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Future Perfect Archive

Archives for October 2019

Future Perfect
An artificial intelligence company backed by Microsoft is helping Israel surveil PalestiniansAn artificial intelligence company backed by Microsoft is helping Israel surveil Palestinians
Future Perfect

Facial recognition and algorithm searches of social media are only part of it.

By Hannah Brown
Future Perfect
Beware companies that promote “buy one, give one” charityBeware companies that promote “buy one, give one” charity
Future Perfect

The fashion industry has embraced this philanthropic model. But it misses the point.

By Melanie DiSalvo
Future Perfect
A wealth tax could have unpredictable effects on politics and philanthropyA wealth tax could have unpredictable effects on politics and philanthropy
Future Perfect

Taxing the rich will likely make the ultra-wealthy spend more. Here’s how that could backfire.

By Kelsey Piper
Future Perfect
More than 50,000 people are set to get a basic income in a Brazilian cityMore than 50,000 people are set to get a basic income in a Brazilian city
Future Perfect

Maricá, a suburb of Rio, has already enrolled thousands.

By Dylan Matthews
Future Perfect
Denny’s is selling Beyond Burgers nowDenny’s is selling Beyond Burgers now
Future Perfect

More restaurants are adding meatless “meat” offerings.

By Kelsey Piper
Future Perfect
A crucial federal program tracking dangerous diseases is shutting downA crucial federal program tracking dangerous diseases is shutting down
Future Perfect

Predict, a pandemic preparedness program, thrived under Bush and Obama. Now it’s canceled.

By Kelsey Piper
Climate
Wildfires and blackouts mean Californians need solar panels and microgridsWildfires and blackouts mean Californians need solar panels and microgrids
Climate

Distributed energy is the path to resilience.

By David Roberts
Future Perfect
AI could be a disaster for humanity. A top computer scientist thinks he has the solution.AI could be a disaster for humanity. A top computer scientist thinks he has the solution.
Future Perfect

Stuart Russell wrote the book on AI and is leading the fight to change how we build it.

By Kelsey Piper
Future Perfect
Is biohacking ethical? It’s complicated. A new Netflix series explains why.Is biohacking ethical? It’s complicated. A new Netflix series explains why.
Future Perfect

Unnatural Selection tackles tough questions about CRISPR gene editing, designer babies, and more.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
Study: US air pollution deaths increased by 9,700 a year from 2016 to 2018Study: US air pollution deaths increased by 9,700 a year from 2016 to 2018
Future Perfect

The increase might be due to overly lax policies from both Trump and Obama.

By Dylan Matthews
Future Perfect
Basic income can’t do enough to help workers displaced by technologyBasic income can’t do enough to help workers displaced by technology
Future Perfect

Basic income can end poverty, but it can’t save truckers from being replaced by driverless trucks.

By Dylan Matthews
Culture
How Don Hertzfeldt made his mind-bending stick figure animation into a strange and terrific bookHow Don Hertzfeldt made his mind-bending stick figure animation into a strange and terrific book
Culture

The two-time Oscar nominee turned the scratch material from his award-winning animations into a tale of a weird apocalypse.

By Alissa Wilkinson
Future Perfect
Watch this robot solve a Rubik’s Cube one-handedWatch this robot solve a Rubik’s Cube one-handed
Future Perfect

A powerful new technique lets robots learn more and handle the unexpected better.

By Kelsey Piper
Future Perfect
Have we gotten any happier over 200 years? Researchers analyzed millions of books to find out.Have we gotten any happier over 200 years? Researchers analyzed millions of books to find out.
Future Perfect

Here’s what our literature reveals about our well-being, according to a sentiment analysis algorithm.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
The Nobel Prize in economics goes to 3 groundbreaking anti-poverty researchersThe Nobel Prize in economics goes to 3 groundbreaking anti-poverty researchers
Future Perfect

In the last 20 years, development economics has been transformed. These researchers are the reason why.

By Kelsey Piper