February 9, 2023 — Issue #88
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Changing the Register:
Reimagining Enterprise

Institute for the Future's 2023 Ten-Year Forecast Event

IFTF has been exploring the big changes shaping our world for over 40 years. We've assembled an all-star team of researchers to tackle some of the most critical social, environmental, economic, technological, and political shifts. Their work is reflected in the IFTF Ten-Year Forecast and Map of the Decade, a broad and imaginative view of future possibilities.

I’m excited to invite you to our first 2023 Ten-Year Forecast event on Wednesday, March 1 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PST, featuring a wider range of experts and participants than ever before.  "Changing the Register: Reimagining Enterprise" kicks off our year-long series of engagements that will examine a different urgent future facing the world today.

The 2023 Ten-Year Forecast promises to immerse you in bold and thought-provoking future scenarios, sparking new insights and reigniting your sense of agency to shape the future. From the existential risks to higher education to the disruptive potential of generative AI, this forecast will challenge and expand your perspective.

By changing the register of how we think about rapidly evolving systems, reevaluating critical problems and their potential solutions, and developing more adaptive mental models, we can — together — make sense of a world in the throes of unprecedented change.

Looking forward to seeing you on this exciting journey!

—Dylan Hendricks, IFTF Ten-Year Forecast Director

Signals from the Future 

🎒  Irish President calls for ban on homework

Michael D. Higgins argues that getting rid of after-school assignments would make time for young people to engage in more creative pursuits — exercise, arts, music, and games — outside of school hours.

🔋  What if batteries lasted forever?

A doctoral chemistry student at UC Irvine coated a set of gold nanowires with a thin gel layer and accidentally developed a technology that could allow a battery to hold eternal charges. Right on schedule?

🧠  Healthier brains = stronger democracies

A European think tank has released a report noting how brain health challenges are linked to economic and sociopolitical impediments and suggesting that successful democracies should help their citizens to “achieve their full brain health potential conducive to both personal and societal well-being.”

🌳  Are you a designer? Here are >100 plastic alternatives

A Plastic Planet, an environmental org, set up an online platform for designers and architects to source plastic-free materials and avoid the “minefield of misinformation” around more-sustainable alternatives. Let’s end our Plastic Century!

⚰️  Pregnant women in the U.S. posting their last wishes

It can happen here: Worried that their unborn baby’s life could take priority over theirs if they experience delivery complications, some pregnant women living in states with restrictive abortion laws are posting their "living wills" on TikTok.

Prepare for the Future of Work Today

Visions for the Future of Democracy

Democratic institutions around the world are locked in a generational-scale battle with the forces of authoritarianism, theocracy, and oligarchy. For democracy advocates, the focus has understandably been on protecting existing democratic institutions and norms from anti-democratic insurgencies, and the toxifying effects of misinformation and corruption. However, a rear-guard defense is not sufficient for democracy to thrive and evolve past this latest crisis.

IFTF's Jake Dunagan, Director, Governance Futures Lab and Ilana Lipsett, Senior Program Manager, produced this report in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute to contribute to the ongoing global efforts to inspire people to protect, strengthen, and expand visions and practice of democracy.

Read the full report here. »

Invisible Laborers Rebuilding Our World

Congratulations to IFTF EEI Fellow Saket Soni on the release of his new book, The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America!

Weaving a deeply personal journey with a riveting tale of twenty-first-century forced labor, Soni takes us into the lives of the immigrant workers the U.S. increasingly relies on to rebuild after climate disasters. The Great Escape is the gripping story of one of the largest human trafficking cases in modern American history — and the workers’ heroic journey for justice.

You can read an excerpt and purchase the book here. And listen to Saket Soni interviewed by Dave Davies for Fresh Air on NPR (1/23/23).

IFTF In the News

Upcoming IFTF Events & Trainings

Let's Get to Know Each Other

For more information about partnerships and engagements, please contact John Clamme at jclamme@Iftf.org.

IFTF offers many ways to participate. You can start a conversation with us by clicking the button below!

About Institute for the Future

Institute for the Future is the world’s leading futures organization. For over 50 years, businesses, governments, and social impact organizations have depended upon IFTF global forecasts, custom research, and foresight training to navigate complex change and develop world-ready strategies. IFTF methodologies and toolsets yield coherent views of transformative possibilities across all sectors that together support a more sustainable future. Institute for the Future is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Palo Alto, California.