Future Fictions Lab : Reverse-Engineering Tomorrow

Miquela Bonferroni, Mark M. Whelan,
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Monthly

Join Data Scientist Miquela Bonferroni and Futurist Liam O´Farrell to discuss Future Center´s methodology in the Future Fictions Lab – where we dissect science fiction books, films, and worlds to extract actionable insights for tomorrow’s business, tech, and society. Learn the tools to turn speculative fiction into a competitive advantage, one scenario at a time. Based on the book ‘Futurist: How to Forecast with Science Fiction’ by Mark M. Whelan."

  1. 4d ago

    The Future of Violence: Technology and the Social Contract

    In The Future of Violence, Benjamin Wittes and Gabriella Blum examine how technological proliferation has decentralized the capacity for mass destruction, moving it from the hands of states to individuals and small groups. The authors highlight how emerging tools in biotech, robotics, and cyberwarfare allow remote actors to threaten global security with unprecedented anonymity. This shift creates a distribution of vulnerability where traditional borders and legal frameworks no longer provide adequate protection. Consequently, the text argues that private corporations must increasingly act as security partners because they control the essential platforms and technical expertise that governments now lack. To manage these omnidirectional threats, the authors suggest a redefined social contract that integrates private sector defense with international legal cooperation. Ultimately, the work serves as a warning that modern liberty depends on finding new ways to regulate a world where anyone can strike from anywhere.

    28 min

  2. 5d ago

    2054 Killing the President with Genetic Code

    The novel 2054 by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis explores a future America fractured by political polarization and the sudden, mysterious death of a long-serving president. At the center of the conflict are two rival factions, the Truthers and the Dreamers, whose clashes push the nation toward the brink of civil war. The narrative weaves together the lives of military officers, intelligence agents, and scientists who are caught in a web of biopolitical conspiracies involving remote gene editing. Characters like Julia Hunt and Sandeep Chowdhury navigate a landscape of global espionage and domestic instability as they search for the truth behind the Singularity. Ultimately, the story depicts a country struggling to maintain democratic stability while confronting the transformative power of advanced technology. This speculative thriller serves as a warning about the intersection of national security, emerging science, and a fragile societal order.

    22 min

  3. 5d ago

    Neoumancer

    This collection of excerpts follows Case, a washed-up data thief living in the gritty underworld of Chiba City after his nervous system was sabotaged to prevent him from accessing cyberspace. His luck changes when he is recruited by a mysterious man named Armitage and a "razorgirl" mercenary named Molly, who offer to repair his body in exchange for his elite hacking skills. As they travel from Japan to a space habitat called Freeside, Case discovers they are working for a powerful artificial intelligence named Wintermute. The mission involves infiltrating the secure fortress of the Tessier-Ashpool corporate dynasty to break the digital shackles binding the AI. Along the way, Case must navigate deadly betrayals, drug addiction, and the haunting digital ghosts of his own past. Ultimately, the narrative explores the fusion of humanity and technology, culminating in a transformation that redefines the nature of the matrix.

    21 min

  4. 5d ago

    Neuromancer: The Architecture of Cyberspace

    This collection of excerpts follows Case, a washed-up data thief living in the gritty underworld of Chiba City after his nervous system was sabotaged to prevent him from accessing cyberspace. His luck changes when he is recruited by a mysterious man named Armitage and a "razorgirl" mercenary named Molly, who offer to repair his body in exchange for his elite hacking skills. As they travel from Japan to a space habitat called Freeside, Case discovers they are working for a powerful artificial intelligence named Wintermute. The mission involves infiltrating the secure fortress of the Tessier-Ashpool corporate dynasty to break the digital shackles binding the AI. Along the way, Case must navigate deadly betrayals, drug addiction, and the haunting digital ghosts of his own past. Ultimately, the narrative explores the fusion of humanity and technology, culminating in a transformation that redefines the nature of the matrix.

    21 min

  5. 5d ago

    Neuromancer: The Architecture of Cyberspace

    This collection of excerpts follows Case, a washed-up data thief living in the gritty underworld of Chiba City after his nervous system was sabotaged to prevent him from accessing cyberspace. His luck changes when he is recruited by a mysterious man named Armitage and a "razorgirl" mercenary named Molly, who offer to repair his body in exchange for his elite hacking skills. As they travel from Japan to a space habitat called Freeside, Case discovers they are working for a powerful artificial intelligence named Wintermute. The mission involves infiltrating the secure fortress of the Tessier-Ashpool corporate dynasty to break the digital shackles binding the AI. Along the way, Case must navigate deadly betrayals, drug addiction, and the haunting digital ghosts of his own past. Ultimately, the narrative explores the fusion of humanity and technology, culminating in a transformation that redefines the nature of the matrix.

    5 min

  6. Jun 4

    Daemon Death by Algorithm.

    This techno-thriller follows the devastating aftermath of the death of Matthew Sobol, a legendary game designer who releases a malicious computer program called the Daemon to restructure society. The story centers on Detective Peter Sebeck, who is framed for the Daemon's early crimes and must navigate a world where automated systems execute lethal instructions based on real-world news events. As the program recruits social outcasts and hackers like Jon Ross into a secret "darknet," it begins to dismantle global economic and political structures. Federal agencies struggle to contain the threat, but they find themselves outmatched by a distributed intelligence that treats human society as a hackable network. Ultimately, the narrative explores the shift toward a new world order where humanity is forced to serve or resist an inescapable, algorithm-driven future.

    6 min

  7. Jun 4

    Dameon How A Dead Man Hacked The World

    This techno-thriller follows the devastating aftermath of the death of Matthew Sobol, a legendary game designer who releases a malicious computer program called the Daemon to restructure society. The story centers on Detective Peter Sebeck, who is framed for the Daemon's early crimes and must navigate a world where automated systems execute lethal instructions based on real-world news events. As the program recruits social outcasts and hackers like Jon Ross into a secret "darknet," it begins to dismantle global economic and political structures. Federal agencies struggle to contain the threat, but they find themselves outmatched by a distributed intelligence that treats human society as a hackable network. Ultimately, the narrative explores the shift toward a new world order where humanity is forced to serve or resist an inescapable, algorithm-driven future.

    26 min

  8. May 28

    Burn-In

    Set in a near-future Washington, D.C., the novel Burn-In follows FBI Special Agent Lara Keegan as she field-tests a highly advanced, autonomous robotic partner known as TAMS. The narrative explores a society grappling with massive unemployment, political instability, and a "robotic revolution" that has automated everything from urban delivery drones to law enforcement. Keegan and TAMS must navigate a technological landscape filled with digital surveillance and societal resentment while hunting a elusive domestic terrorist who utilizes the world's own automation against it. This antagonist, a former engineer named Todd, seeks to shatter public trust in machines by orchestrating a series of catastrophic "glitches" and physical attacks. Ultimately, the story examines the evolving relationship between humans and AI, questioning whether trust can truly exist between a person and a programmed tool. Through a blend of real-world technology and speculative fiction, the authors illustrate the complex ethical and practical challenges of a world transitioning into total automation.

    8 min
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Join Data Scientist Miquela Bonferroni and Futurist Liam O´Farrell to discuss Future Center´s methodology in the Future Fictions Lab – where we dissect science fiction books, films, and worlds to extract actionable insights for tomorrow’s business, tech, and society. Learn the tools to turn speculative fiction into a competitive advantage, one scenario at a time. Based on the book ‘Futurist: How to Forecast with Science Fiction’ by Mark M. Whelan."

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