Terms like "Gen Z", "Boomer" and "Millennial" are popular, but they have no basis in science. Demographers and social scientists are now pushing back. Generational labelling, they argue, is akin to Astrology and while politicians, journalists and media influencers find them irresistible, they actually promote pseudo-science, sew social division and can reinforce prejudicial stereotypes. So why are generational labels so popular? Original broadcast on February 9, 2025. Guests Professor Bobby Duff...
Jan 15, 2026•29 min
It certainly feels like a very shouty world. But have we really reached a new low point in civility? And, if so, where to from here? We examine what civility really entails and how it can help foster cooperation but also lead to the submission of minorities. And did you know that even the design of our urban spaces can shape and limit acts of civility? So, how can we make our cities more sociable? Original broadcast on March 23, 2025. Guests Dr Eduardo Sadoval — Social Roboticist, UNSW Dr Saara ...
Jan 08, 2026•29 min
Rana Sylvatica is an unassuming wood frog with an extraordinary gift. In the depths of winter, it can slow down its metabolism, flood its cells with ice and remain in a state of suspended animation for months. But it's what it might be able to teach us about preserving human organs for transplant that has scientists really excited. Also, the menagerie in an icy test tube — San Diego's Frozen Zoo and the fight to preserve biodiversity. Original broadcast on October 27, 2024. Guests Dr Ken Storey ...
Jan 01, 2026•29 min
There’s a growing public sense that the current model of the social contract is broken, due in large part to rising inequality and the pursuit of profit over social progress. The “social contract” defines the relationship between citizens, their government and business. Its modern form emerged after WWII and, in western democracies, was largely structured around the principles of the welfare state. It’s about equity, order and trust. So, does the essence of the social contract still have value? ...
Dec 25, 2025•29 min
Sometimes, despite the hype, despite extensive funding, and despite clever and ingenious thinking, good ideas fail. Or at least don’t live up to their initial promise. There are lessons to be learnt and interesting anecdotes to be told. In this episode we look at four future-focused projects that have never really taken off: Google Glass, solar roads, space tourism and hyperloop technology. Original broadcast on November 24, 2024. Guests Dr Paul Sutter – Astrophysicist, SUNY Stony Brook and the ...
Dec 18, 2025•29 min
This is the program’s final episode and, as such, we look back over the past 17 years. What did the future look like back in 2009 when the show first aired? What have been the major trends during that time? Which predictions came to fruition and which didn’t? And what cautions do our guests have as we look ahead? Guests Mica Sifry – US-based writer and editor Neema Singh Guliani – lawyer and policy expert Cory Doctorow – Canadian-British blogger, journalist and sci-fi author Professor Michael Ma...
Dec 11, 2025•29 min
How many of the articles you see on the internet are actually written by AI, not by humans? We'll give you a figure based on the latest research. Also, why is Google moving away from its well-established search-engine algorithm in favour of AI-generated summaries; The importance of remembering that urban planning isn't just about buildings, it's about people and spaces; And how digital technology is opening up a new relationship between humans and animals. Guests Megan Morrone – Tech editor, Axi...
Dec 04, 2025•29 min
Designing a futuristic city is a fraught task — a mixture of ambition, state of the art technology, inevitable budget blowouts and the need to not just inspire, but awe. We get an update on the progress of two mega metropolises — Xiongan in China and Neom in Saudi Arabia. Also, how a better understanding of the brain can help deter future conflicts. Guests Dr Andrew Stokols — Assistant Professor of Urban Studies, Singapore Management University Eliot Brown — London-based reporter, Wall Street Jo...
Nov 27, 2025•29 min
The global Covid 19 lockdown may seem like an eternity ago, but the threat of another full-scale pandemic has never resided. Scientists warn that as the Arctic permafrost continues to melt ancient viruses and bacteria are gradually being freed from the ice. The risks are significant, but researchers are working to identify potential threats and better prepare the world for future pandemics. Uppermost in many minds is the need to ensure future global cooperation in the event of another zoonotic o...
Nov 20, 2025•29 min
Negotiations over a global treaty on microplastics have broken down. So, where to from here for one of the world's biggest environmental threats? We also get an update on new efforts to clean-up the cement production industry; and we look at AI chatbots and the increasing role they're playing as sources of advice and emotional support. Guests Dr Pratik Sachdeva — Senior Data Scientist, D-Lab, University of California, Berkeley Dr Shababa Selim — Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEX Professor Paul...
