David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
Chair, London Futurists. Executive Director of LEV Foundation. Author or Lead Editor of 12 books about the future. PDA/smartphone pioneer. Symbian co-founder
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David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· May 23
Hello Bluesky!
Anyone looking for mind-expanding future-focused content should find plenty to savour in londonfuturists.buzzsprout.com
Anyone looking for mind-expanding future-focused content should find plenty to savour in londonfuturists.buzzsprout.com
Seven forthcoming futurist and futurist-adjacent events
Dear Futurists, It has never been harder to predict the future. That’s because of: Multiple fast-changing new technological capabilities, happening in parallel, with hard-to-predict interacti…
londonfuturists.com
9) Wow! or Yeow?! 2026: tomorrow;
10) My conversation with James of Ârc.
And don't miss the preamble to the newsletter:
6 reasons why it's never been harder to predict the future, and 7 profound trends that, nevertheless, seem likely to continue.
londonfuturists.com/2026/01/29/s...
10) My conversation with James of Ârc.
And don't miss the preamble to the newsletter:
6 reasons why it's never been harder to predict the future, and 7 profound trends that, nevertheless, seem likely to continue.
londonfuturists.com/2026/01/29/s...
4) Participatory and Deliberative Democracy in the Digital Age: Thu 5th Feb;
5) Learning With Machines: Sat 7th Feb;
6) What We Must Never Give Away to AI: Tue 10th Feb;
7) Freaky Futures and Fabulous Futures: Fri 13th Feb;
8) My conversation with Ezra Chapman;
(continued)
5) Learning With Machines: Sat 7th Feb;
6) What We Must Never Give Away to AI: Tue 10th Feb;
7) Freaky Futures and Fabulous Futures: Fri 13th Feb;
8) My conversation with Ezra Chapman;
(continued)
"Seven forthcoming futurist and futurist-adjacent events" - the latest newsletter from London Futurists:
1) Take Back Tomorrow: Sat 31st Jan;
2) Pull The Plug launch: Mon 2nd Feb;
3) The Adolescence of Technology: Wed 4th Feb;
(continued)
1) Take Back Tomorrow: Sat 31st Jan;
2) Pull The Plug launch: Mon 2nd Feb;
3) The Adolescence of Technology: Wed 4th Feb;
(continued)
Learning with Machines, Sat, Feb 7, 2026, 4:00 PM | Meetup
Many of us are making increasing use of AI systems to help us study, conduct research, develop forecasts, draft policies, and explore all sorts of new possibilities. The re
www.meetup.com
Our panellists will be reflecting on their own experiences over the last 12 months, and offering advice for wiser use of AI systems in a range of important life tasks. For more details, and to register to attend this live London Futurists webinar, see www.meetup.com/london-futur...
When we use AI, how can we handle the chaos of too much information, the distractions of superficiality, the vulnerabilities of expediency, the treachery of hype, the deceit of hallucinations, and the shrivelling of human capability in the wake of abdication of responsibility?
Just announced: "Learning with Machines", on Sat 7th Feb. Futurists Bruce Lloyd, Peter Scott, and Alexandra Whittington will be highlighting opportunities and risks of involving AI when we study, conduct research, develop forecasts, draft policies, and explore new possibilities
On Thursday (29th Jan), the venerable Cambridge Union will debate "This House Believes Science Should Pursue Immortality". Anyone with a life membership of that union (my card dates, ahem, from 1978) and who is in the vicinity, may wish to consider attending
Ahead of the two events, here are some ideas to start the freaky/fabulous conversation rolling. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own ideas too. After all, to improve our preparedness for future shocks, we need the insight and wisdom from multiple different perspectives!
The Discord Swarm is open to all members and friends of London Futurists members worldwide, and no RSVP is required. For the joining instructions, see the abovementioned meetup page
PS Although the in-the-pub gathering on 13th February has no remote access, some of us will be previewing potential lines of "freaky futures and fabulous futures" discussion at an online Discord Swarm event at 7:30pm UK time on Wednesday 28th January.
Freaky futures and fabulous futures, Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 6:00 PM | Meetup
For Friday the 13th, consider joining London Futurists in Ye Olde Cock Tavern in Fleet Street, for a beyond-your-comfort-zone investigation of freaky and/or fabulous ways t
www.meetup.com
And we'll consider scenarios in which several of these freaky/fabulous changes interact - that's when the really mind-boggling timelines emerge. For more details, and to RSVP to attend, see www.meetup.com/london-futur...
Beyond simply debating the plausibility and desirability of various possible radical near-term changes in human experience, we'll also be collectively exploring what options we may have to influence which of these futures come into reality, and in what form.
Just announced: For Friday the 13th, consider joining London Futurists in Ye Olde Cock Tavern in Fleet Street, for a beyond-your-comfort-zone investigation of freaky and/or fabulous ways that breakthrough technologies could dramatically alter our lives in the next few years.
Just announced: "Take Back Tomorrow", a London Futurists webinar on 31st Jan, exploring the timely bold new "The Bad Future" initiative of @futuristgerd.com. Liselotte Lyngsø will be providing real-time feedback. For more details and to register see www.meetup.com/london-futur...
