UNLEASHing the future of humanity
It is 13 August, 2030 and the United Nations, supported by the UNLEASH Innovation Lab Talents, is celebrating the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals. Oceans have been purged off the toxic plastic that had only a few years ago, threatened the extinction of many a sea life. Coal mines have been shut the world over and some have even been converted into the Museum of Sustainable Energy. Most automobiles are battery run and those that still use petrol and diesel are rare and heavily taxed. Streets are lined with smart trees where each tree absorbs pollutants equivalent to 375 natural trees. These are connected to the Internet of Things giving real time data on the pollution level in each area. Interestingly, farmers make up one of the most technologically ‘smart’ segments of society; through their urban farming techniques, they have actively contributed to urbanising the world while ensuring fresh produce to everyone. And block chain is a part of one’s everyday life. Money transaction, voting, creative exchanges, everything is logged into the transparent blockchain system, including housing. There are fewer ownerships and spaces are designed to be multifunctional to be easily retrofitted into the desired function. You say, ‘What about job loss , AI and automation?’ Well, governments and companies have finally cracked Universal Basic Income. The profit from companies is used to provide free healthcare and education. And individuals use Open Source Platforms to learn, network, collaborate and innovate. All in all, we have successfully managed to reverse the effects of climate change, eradicated poverty and built a harmonious and creative society.
It is 13 August, 2017 and the first batch of UNLEASH Innovation Lab is gathered in Copenhagen to collectively discuss and implement strategies to fulfil the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The scenario above is indeed one of utopia, too good to be true! But that is the spirit a 1000 of us from more that 115 countries have gathered with. Passionate about one or more issues, we come equipped with diverse skills and ideas to collectively tackle the issues.
I am one of the 1000 Talents and I come with a conventionally varied path that designer’s are only too familiar with. I did not begin with the intention of solving global issues. But rather, my fascination and passion for horizon scanning, trend research, human-centred design and creating possible, probable and preferable scenarios about the future paved my way to developing preferable futures for humanity. I come to UNLEASH as a Design Researcher and Futurist, ready to propose Open Source Platforms as a solution to the automation economy, bitcoins for the farmers of India, Data for All as a platform for the ethical use of user data and a blockchain system to better integrate international migrants into the economy. As I write this, the opening ceremony for UNLEASH is about to start and I am thinking that it is really not about solving pressing issues as much as it is about imagining a harmonious and preferable future for humanity and collaboratively making those futures our present.
