The world's largest Universal Basic Income trial is currently underway in Kenya. It involves 295 villages and more than 20,000 families. The trial has just reached the two-year mark and Nobel-Prize winning economist, Abhijit Banerjee, joins us to talk about its progress – both economic and social. Also, why it's counterproductive to talk about "screentime" and people being "addicted" to their phones; and speech writer, Lucinda Holdforth, who worries that we've supplanted old fashioned values tha...
Apr 11, 2024•29 min
Most people want to eat better. And many of us have embraced the trend toward "natural" foods and conscious eating. We equate "natural" with healthy, nutritious and virtuous, but that can often be way off the mark. New research shows many healthy alternatives are anything but. And our embrace of the term natural is more about expressing identity and morality rather than healthy eating. Empowering people to understand what and how they should eat is what it should be about – and one way to do tha...
Apr 04, 2024•29 min
Why do otherwise sensible people continue to do things that are bad for them, that impact negatively on their personal future? Also, what happens in the brain when you're trying to make or break a habit? Temptation, addiction and habit formation – mapping the pathways to self-destruction and how to navigate a better course.
Mar 28, 2024•29 min
Authoritarians rule through fear. We can clearly see that from China to the Middle East to eastern Europe. But why do we constantly overlook the way in which fear also shapes democratic societies? It's fuelling populism and distorting our future focus. Then there's anger. It's inspired generations to man the barricades and right society's wrongs. But anger is increasingly becoming a driver of commerce. There's billions to be made in getting you riled up and keeping you that way. Fear fuels anger...
Mar 21, 2024•29 min
Algorithmic feeds are meant to personalise our online experiences, but increasingly they're flattening our culture and fostering a dull conformity, according to best-selling author Kyle Chayka. And the influence they exert on our lives is increasingly physical not just digital. Also, data scientist Gloria Mark who has crunched the numbers on how our attention spans have fared over the past decade or so. If you can keep focused, you might find it fascinating....
Mar 17, 2024•29 min
Nostalgia triggers our emotions and that in turn makes us vulnerable to manipulation. We speak with RICHARD KING about the commodification and weaponisation of nostalgic sentiment. Also, New York Times critic-at-large, Jason Farago, on why he believes our cultural age might be the least innovative in half a millennium.
Mar 10, 2024•29 min
Social cohesion is under strain. The result, researchers say, of economic, political and work-based pressures. At the same time levels of volunteering are falling and people are showing far less willingness to take part in community-based activities. Some even fear our "cultural evolution" has been disrupted. That is, the process by which our interactions shape future cultural norms. It's complicated.
Mar 03, 2024•29 min
Fans are spending thousands of dollars a month to support their favourite streamers on TikTok Live, but most of the money is going to TikTok itself.
Feb 25, 2024•29 min
Cambridge University has a new institute dedicated to understanding extraterrestrial languages. It's about being prepared for the possibility that intelligent life exists beyond our galaxy. Also, the dangers of being overly dramatic when talking about climate change; the link between indigenous language and health; and the researchers who say it's time for human being to wake up to the fact that it's not all about us.
Feb 18, 2024•29 min
Among the angst over the creative potential of Artificial Intelligence, some researchers and academics are now turning the spotlight back onto humans. If AI can be as imaginative as your average human being, they ask, what does that say about traditional notions of human creativity? Have we long overestimated our own smarts? It's also prompted a discussion about what "creativity" actually means and why the term only came into common usage during the second half of the last century....
Feb 11, 2024•29 min
Scientists are changing the genetics of cells so that they can be used for a whole range of purposes never before imagined. Think building a biocomputer with a processor powered by bacteria or re-engineering microbes to make environmentally-friendly concrete. The potential is enormous, but there are warnings from within the field, not to let the hype get ahead of reality.
Feb 04, 2024•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? ...
Jan 28, 2024•29 min
Many commentators bemoan the adolescent nature of modern society. Adults, they suggest, are acting like juveniles and thereby eroding our culture and destroying our politics. We hear two arguments to the contrary. Also, philosopher William MacAskill on his new book “What We Owe The Future”.
Jan 21, 2024•29 min
Our modern understanding of innovation isn't modern at all, it turns out. Historian, Iwan Rhys Morus, says we're being held back by Victorian-era notions of the future as a land to be conquered; and the lone-genius inventor as the standard bearer of technological advance. Which might explain why research productivity is now sharply declining, despite a substantial rise in research investment..
Jan 14, 2024•29 min
Exploring new ideas, new approaches, new technologies — the edge of change.
Jan 07, 2024•29 min
Are attitudes towards drinking changing as we learn more about the impact alcohol can have on our bodies? Drinking has been part of our social and cultural activities for centuries. But cultural norms appear to be shifting. So, could alcohol go the way of cigarettes and become socially unacceptable?
