Advanced Technology Transitions

Synthetic-biology scholar Dr. Emma Frow joins Modem Futura to explore how biofoundries, genetic circuit design, and an ethic of care are reshaping the governance—and the future—of engineered life, revealing both world-changing opportunities and unintended risks of emerging science and technologies.

An AI “vibe coded” website that explores technology-driven “moral panics” over the ages

Friction Required: How will a world transformed by emerging technologies like AI reshape the world? Sean, Andrew and special guest Punya Mishra cut through the hype to reveal the creative tension, hidden risks, and big-picture futures for AI-powered, human-centered education. How can the power of AI be harnessed without losing the soul of learning?

From flying with an Apple Vision Pro to confronting a continent‑wide blackout, Sean and Andrew unpack the Future Days “symbiotic futures” summit and discuss how the futures of emerging real‑world tech adventures (and mishaps) expose the urgency of futures thinking and strategic foresight—and share the need for awareness of megatrends, staying resilient, and keeping humanity front‑and‑center in an increasingly tangled digital world.

As AI agents become more prevalent and powerful, a new paper outlines a framework for better-understanding how to govern and regulate them. From the Future of Being Human Substack.

Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard examine Apple TV+’s hit series Severance, using its mind-bending premise of surgically split consciousness to explore real-world questions around emerging science and technology, identity, and ethical responsibility. From the Modem Futura podcast.

Why transformative technology demands responsible innovation — and the critical questions we need to be asking before it’s too late. From the Future of Being Human Substack.

The Legacy of Early 21st-Century Academia: A Foresight Report from 2100

As AI agents become more prevalent and powerful, a new paper outlines a framework for better-understanding how to govern and regulate them. From the Future of Being Human Substack.

In this deep dive of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard tackle the sensational claims surrounding the “de-extinction” of the dire wolf by Colossal Biosciences. From the Modem Futura podcast.