Nov 13, 2025•29 min
It's exactly three years since ChatGPT burst onto the scene. In that short period of time the process of academic assessment has been in upheaval. Across the world educators are trying to address how students should be assessed and whether AI can be used for more than just helping a student to cheat. But a growing number of education researchers say the real emphasis should be on promoting critical thinking and ensuring future students learn how to learn. Guests Professor Dragan Gasevic — Head o...
Nov 06, 2025•29 min
In this programme we hear three thoughtful perspectives on the threat digital technologies pose for democracy. Henry Farrell from Johns Hopkins University argues disinformation must be tackled at a group level, not an individual one. Philosopher, John Tasioulas, says modern representative democracy is too easily corrupted by big tech. And AI specialist, Marcus Beard, introduces us to the phenomenon he calls "slopaganda". Guests Professor John Tasioulas — ethicist and immediate former Director of...
Oct 30, 2025•29 min
Long before AI dominated the media hype-cycle, self-driving cars surfed the hyperbolic wave. But fully automated vehicles have now been a long time in development, long enough that we've decided it's time for an update. So, how advanced is the technology and where is the demand? We also find out about consumer attitudes toward the "driver-assist" technologies that are now routinely fitted into modern cars. Surprise, surprise, it seems not everyone wants to be told how to drive. Guests Associate ...
Oct 23, 2025•29 min
While technology platforms increasingly dictate the way we write and converse, language is being modified to fight back, to subvert the platforms. In this show we examine the growth of "algospeak". And if you want to know how we'll all be communicating in the future, just listen to the way teenage girls speak, because young women lead the ongoing development of language. Original broadcast on July 7, 2024 Guests Dr James Cohen – Assistant Professor, Media Studies, Queens College, City University...
Oct 16, 2025•29 min
We build more and more homes for growing urban populations. But doing so without providing much needed amenities doesn't serve our suburbs and the people who live in them. It risks confounding social isolation and urban sprawl. There's also climate change to consider. In a heating world, how do we plan our suburbs to deal with higher temperatures? Are the cities and suburbs of the future going to be livable for our children and our children's children? Rob Kelly investigates Guests Andrew Crowe ...
Oct 09, 2025•28 min
The remote Canadian island of Oikiqtaruk is disappearing fast, but its cultural and environmental heritage is being captured in digital form. We talk to those involved in the project about its ambition and their success to date. Also, recreating long lost cultural artefacts. For the Madrid-based organisation Factum Foundation it's a journey of reconnection — a way that future generations can celebrate and cherish the character of their past. Guests Richard Gordon — Senior Park Ranger, Herschel I...
Oct 02, 2025•29 min
Australian rooftops are resplendent with solar panels, but sustainability expert, Martin Brueckner, warns the popular notion that we're rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels is deceptive. When you add Australia's fossil fuels exports to our domestic energy usage, he says, it's clear that "decarbonisation is yet to begin in earnest". Also, whatever happened to the dream that Australia could become a world leader in Green Hydrogen production? Guests Alison Reeve — Energy and Climate change ...
Sep 25, 2025•29 min
Globalisation isn’t what it used to be thanks to the legacy of the Covid-19 lockdown and, more recently, Donald Trump’s weaponisation of tariffs. But while it’s often given a bad rap, globalisation is about more than just trade, it’s also about the international exchange of ideas and talent. So, is it dying, withering or simply transforming? Listen to Future Tense - How to start your own golden age Guests Professor Richard Baldwin – International Economics, IMD Business School, Switzerland Profe...
Sep 19, 2025•29 min
The European Union is implementing a groundbreaking new tax: a carbon border tax. It's meant to prevent distortions between countries with differing emissions standards and so to reduce emissions. But will it work? The same can be asked about the International Maritime Organisation's proposed new carbon levy on shipping. Also on the show, an update on the Great Green Wall — China's mass-tree-planting project; and measuring stress in trees to improve resilience. Guests Associate Professor Anna Tr...
Sep 11, 2025•29 min
Existential risks to human life abound, from the threat of nuclear Armageddon; to an uninhabitable planet; or an AI-induced apocalypse. Understanding such risks and how we can best respond to them is the preoccupation of S. J. Beard. But the Cambridge University researcher also speaks of "existential hope", a way of addressing our fears without the doom and despair. Also, Monash University's, Neil Selwyn, makes the call for what he terms "digital degrowth" — decoupling our online world from the ...