Dec 31, 2023•29 min
It might be an uncomfortable idea for many, but in the short term climate change will produce "winners" as well as losers. Some countries, companies, communities and species will actually benefit from a warming world. But in what ways and for how long?
Dec 24, 2023•29 min
Technology companies aren’t just stealing your intellectual property – your creative content - they’re making vast profits out of selling it back to you. AI-powered apps like ChatGPT are trained on vast amounts of stolen data. What’s worse, it’s all justified as a public good. They call it “efficient infringement”. So, why are they allowed to get away with it? And what can be done about it? Also, the Living Building Challenge – it’s about building better construction and healthier communities; a...
Dec 17, 2023•29 min
It's estimated that by 2050 more than 70 per cent of the world's population will live in cities. Urbanisation carries many benefits, but it also threatens to intensify the climate crisis. So, how do we better design our cities to minimise the "urban heat island" effect? The solutions are out there, but do we have the will to put them into practice?
Dec 10, 2023•29 min
The constant upgrading of technology is wearing people down — one in five Australians now saying they feel "overwhelmed" by technological change, according to a recent report. Those at greatest risk of falling further behind include the elderly, the indigenous and migrant and refugee communities. In both health and education there's a push underway to improve access to vital technologies and create a more inclusive digital environment
Dec 03, 2023•29 min
Unlike animals, trees don't have a biological clock, under ideal conditions they can live for thousands of years. Scientists say understanding how ancient trees have survived could help us protect forests from the ravages of climate change. But working out how to propagate them is the tricky part.
Nov 26, 2023•29 min
In this episode of Future Tense – why charities should have a limited future… getting academics and researchers to think about the end of their research, not just the beginning… and a thoughtful take on the outsourcing of our intelligence –what do we lose when we let machines think for us?
Nov 19, 2023•29 min
Austrian archaeologist, Immo Trinks, has a grand ambition – to map the entire landscape of Europe, below ground! The 3D scanning technology he's using won't just uncover hidden archaeological treasures, it can also be used to check below our cities and major transportation routes for geological faults. Also, why mucking about with subatomic particles could help scientists develop a form of underground GPS.
Nov 12, 2023•29 min
The hydrofoil looks set for a second coming – as a ferry. The boats, which are fitted with skis and electric batteries, literally plane across the top of the water. They're fast, less polluting than traditional passenger craft and could be the perfect marriage between climate-friendly technology and rapid transit needs. Authorities in Sweden and the UK are just about to begin trials. Also, turning trucks into trams – why are Swedish researchers looking to electrify their roads? And the floating,...
Nov 05, 2023•29 min
Amazon now feels more like a racket than an open shopping platform; you can't find posts from your friends on Facebook because it's clogged with unsolicited advertising; and Uber no longer seems like a cool, efficient taxi service, it's morphed instead into a global machine for turning gig workers into the new underclass – it's all part of a process Cory Doctorow has dubbed "enshittification". In this feature interview, the Canadian sci-fi author, journalist and digital rights activist explains ...
Oct 29, 2023•29 min
Advanced Artificial Intelligence and new digital technologies are revolutionising the architectural industry. Architects in Brisbane, for example, have mapped every millimetre of historic Lamb House using a 3D scanner – inside and out – and the speed and accuracy of their modelling saves money and prevents error. The opportunities for creativity are enormous, particularly where AI is concerned. But is the industry inadvertently making itself redundant?
Oct 22, 2023•29 min
Science and technology cannot solve our most challenging and complex environmental problems. At least not on their own, not without a greater emphasis on person-to-person engagement — people working together across knowledge systems. ABC Top 5 Science Media Resident, Dr Rohan Fisher, says sci-tech too often avoids the difficult, social-political and cultural dimensions. Human-generated problems require human-centric solutions, he argues. In this episode we explore how to utilise tech and science...
Oct 15, 2023•29 min
The Chinese Government, and its Central Bank, are currently experimenting with a digital currency. The hope is that it will make financial transactions faster, more efficient and cheaper for government, business and ordinary citizens. Some speculate it's about giving China's currency an edge over the PRC's major economic competitor, the United States. But whether Beijing's experiment succeeds or not will depend on matters of trust, surveillance and international appeal....
Oct 08, 2023•29 min
It's only a matter of time before people start worshipping Artificial Intelligence as a religion, that's what Philosopher and ethicist, Neil McArthur, believes. And he says while the emergence of AI-based religion would carry risks, there's no basis for discriminating between AI-based religions and more established ones. Also, why artists are sending their creations into the heavens and what makes for good "space art".
Oct 01, 2023•29 min
"Geoeconomic confrontation" ranks as one of the most severe risks facing the world, according to a recent World Economic Forum report. Trade is increasingly becoming a weapon of warfare, and the future consequences for world co-operation could be significant. So, should the use of sanctions be regulated by an international body? And if a global regulator was established would it have teeth?
Sep 24, 2023•29 min