The session is expected cover the entire FDA landscape, from drugs, devices, digital technology, and vaccines to food and nutritional products.
With all the firepower lined up as panellists, it should be an excellent event!
With all the firepower lined up as panellists, it should be an excellent event!
In a time of rapid political, technological, and healthcare changes, is the outlook for the FDA in 2026 likely to be amazing (Wow!) or unexpectedly painful (Yeow!)? This free webinar features assessments and forecasts from a wide range of expert panellists www.eventbrite.com/e/fda-wow-or...
It was striking that both Demis and Dario wish that the timelines to AGI could be longer than currently seems likely. Demis remarked: "The technical risk problem is... tractable... if we have the time". The condition is very important
The Day After AGI
YouTube video by World Economic Forum
www.youtube.com
A fine conversation from Davos today, between arguably two of the most admirable leaders of frontier AI platform labs. And ably chaired by Zanny Minton Beddoes. Even if there was no actual discussion of "The day after AGI"! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmKA...
"Endless debates on lifespan vs. healthspan just give people without new ideas a platform to speak" - indeed
Woke Longevity: How the Healthspan vs. Lifespan Debate Masks Real Problems
How do you make important problems go away? Simple—make unimportant issues important.
www.forever.ai
"We must stop arguing about whether aging is a disease or if we are extending healthspan. We need to relentlessly focus on identifying new interventions to push human lifespan and performance beyond current limits" - excellent article by Alex Zhavoronkov www.forever.ai/p/woke-longe...
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 11d
How can better foresight actually improve the world?
YouTube video by London Futurists
www.youtube.com
Now available: the recording of yesterday's wide-ranging London Futurists webinar, which was packed full of all sorts of ideas about what are the most useful methods of the discipline of foresight - the methods most likely to have a positive effect on the future www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaJk...
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 11d
A landmark passed today: Membership of London Futurists has edged past 10,000
See also the listing of the world's "Largest futurology groups" on meetup, www.meetup.com/topics/future/
See also the listing of the world's "Largest futurology groups" on meetup, www.meetup.com/topics/future/
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 12d
David Wood of LEV FOUNDATION on Network & City States with James of Ârc
YouTube video by James of Ârc
www.youtube.com
Watch the entire conversation, with its many autobiographical insights, and lessons that can be learned from the rise and fall of Symbian smartphones, here on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wAT...
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 12d
My thanks to James of Ârc for leading me through this eclectic conversation with many surprise digressions - all building the case for the credibility and moral imperative of abolishing aging. How? Via engaged, liberated, agile communities and the wise use of safe scientist AI.
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 12d
What we must never give away to AI, Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup
As AI systems become more capable and more widely deployed, what are the human principles and practices that it will be especially important for us to retain and uphold, an
www.meetup.com
Matt O'Neill and I will be facilitating an online interactive conversation on that subject on 10th February. More details at www.meetup.com/london-futur...
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 12d
As AI systems become more capable and more widely deployed, what are the human principles and practices that it will be especially important for us to retain and uphold, and not to surrender to AIs?
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 13d
AI ‘godfather’ Yoshua Bengio believes he’s found a technical fix for AI’s biggest risks | Fortune
Bengio spent years warning of advanced AI's risks. Now he sees a path to safer AI. His nonprofit LawZero has a new board to help him build it.
fortune.com
The headline should say "he's found a *potential* *partial* fix" - but I agree that Bengio's design is encouraging - "AI 'godfather' Yoshua Bengio says he’s found a fix for AI’s biggest risks and become more optimistic by ‘a big margin’ on humanity’s future" fortune.com/2026/01/15/a...
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 13d
"Three slides and two videos" - the latest newsletter from London Futurists:
1) A world laden with contrasting possibilities;
2) Discord Debrief;
3) Two videos from Professor Bruce Lloyd;
4) Plans for a larger in-person gathering.
Read it at londonfuturists.com/2026/01/15/t...
1) A world laden with contrasting possibilities;
2) Discord Debrief;
3) Two videos from Professor Bruce Lloyd;
4) Plans for a larger in-person gathering.
Read it at londonfuturists.com/2026/01/15/t...
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 17d
Debunking the AI food delivery hoax that fooled Reddit
A “whistleblower” tried to corroborate his viral post with AI-generated evidence. This is how I caught him. PLUS: Grok's image-generation crisis, and the rapture over Claude Opus 4.5
www.platformer.news
The deep fake misinfocalypse is upon us. An AI fabrication can travel 99% of the way around the world before the truth can get its boots on www.platformer.news/fake-uber-ea...
David Wood
@dw-2.bsky.social
· 18d
Should we pause AI? Here’s the debate.
YouTube video by Rational Animations
www.youtube.com
"Should we pause AI? Here’s the debate" - a very clear 15 minute video, with engaging animations. The video also highlights the importance of alignment research, capability evals, improved AI lab cybersecurity, and public education www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUB_...