Inspiration

AI personal identification schemes are more and more capable of discerning who we are, and how we are. Recent research shows how our children’s virtual reality (VR) gaming systems can name users’ identities just by measuring how they move their heads, arms, and hands. In at least one notable case, the VR system supplier’s Privacy Policy grants a long list of rights to use and distribute those patterns.

Most stories about cultured meat or vegetable-based meat substitutes emphasize the profound environmental and health benefits. Those benefits are vital and true, but I want to focus on whether lab-made meat can compete as a business.

R&D is accelerating in the vital field of brain-machine interfaces (BMI). Elon Musk recently disclosed in a Clubhouse interview that at Neuralink, his BMI venture, a monkey is playing video games via neural implants. He also made some signature provocative projections like his ultimate goal of connecting brains with a powerful AI. “The future of the world will be controlled by the combined will of the people of the earth.” He said, “That might be the most important thing that a device like this achieves.”

World energy consumption is projected to grow by 50% in just 30 years. At the same time, civilization must reach net-zero carbon emissions lest tens of millions of people face displacement and impoverishment from heatwaves, drought, flooding, and pestilence. UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres told the Finance in Common Summit last November, “Science is clear: if we fail to meet these goals, the disruption to economies, societies and people caused by COVID-19 will pale in comparison to what the climate crisis holds in store.” Nuclear power, with no carbon emissions, may be a solution for our rapidly industrializing world.

In 2020, wildfires scorched 45 million acres (18 million hectares) in Australia, and fifty-eight thousand wildfires burned 10.27 million acres (4.16 million hectares) in the United States. California suffered an estimated $100B total economic cost from wildfires in a single year. Beyond numbers, people who faced incinerated homes and apocalyptic orange skies endure a lasting emotional impact.

When engaging in career planning, many of us end up unintentionally focusing exclusively on optimistic scenarios: “I want to do X, so I’ll do A, B, and C to make it happen.” Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of healthy optimism. But to ensure your plans are robust, you also need to identify and mitigate the potential risks that could threaten your vision for the future — and nothing has shown the importance of planning for risk more clearly than the current pandemic.