Ecosystemic Futures

In today's episode, we delve into the future of food production, exploring the cutting-edge innovations transforming agriculture, technology, and consumer behavior.

Join us and our guests Kasia Gora, Co-Founder and CTO of SCiFi Foods, and Joshua March, Co-Founder and CEO of SCiFi Foods, as we navigate the ethical and environmental implications of cultivated meat, a solution that aims to address global food sustainability challenges.

Guests:

Kasia, Gora, Co-Founder and CTO of SCiFi Foods, Joshua March, Co-Founder and CEO of SCiFi Foods

Co-Hosts:

 Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners

 Series Hosts:

 Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

In this episode, we delve into the crucial role of energy storage and access in emerging markets, with guest Connie Stacey, CEO and Founder of Grengine Inc. Connie discusses her innovative approach to addressing energy poverty by making renewable energy more accessible through advanced battery storage systems. Over a billion people lack basic energy access despite improvements, leading to severe health consequences. We explore the potential of DC-based systems for efficient energy infrastructure in emerging markets and the importance of secure battery technology, ensuring the safety and reliability of renewable energy solutions. We also discuss the challenges of transitioning to renewable energy, the rapid growth of energy access in developing economies, and the pressing need for industry standardization and innovative solutions. Tune in to understand how inclusive growth and a focus on well-orchestrated ecosystems can power progress for a sustainable energy future.

Guest:

Connie Stacey - Grengine Inc.

Co-Hosts:

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

In today's episode of the Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, we are thrilled to have Captain Alexandra Hagerty, Fleet Superintendent for The Pasha Group, join us. Captain Hagerty's impressive career includes roles as Master of the Hospital Ship Africa Mercy and the USNS Shughart. Beyond her professional accomplishments, she is a respected writer and panelist on international maritime affairs, a Fellow of the Nautical Institute UK, and the Founder of the charity ‘Captains Without Borders.’

We delve into the dynamic maritime industry, tackling issues like recruitment and retention in a mature industry sector. Captain Hagerty offers insights from her own vantage point and journey, and we explore the unique considerations that must factor into successful maritime ecosystem futures - global reach, distinctive lifestyles, and the critical importance of crew retention within the industry.

We also explore autonomous shipping and electrification, hydrogen fuelling, the "upcycling" of vessels, and the economic and environmental advantages of these emerging technologies. Join us as we navigate the challenges and potential futures that offer great promise in reshaping the maritime landscape.

Guest:

Captain Alexandra Hagerty, Fleet Superintendent for The Pasha Group

Co-Hosts:

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

In today’s episode, we explore the ecosystemic patterns across industry, society, and policy as Dyan Finkhousen and Marco Annunziata reflect on the intersection of diverse perspectives that have emerged from Seasons 1-4 of the Ecosystemic Futures Podcast. 

Dyan and Marco delve into an insightful discussion about the interplay between advanced and general purpose technologies, trust, and governance - unpacking the opportunities and obstacles posed by technological advancements. They chase this back to the evolving work and organizational adaptation landscape, with implications for innovation, resilience, and lifelong learning.

Tune in for an enlightening exploration of the dynamic forces shaping our world today and setting the stage for our future.

Co-Hosts:

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners 

In this episode, we explore the pivotal role of ecosystemic models across industries, underscoring the importance of inclusive design for resilient futures. Our guest, Krista Pawley, a luminary in impact-driven initiatives, articulates the importance of transparency, community engagement, and contextual awareness in shaping decisions. Through her insights, we navigate the power of collaboration and diverse perspectives in forging impactful solutions.

Pawley talks about the importance of trust in the digital realm and in human interactions - and articulates a clear pathway of the practical steps organizations, leaders, and youth can take in order to achieve a culture of trust. In this episode we also unpack the importance of inclusivity, pushing quickly past the vanity metrics to the meaningful value drivers of an inclusive approach to systems design.

Guest:

Krista Pawley, Founder of Imperative Impact, co-founder of Wavemakers, co-chair of EXCITE & one of the co-founders of SingularityU Canada

Co-Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Embark on a journey through the complexities of our global plastic crisis with Impact Entrepreneur, Mimi Wu. She reveals a stark truth: recycling alone is not the solution. We delve into the intricate web of environmental, social, and economic factors driving this issue, and discuss the urgent actions needed to tackle the plastic problem at its core.