Sep 04, 2025•29 min
We're now halfway through the UN-designated "Ocean Decade" — new research initiatives have been launched, and global cooperation has been strengthened as scientists work to learn more about our oceans and to harness their potential in the fight against adverse climate change. But there are still questions to be answered: How firm are the commitments made under the Ocean Decade arrangement? Why are many countries still lagging behind in ratifying the "High Seas" treaty? And what will a reduction ...
Aug 28, 2025•29 min
Humans have an evolutionary bias toward seeking convenience, experts say. But what happens when the desire for convenience becomes a dominant social and economic expectation? Future Tense explores the hidden costs of convenience for the environment and the economy. Making things too easy can in fact be bad for you. Guests Alison Angus — Head of Practice – Innovation Research, Euromonitor Dr Paul Harrison — Director of MBA Programme, Deakin University. Unit Chair of Consumer Behaviour, Department...
Aug 21, 2025•29 min
Policing has always embraced new technologies and Artificial Intelligence is, of course, the flavour of the month. Working out when and why it should be used is crucial, according to law enforcement specialists. What’s also important is ensuring appropriate human oversight. Future Tense - The creeping militarisation of our police Guests Dr Marion Oswald – Professor of Law, Northumbria University Philip Lukens – Former Police Chief, Alliance, Nebraska. Data-driven policing analyst Dr Nick Evans –...
Aug 14, 2025•29 min
How real is the link between Artificial Intelligence and increased productivity? Jon Whittle from the CSIRO, one of Australia's leading science agencies, has been examining the latest research. He helps us sort facts from fiction. Also, literacy and problem-solving skills have taken a dive in many developed countries — could an over-reliance on technology be part of the problem? And why understanding the literary style "Magic Realism" could help in developing better regulation for AI. Guests Jov...
Aug 07, 2025•29 min
Cities across the world are beginning to sink — some by as much as 10 centimetres a year. A recent study suggests that more than a third of urban Chinese resident now live in a sinking city. The cause is often ascribed to climate change, but is there something else at play? Could our thirst for water actually be the culprit? Also, how much do our urban environments contribute to the heating of the planet? A call to finally get serious about the climate impacts of city design. Guests Jeff Goodell...
Jul 31, 2025•29 min
We face multiple looming demographic crises — and our responses seemingly contradict each other. A rapidly aging population means that we need more children to be born. But it's foreseeable that resources on Earth simply can't sustain many more people. How can we solve this conundrum? Original broadcast on May 22, 2022 Guests Dr Stuart Gietel Basten — Professor of Social Science and Policy, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Dr Marco Amati — Associate professor of International Plann...
Jul 24, 2025•29 min
South Korea is a test case in how to maintain democracy against sustained pressure from dictatorship. The innovative and entrepreneurial country lives in the shadow of China and Russia, and its capital Seoul lies only 50km from the North Korean border. It hasn't been easy, but the difficulties South Korea faces and the way it deals with them could prove invaluable for other regional neighbours in responding to future economic and military aggression. Journalist Matt Smith has this special report...
Jul 17, 2025•29 min
Suffering internal division and stymied by geopolitical bullying, the United Nations is facing a future of diminishing influence. As the organisation marks its 80th birthday, it's also dealing with a serious financial shortfall brought on by both China and the United States, its two biggest donors. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has launched a major internal reform programme, but there are questions about whether his approach will rescue the global body or just cause further damage. Guests...
Jul 10, 2025•29 min
Synthetic biologists are hard at work developing artificial biological molecules as the first step toward developing a mirror cell that would be immune from infection. If they're successful, it could transform the world of medicine. But while the potential of mirror life is great, so too are the risks. There are warnings of a catastrophic impact if the cells can't be controlled. And that's prompted calls for a moratorium on the research. Guests Associate Professor Kate Adamala — Synthetic biolog...
Jul 03, 2025•29 min
What will Earth look like when humans become extinct? What "technofossils" will paleontologists of the future unearth and no doubt ponder over? Will we be remembered for our achievements or merely our rubbish? Also, which animals might rise to fill our role at the top of the pecking order? And is the future of live music really as dire as many predict? Guests Professor Sarah Gabbott — Paleobiologist, University of Leicester Joanna Thompson — Freelance science journalist based in New York Dr Chri...
Jun 26, 2025•29 min
