A Brief History of the Future

Examine the ways we often see the future as a rigid and singular concept rather than the multiple possible futures before us, the crucial need to think much, much bigger about what could come next, and how we all have more personal agency than we realize.

Ari travels to Iceland, a country powered entirely by renewable energy. He explores a large-scale geothermal power plant that contributes 30% of the country’s electricity and powers a local greenhouse to grow large quantities of food throughout all seasons. Ari reflects on how these serve as sustainable solutions in this particular area that can inspire us to rethink our energy sources.

Ari meets world renowned athlete Kylian Mbappé to discuss the vital importance of visualizing success, both personally and collectively, as we work towards building better futures.

Ari explores the power of deliberative democracy, where citizens are actively involved in decision-making processes. Ari speaks with the French president Emmanuel Macron about the country’s use of citizen conventions to address major challenges and how they can serve as an example of how this approach can work.

Ari speaks with Pete Buttigieg about how building better infrastructure and transportation can influence human connection and cooperation. Buttigieg also explains the importance of designing communities that encourage interaction and relationships.

Humans are inherently social and throughout history our unique capacity for cooperation has set us apart. As we grow and evolve, the internal changes we enact have the potential to impact those around us, our broader communities and societies.

Ari travels to Amsterdam to experience a floating village that showcases an innovative approach to sustainable living and community building. The community's commitment to sustainability, shared resources, and social interaction serves as a model for fostering human connection and environmental responsibility.

Ari visits Austin, Texas to explore the latest innovation in homebuilding 3D printing. Melodie Yashar explains the process of 3D printing homes and its potential to address the global housing crisis and life on other planets. The example of a 3D-printed community in Austin showcases the speed and efficiency of this technology.

A rapidly changing modern world, with its technological advancements and pressing global issues, challenges traditional notions of what it means to be human. Designer Dani Clode shows Ari her third thumb invention and discusses how human augmentation raises questions about how these technologies will reshape our understanding of humanity.

Ari explores the human ability to increase empathy and compassion, what values we are instilling into artificial intelligence technologies, and the need to create both a better world and a better humanity for life to flourish on this planet.

Ari explores the powerful potential of AI to transform how we create art going forward. He speaks with musician Grimes and later experiences an immersive AI powered live art exhibit in Brooklyn.

How do the stories we tell shape the boundaries of our beliefs about what is possible? From the dawn of time, stories are how humans have made sense of the world. This episode emphasizes the fundamental role stories play in our lives, our inclination towards dystopian narratives, and the potential for bigger, better stories to unleash the power of human imagination and creativity moving forward.