Guest:

Mimi Wu, Founder & CEO of Global Green Solutions and Co-founder & CEO of Myanmar Recycles

Co-Hosts:

James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

This hard-hitting episode exposes the alarming crisis of healthcare-acquired infections in U.S. facilities - and the ecosystemic factors compounding the threat. Our guest, Sarah Beatty of Culturewell, pulls no punches in critiquing the reactive "firefighting" status quo within the healthcare system... a passionately well-intended system, yet increasingly missing the life-saving answers readily available in the meta-data.

Beatty shares startling data and argues that the missing link is facility-specific environmental monitoring to precisely identify hygiene gaps and deploy cleaning resources—and data-driven solutions. Join this vital discussion shaping the pathway from a reactive to proactive, data-driven model for infection prevention - one resilient to the intensifying challenges across interconnected environments straining healthcare systems. Beatty makes a powerful case for waging and winning this winnable war.

Guest:

Sarah Beatty, Founder & CEO, Culturewell

Co-Hosts:

James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Dive into the power of regenerative agriculture to revitalize our food ecosystems.

This episode explores the ways regenerative farming methods can enhance soil health and unlock more nutrient-dense foods - nourishing people and planet. Guest Tina Owens, a leader at the intersection of agriculture, tech and wellness, illuminates the pivotal role emerging technologies play in optimizing and scaling regenerative practices. We discuss the ways AI, molecular mapping, and lifecycle assessments are reshaping food production into ecosystem-reviving force. Don't miss this compelling vision for an ecosystemic future of sustainable nourishment.

Guest:

Tina Owens, Managing Director @ Nutrient Density Alliance, Strategic Advisor @ Regenerative Food Systems Investment, Non-Profit Board Member of Non-GMO Project and Mad Agriculture & Farmer

Co-Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

The US Government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is actively working to establish the framework for a commercial economy on the moon - convening an ecosystemic collaboration to make it happen by 2035.

DARPA's program manager for this project, called Luna10, Michael Nayak, call sign Orbit, joins the podcast to discuss the approach of leveraging what we know from Earth economies and commercial industries in order to create a unified, self-sustaining lunar economy. To activate the ecosystem for the lunar economy - Orbit and team are convening 12 commerical entities and a host of value chain enablers to build the framework. Join us for more fascinating discussions regarding the ways that ecosystems are shaping new economic engines.

Guest:

Michael Nayak, call sign Orbit, Program Manager for DARPA program Luna10 and Logic

Co-Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

We're often unaware of security vulnerabilities until there's a breach. In today's rush to leverage AI, organizations often overestimate security and underestimate risk, while teams expose unique AI threats to otherwise reasonably safe businesses.

Organizations are also changing the way they use AI - shifting from owning it to renting it. This delivers faster results but less control over important data and access, introducing risks that organizations may not yet fully recognize. Protect AI leaders join us to explain the differences between "safe," "secure," and "governed" in AI and how to safely create an AI-empowered future.

Guests: 

Daryan "D" Dehghanpisheh, Co-Founder, Protect AI

Marcello Salvati, Senior Engineer & Researcher, Protect AI

Co-Hosts:

James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works 

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

How do you solve the problem of trust? Confidence is a prerequisite for large-scale adoption.

With the deluge of speculation about Generative AI, organizations everywhere are establishing regulations and certifications to solve for fidelity, trust, and assurance. We're also seeing substantial debate regarding the viability of such efforts at this stage in the adoption of AI-empowered capabilities.

Guest Emre Kazim is the co-Founder and co-CEO of Holistic AI, a hot startup empowering organizations to adopt and scale AI with confidence - which at its core, is solving the problem of trust. Emre shares an overview of the current ecosystems within and across the AI landscape - policy, industry, and society... federal, state, and local levels of activity. The path to AI governance is heating up and challenges us to answer the difficult questions - who will be the ultimate arbiter of trust and what are those entities' self-interests; what trade-offs are made and tolerated within AI-enabled systems of trust; what gaps exist between AI-powered capabilities, regulations, and policy... As you might suspect, the proximity of policy-making to the development of the capabilities they govern is key. Controlling the harm depends upon understanding the specific use case, the context of use, and the underlying layers of operability and interoperability - enabling a more precise assessment of the corresponding risk. Steady experimentation in practical, tangible use cases are the path forward enabling the real shift possible with AI. 

At the core - trust comes from confidence, and confidence comes from using these systems over time. Good governance will come from the same ecosystem that innovated these capabilities.

