Inspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future

Key Insights

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  Artifacts of the future are immersive, visual tools that help people experience and evaluate potential futures rather than just imagining them verbally.

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  Using AI to write essays is not just a threat but can be framed as a future pedagogical tool to teach skills like policy translation through AI.

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  Signals are emerging trends on the horizon seen in niche groups that may become mainstream and can be used to build artifacts of the future.

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  Creating low-fidelity prototypes, like a text message thread demo, can help governments get buy-in from stakeholders for complex systemic changes, as Gallimore did with Detroit's early childhood program.

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  Artifacts of the future allow diverse groups to align around a shared vision or North Star by providing concrete, emotionally resonant experiences.

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  Exploring risky or undesirable futures with artifacts helps reveal trade-offs and prepare for potential societal decisions, as shown by Toronto’s Wi-Fi free zones example.

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  Backcasting from an artifact of the future helps identify what actions need to happen today to reach a desired or to avoid a risky future.

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  Artifacts can target near-term futures (1-2 years) to accelerate governmental or civic decisions despite traditionally longer foresight horizons.

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  Visual and AI tools like Midjourney or Jasper AI can quickly generate compelling design artifacts representing future scenarios, enhancing impact.

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  Centering future designs on people and place before technology ensures relevance and human-centric innovation rather than technology-driven solutions.

Notable Quotes