'A Brief History of the Future' Offers a Hopeful Antidote to a Cynical View of Technology

Image credits: PBS

Cynicism is an almost taken-for-granted trait in technology journalism, and we're certainly as guilty as the next publication. But the risks and promise of technology are both real, and a new documentary series seeks to emphasize the latter without downplaying the former. “A Brief History of the Future,” hosted by Ali Wallach, also has the appealing property of being completely free as a PBS production.

The show's theme is that while the dangers and disappointments of technology (often due to its subversion by business interests) are worth considering and documenting, the other side of the coin should also be highlighted. . Really important and compelling.

I spoke with Mr. Wallach. From the beginning, he unapologetically embraced the moniker “futurist,” suggesting that there was a danger of becoming blind to the transformative potential of technology, startups, and innovation. (Full disclosure: I met Ali years ago when I was going to Berkeley with her brother, but this is purely by chance.)

“The theory behind this case is that if you ask 10 Americans, 'What do you think about the future?' this is what you'll get. Nine out of 10 will say, 'That's scary,' or 'Everything is It's a technology problem.'' “This show is an intervention in a way in two ways,” Wallach explained.

The future, he says, is not just what Silicon Valley spokespeople tell you, what the “big dystopias” warn about, or even what TechCrunch writers predict.

In the six-episode series, he speaks with dozens of individuals, businesses, and communities about how they are working to improve and secure a future they will never see. From mushroom skins to ocean cleansing to death doulas, Wallach sees the same frightening future as the rest of us, but does nothing about it, no matter how hopelessly small or naive it may seem. Find people who are trying to do something.

“We wanted to bring the future into the living rooms of people who don't normally think about the future in a critical and open-minded way, in terms of the future you create,” he said. “People just aren't exposed to it. Because right now, there are so many reasons why being culturally critical and cynical comes across as smart and aware. But now we… We're getting to the point where if we continue to do that, we're going to lose the thread. We're going to lose the whole story of the larger human project.”

In other words, the point is not to pretend the problem doesn't exist, but rather that there are already enough people talking about it. Shouldn't we focus on what people are actually doing to solve problems?

Of course, there are the expected themes such as AI, automation, and climate, but also food, art, architecture, and more philosophical issues such as governance and values.

The most common objection my cynical mind had while watching was the classic “How does this scale?” And Wallach is quick to admit that many of them aren't.

“How do you scale, how do you monetize? This is a kind of Silicon Valley-ization, a dune road looking to the future. And there's a time and a place for that. It may go ahead. It doesn't matter. We've tried to inform and educate you on how to think differently about tomorrow, and here are some examples of people who are doing it. Here are some exemplary actions and actions to give people a sense of agency. For example, will we all live in 3D printed houses? Maybe not? “But if you think about the two to three billion people on the planet who don't have a home and how to provide housing for them, this could be part of that,” he continued.

“This is about solution-centricity, not purely VC solution-centricity. It's about how to solve the problems that we have, right?”

Mr. Wallach's thesis won his crew a golden ticket to travel the world and talk to numerous interesting people and companies. Vertical farms, mushroom skins and coral breeding. Pete Buttigieg, Emmanuel Macron, Reid Hoffman, Grimes, and soccer player Kylian Mbappé. And everyone seems relieved to be able to talk about future promises rather than future threats.

When I asked Wallach where and with whom he wished he had spent more time, he had three answers. One is a professor in northern Japan who uses a theatrical but highly effective method of getting elderly people to think about the future by pretending to have visited the future. Second, Lawrence he worked at Livermore National Laboratory, where he said the level of innovation and ambition was too high to describe in words. And third, he is a “death doula” who helps people overcome the fear of their own existence ending. (While technology is often discussed, it is not the only topic.)

Image credits: PBS

For those of you wondering what special interests are trying to appease you with this informative presentation about a kinder, wiser future…don't worry, I asked. And the shadowy corporation behind this surprisingly well-produced documentary is none other than the nefarious Public Broadcasting Service. That means, as mentioned above, not only will it be available to stream for free on PBS.org and YouTube (we'll add the first episode below as soon as it's live), but it will also air weekly on regular TV. Masu. Wednesday, 9 p.m. — “Right after Nova.”

The general audience for shows like this isn't interested in TikTok or, in many cases, streaming services, Wallach recalled. Millions of people, especially older adults who have not yet realized the promise of their future, turn on the television after dinner to watch local news, network shows, and perhaps documentaries like this one.

Wallach and his staff also created a classroom-specific version of the show that includes educational materials to follow up with students on the topics covered.

“This will be the first Future Curriculum to be implemented on a national scale, available to over 1.5 million teachers on the PBS education platform. That's 20 million kids. Cool. And it's free. .”

As a parting thought, Wallach talked about the shows he grew up with and how they emulate (but don't compare to) classic shows like Cosmos and The Power of He talked about how creating something (though he was careful) was the “best job.'' Connection with mythology.

“Cosmos changed the way I think about the universe. The way I think about the power of myth, faith, meaning, and psychology. I hope A Brief History of the Future will change the way people think about the future and tomorrow. I hope. That's the company we wanted to be in.”