Guest:

Emre Kazim, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Holistic AI

Co-Hosts:

James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA G. Edward Powell, PhD, CEO, TensorX, Inc

Series Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Join our co-hosts and guest Jan Bunge, Director at Squint/Opera, who has built global partnerships and leveraged advanced technologies to support large city planning projects. This episode delves into the benefits of leveraging virtual experience twins to help establish alignment and trust within diverse stakeholder networks. We explore the unique ways that AI can help simplify complexity and accelerate outcomes - while affording the flexibility needed for evolving priorities. This insightful discussion cuts through the hype of advanced technologies to offer practical examples, use cases, and suggestions to help avoid some of the traps that ensnare adopters of these powerful tools.

Guest:

Jan Bunge, Director, Squint/Opera Co-Hosts: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works Mark Stephen Meadows, Science Fiction Writer / Researcher for CAS, NASA Series 

Hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Technology and AI are changing the calculus on which categories of work are assigned to human versus digital agents. Co-hosts James Villarrubia and Dyan Finkhousen connect with Richard Susskind, President of the Society for Computers and Law to discuss his perspective on the history of AI and how it's informing potential futures for all professions.

Guest:

Richard Susskind, President, Society for Computers and Law

Co-Hosts:

James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Media outlets love to amplify AI hype with fear, yet humanity also has much to gain from thoughtful, intentional application of AI. What will it take for industry, society, and governments to shift to human-centric AI? 

In this episode we connect with technologist Phil D. Hall who started working with the first iterations of AI in the early '80s, and today focuses on highly contextualized healthcare AI systems.

Guest: Phil D. Hall, CTO CareEnabler from SeraCares

Co-Hosts:
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works
Mark Stephen Meadows, Science Fiction Writer / Researcher for CAS, NASA

AIming for Economic Antifragility With economic resilience elusive - what role, if any, can regulation play in unlocking innovation? What is the ecosystemic impact of regulation? 

Join our co-hosts as they explore the role of AI in our economy with Professor Luke Froeb, former Chief Economist at the US Department of Justice and at the Federal Trade Commission.

This episode packs heady and hard-hitting perspectives on a full spectrum of economic implications - the need for regulation in the AI ecosystem; surprising correlations between Generative AI and the Search Engine market; funding and development of AI models; the future of intellectual property rights within the context of large language models and generative AI; and the hype and potential promise of the current inflection point with Generative AI. 

Guest: Luke Froeb, Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management

Co-Hosts: G. Edward Powell, PhD, CEO, TensorX, Inc James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Transformational or transitional? Will AI elevate humanity, or exploit? This season of the Ecosystemic Futures podcast investigates the potential, practicalities, and perils of AI applications in society, industry, and policy. 

Join co-hosts Dyan Finkhousen, Mark Stephen Meadows, Ed Powell, and James Villarrubia as they frame a pragmatic exploration of the history of AI, and the potential futures it may unlock.

This episode of the Ecosystemic Futures podcast delivers the capstone on what have been an extraordinary first two seasons. These two brilliant seasons explored the undeniable fact that ‘The Future is Ecosystemic and Interconnected’... Establishing a new way - an ecosystemic way - of understanding our dynamic world and how to thrive within it.

These first 45 conversations delivered a bounty of universal truths and strategic surprises: from the role of trust and ethics in society; bio-inspired models; ‘Strategic Surprise’ and systemic thinking to help shirk conventional norms; and the critical importance of designing for systemic resilience. An exceptionally diverse, prismatic collection of perspectives devoted to defining new horizons for humanity, industry, and policy... each conversation reinforcing that the world is increasingly interconnected and ecosystemic - and that we have a unique, generational opportunity to optimize performance and elevate the human experience... through intentional, ecosystemic design.

The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast is provided by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project - connecting with the world’s brilliant minds with wicked opportunities to help us better innovate, operate, and navigate in our increasingly connected world.

Concluding this series on space, this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast focuses on the industrial and societal pathways for the space economy. The conversation explores the new, much more expansive, frame for what's possible as we consider the operationalization of space. In this new frontier - geographic borders no longer offer clear boundaries for frameworks like economic system governance and security infrastucture. The development of in situ resource utilization and other foundational capabilities will begin to pave the way for the accessibility, affordability and sustainability of this next horizon for humanity.

Guest:
Isaac Arthur, Futurist and host of the popular youtube channel ‘Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur’

Co-hosts:
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works
Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center


Series Host:
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

With an emphasis on space exploration and the future, our guest Isaac Arthur joins our hosts in this fascinating discussion, exploring objectives that may help to prepare us for new outcomes for humanity. Thinking beyond the scope of our planet, the conversation explores innovative practices and the advancement of technologies, encouraging learning and opening our minds up to the realm of possibility.

