooming

A fiction story about the future

zoom illustration

Humans and Technology

Predictions for 2030 by people shaping the world

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the elite of the elite gather to hatch plans for the future of the planet. I asked some of this year’s participants to tell me one thing they think will happen by 2030 that most people don’t realize.

World Economic Forum session with Ronaldo Lemos et al

Humans and Technology

The professionals who predict the future for a living

Everywhere from business to medicine to the climate, forecasting the future is a complex and absolutely critical job. So how do you do it—and what comes next?

Inez Fung

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The WHO got on TikTok to teach teens about coronavirus

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Robots that teach autistic kids social skills could help them develop

In recent years, advancements in socially-assistive robots have opened up a promising new way for more affordable and personalized care.

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5 of the best books about prediction

Predictions of any importance are never only about saying what will happen. Right or wrong, they also shape the course of events.

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Editor’s letter: How to predict what’s coming in 2030 and beyond

An introduction to our March/April 2020 special issue on prediction

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Five forces that will shape the future

These are the big trends of the coming decades that need to be considered for any new technologies to be successful.

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Humans and Technology

A brief history of the future

This publication has been predicting what comes next for 120 years. Here’s what some of those predictions have looked like through the decades.

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Humans and Technology

Joshua Kushner’s Bedford is a social network for just two people

The app is another entrant in the new age of intimate social media. Can it actually make you feel closer to someone?

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How big tech hijacked its sharpest, funniest critics

Without design fiction, critical hits like Black Mirror would look very different.

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Humans and Technology

The robot does the hard work. Can you still attain enlightenment?

The robot mandala is a faster and—proponents argue, easier—way to create the traditional sand artwork used for Buddhist meditation.

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Humans and Technology

Snapchat will now offer mental health tools in the app

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