A story about what happens when an AI goes to therapy.
Future Tense is a partnership of New America and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy and society.
Future Tense is the citizen’s guide to the future.
The partnership provides insightful, timely, and unexpected analysis at the intersection of technology and society through written commentary, original fiction, and live events in Washington, D.C. and beyond.
Recent Events
Tracing Pathways to Positive Climate Futures (Online)
How can we tell stories about the climate crisis that motivate change in the present, while bridging global coordination with local complexities and values? Join us for the launch of The Climate Action Almanac, a book of short fiction, essays, and art that chart possible pathways toward a vibrant, decarbonized future, grounded both in science and in geographic and cultural particularities. Presented by Future Tense, the ClimateWorks Foundation, and Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination and Convergence Lab.
What Zombies Can Teach Us About Surviving the Apocalypse (Online)
How prepared are you to survive the zombie apocalypse? Would your community struggle not to fall apart, or would your neighbors come together? Imagining the zombie apocalypse is more than just another fun seasonal activity. The collective imagination that surrounds many of our morbid fascinations is actually incredibly useful as a purposeful stress test for harder-to-conceptualize future disasters. Join Future Tense and ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination for a lighthearted conversation on how to prepare for dire eventualities.
Future Tense Fiction
A series of original science fiction stories crafted by leading authors, exploring how science and technology will change our lives in the future. Each story is paired with a response essay by an expert in a related field.
A story about geoengineering, billionaire hubris, and “altruistic” narcissism.
By Jeff Hewitt
A story about a copyright lawsuit against a prolific A.I. author.
A story about a dinner party, an accident, AI, and the slipperiness of ethics.
Best of Future Tense
Future Tense publishes commentary by researchers and scholars at Arizona State University, alongside many other writers and thinkers from the fields of journalism, public policy, science and technology, and more.
