Julian Bleecker, BSEE, MSEng, Ph.D. visited Chapman University on February 28, 2024, to deliver the annual Bensussen Lecture in the Arts Series, invited by Professor Justin St. P. Walsh. The visit included engaging with students and faculty who have integrated Design Fiction into their curriculum, demonstrating the impact of Near Future Laboratory's work.

Week 7 of 2024 at the Near Future Laboratory from the Discord. Highlights include advancements in artificial intelligence in healthcare, ethical AI licensing, speculative design fiction, innovative product design narratives, and the latest on critical and emerging technologies. It was a week filled with thought-provoking content on AI, design fiction, speculative futures, and more, shared by a creative community passionate about shaping the future.

Chris Butler talking about the future of decision-making in an era of AI.

ARUP's Abundance Film

Near Future Laboratory Podcast Episode 084 Thrilling Wonder Stories is a podcast that delves into the intersection of science, technology, and the arts. It features discussions on a wide range of topics including consciousness, film special effects, artificial intelligence, and science fiction. The podcast aims to explore futuristic ideas and the potential of human creativity through insightful dialogue. It's a resource for listeners interested in speculative concepts and the exploration of how technology influences society and culture.

Read about the creation of an iPhone app that points users towards the center of the galaxy, highlighting the ease of technology use and development with AI tools. The post also discusses the impact of AI on traditional programming skills, including perspectives on the future of coding craftsmanship and the debate over technology's role in democratizing innovation versus diminishing expert skill sets. Features reflections on personal achievements in technology and the philosophical implications of AI in programming.

The continuing journey to foster a community-driven creative renaissance through collaboration, coordination, and amplification. The new Token Ring Web Ring initiative leverages structured communication to promote cooperative work and envision more habitable future worlds.

Imagination is often dismissed as childish, or a frill. But it also lets us picture alternative futures, and technologies that haven't been invented yet. So how do we harness our imagination? And in an age where Big Tech promises to solve our problems for us, how do we use our imaginations to build the futures we want?

A design fiction magazine from a possible AI future and podcasting with Radha Mistry and Nora Young