Future Tense

A critical look at new technologies, new approaches and new ways of thinking, from politics to media to environmental sustainability.

AI's "hidden labour" and the move toward a linkless internet
Apr 11, 2025 – 0:28:37
The roots of techno-authoritarianism
Apr 4, 2025 – 0:28:38
Some challenges to conventional economic thinking
Mar 28, 2025 – 0:28:38
Civility, trash talking and more sociable cities
Mar 21, 2025 – 0:28:38
Limitarianism — could a cap on wealth reduce inequality?
Mar 14, 2025 – 0:28:38
Understanding attention and a craving for certainty
Mar 7, 2025 – 0:28:38
Flow Batteries, windships, and a new approach to off-grid solar
Feb 28, 2025 – 0:28:38
Modern museums, accountability, and openness
Feb 21, 2025 – 0:28:38
Nuclear tombs and the distant discourse of danger
Feb 14, 2025 – 0:28:38
The danger of generational labelling
Feb 7, 2025 – 0:28:38
Could Utopian thinking save democracy?
Jan 31, 2025 – 0:29:08
How to ensure privatisation serves the public good
Jan 24, 2025 – 0:29:06
The vicious cycle of fear and anger — and how it traps society
Jan 17, 2025 – 0:29:08
Algorithms create a dull conformity — off and online
Jan 10, 2025 – 0:29:08
The must-have skill for the future: Untangling unintended consequences
Jan 3, 2025 – 0:29:08
Nostalgia can make you vulnerable to manipulation
Dec 27, 2024 – 0:29:08
The artificial secret behind "natural food"
Dec 20, 2024 – 0:29:08
The role genetics could play in bringing down Methane levels
Dec 13, 2024 – 0:29:07
The cities that create rain; AI in warfare; and do carbon offsets really work?
Dec 6, 2024 – 0:29:08
Do we need new rules of war as conflict takes on a cyber dimension?
Nov 29, 2024 – 0:29:08
Whatever happened to...?
Nov 22, 2024 – 0:29:08
A declaration on future generations
Nov 17, 2024 – 0:29:08
Robots in the home – friend or foe?
Nov 8, 2024 – 0:29:08
Melting brains and climate anxiety
Nov 1, 2024 – 0:29:08
Frozen frogs, tissues and cells — the health and environmental benefits of keeping it chill
Oct 25, 2024 – 0:29:08
Sex tech, AI and the centrality of consent
Oct 18, 2024 – 0:29:08
Wolf Warrior diplomacy — Have we finally seen an end to undiplomatic diplomacy?
Oct 11, 2024 – 0:29:08
Why China has tightened its belt and road
Oct 4, 2024 – 0:29:08
The year of the poll — democracy's mega test
Sep 27, 2024 – 0:29:08
Saying goodbye to ageism — the last “acceptable” prejudice
Sep 20, 2024 – 0:29:08
AI snake oil — its limits, risks, and its thirst for resources
Sep 13, 2024 – 0:29:08
The "disruption nexus" and the power of a good crisis
Sep 6, 2024 – 0:29:08
Rediscovering the essence of Liberalism could help in the battle against authoritarianism
Aug 30, 2024 – 0:29:08
Why in the 21st century are we still talking about the political Left and Right?
Aug 23, 2024 – 0:29:08
"Anthropocene" — why the fight about a name has real world consequences
Aug 16, 2024 – 0:29:08
We're losing the dark sky and you can already feel the consequences
Aug 9, 2024 – 0:29:08
Can we afford to continue to keep pets — environmentally and financially?
Aug 2, 2024 – 0:29:08
Technology is revolutionising sport performance
Jul 26, 2024 – 0:29:08
Are the big US media platforms swallowing our culture?
Jul 19, 2024 – 0:29:08
A new push in the search for alien life
Jul 12, 2024 – 0:29:08
Technology and language — a dynamic relationship
Jul 5, 2024 – 0:29:08
Rethinking productivity and the pushback to shareholder capitalism
Jun 28, 2024 – 0:29:08
Limitarianism — could a cap on wealth reduce inequality?
Jun 21, 2024 – 0:29:08
Sucking CO2 from the air — a "Mammoth task"
Jun 14, 2024 – 0:29:08
The truth about AI – garbage in, garbage out
Jun 7, 2024 – 0:29:15
The best response to disasters: centralised strength or community mitigation?
May 31, 2024 – 0:29:08
The greatest demographic shift in a century is being ignored: single living
May 24, 2024 – 0:29:08
It's time to take the Influencer economy seriously
May 17, 2024 – 0:29:08
When good intentions fuel further environmental problems
May 10, 2024 – 0:29:08
Big corporations are taking over as landlords and it's further fuelling the global housing crisis
May 3, 2024 – 0:29:08

Recent Reviews

Jon AM

I was furious listening to this

Wow, an episode about the future of entrepreneurship and innovation which featured no entrepreneurs or innovators. Be sure to check out the next Episode, “The future of space travel”, featuring interviews with a house painter and a bottle of laundry detergent. Well done.
Jack_McCoy

Mapping the Future

This show tackles a new concept about the future every week. Whether it’s the future of corruption in politics, innovation in the business world, new sources of energy, transportation, robotics or communication, this show maps it out in fascinating detail. Great guests, great production.
ameleh

Please set the date correctly, not in the future

This note is to the ABC. Please use the actual release date, using a date in the future makes your podcast incorrectly pinned to the top of the list.
Ron Mader

Gameification on!

I've been listening to Future Tense on RN & Radio Australia since 2009 and what won me over early on was a show on the Future of Conferences. Events need to evolve and this particular show was a show and tell of what can work well if we do things differently. Future Tense helps listeners become future fit. Gameification on!