I contributed this interview to Futures Thinking: Using a Multidisciplinary Approach, a Routledge book by Luca Simeone, Martino Bellincampi, Andrea Modica Bosinco, and Giacomo Spaini.
I’m sharing the book’s back-cover description here because it gives useful context for the conversation:
In an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving world, Futures Thinking: Using a Multidisciplinary Approach offers an essential guide for navigating the uncertainty of our times.
This book integrates the rigour of traditional social research methodologies, the precision of data science, the visionary insights of foresight, alongside the inclusive principles of participatory design. Essential methods, such as horizon scanning, scenario building, and trend analysis, are presented, highlighting how these can help governments, organizations, and individuals navigate uncertainty. The importance of imagining possible and plausible futures to inform decisions is discussed, along with how futures thinking fosters strategic innovation. By equipping readers with the tools to interpret and imagine diverse future trajectories, it demonstrates how combining data analysis, strategic foresight, and community engagement can drive sustainable, inclusive solutions. Presenting a new and deeply researched methodology, the book encourages readers to adopt a long-term mindset, essential for addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow. Expert contributors from industry, academia, government, and NGOs—including Jim Dator, Jeanette Kwek, Sohail Inayatullah and his digital twin, Preira, and Anne-Katrin Bock—enhance this essential guide for navigating uncertainty through their futures thinking expertise.
In the interview, I talk about the possibilities of futures work: the value of stories and future artefacts, the difficulty of keeping foresight open and visionary, the bewildering arrival of large language models, and the social practice of imagining alongside other people.
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