As we race to space, are we orchestrating with a new paradigm for what's possible - with a mindset for abundance or scarcity? With a bias for collaboration, competition, or conflict?

The space economy offers a unique, generational opportunity to design an incredible array of exploration and development for the betterment of society and industry. The choices we make here will define the next chapter for the future of humanity.

In this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, we connect again with Isaac Arthur, President, National Space Society, futurist and host of the popular YouTube channel ‘Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur’, to continue our conversation about the rapidly evolving frontiers in space. With a fascinating perspective on innovation and planning, this episode will challenge your thinking about our place in the universe, and the futures it may unlock.

Join us for another great discussion from the Ecosystemic Futures community.

The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast is provided by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project - connecting with the world’s brilliant minds with wicked opportunities to help us better innovate, operate, and navigate in our increasingly connected world.

Guest:

Isaac Arthur, President of the National Space Society, futurist and host of the popular YouTube channel ‘Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur’

Co-hosts:
Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

The world's brightest minds have been unlocking the mystery and magnificence of space for decades - and with new technologies now being developed at warp speed, space is now taking on a larger and more practical role in the future of industry, society, policy - and for humanity.

Humanity has always looked to the skies for inspiration, adventure, and opportunity. Knowing what we do of what the universe has to offer, and knowing that we’ve only begun to understand the vast complexities of space - we look to the experts to help us understand what wicked problems space might help resolve. Isaac Arthur, host of the popular youtube channel ‘Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur’, sits down with our hosts in this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast to discuss life beyond our planet and the potential role that space exploration could play in safeguarding our future.

Guest:
Isaac Arthur, President, National Space Society, futurist and host of the popular youtube channel ‘Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur’

Co-hosts:
Vikram Shyam, Lead Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Series Host:
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

To conclude this series on the future of work, this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast explores exciting options to design workforce ecosystems for resilient futures - enabling organizations and teams to maintain pace with rapidly advancing technologies, markets, and models.

Steve Hatfield, Global Future of Work Leader at Deloitte joins us to discuss the practical decisions and actions that organizations can enact today to improve work, worker and workforce outcomes and experiences. Steve and our hosts discuss the profound opportunities that are possible in the convergence of technological advancement, human-centered ecosystemic design, and thoughtful change management.

Guest:
Steve Hatfield, Global Future of Work Leader, Deloitte

Co-hosts:
David Wagner, PhD, Computer Research Engineer, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Our first episode in this series on the future of work outlined challenges as we move to a more digitally-enabled human experience. Organizations and teams are grappling with new technologies, business models, dynamic market landscapes, reskilling requirements, and mindset shifts.

In this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast we connect with Steve Hatfield, Global Future of Work Leader at Deloitte to continue the fascinating discussion about the shifting landscape in work and workforce design - and in this episode we explore potential future state scenarios for work, worker and workforce design.

Guest:
Steve Hatfield, Global Future of Work Leader, Deloitte

Co-hosts:
David Wagner, PhD, Computer Research Engineer, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

The landscape for work, the workforce, and for workers - has been evolving for a very long time. The degree to which markets are interconnected and interdependent however, has never been greater. Emerging technologies unlock both promise and challenge for organizations and their teams.

On this episode of Ecosystemic Futures, our hosts sit down with Steve Hatfield, Global Future of Work Leader at Deloitte to discuss this dynamic landscape, the challenges faced by leaders responsible for work and workforce design - and the importance of the skills-based strategies for workforce ecosystems. In this episode, Steve shares his perspective regarding the constraints within the current frameworks for work that could prevent us from leveraging the full promise of the Future of Work.

Guest:
Steve Hatfield, Global Future of Work Leader, Deloitte

Co-hosts:
David Wagner, PhD, Computer Research Engineer, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Have your AI talk to my AI.

In a world where generative AI is transforming the way things get done - the first step is to simply begin learning about and experimenting with the capabilities in order to build up your own muscle memory. To conclude this series on generative AI, our hosts connect with Pascal Finette, co-founder of Be Radical, to explore the practical actions we all can take to thrive within a world with increasingly pervasive generative AI.

The conversation explores the practical adjustments to mindsets and methodologies that enable us to take advantage of these new capabilities in a responsible manner, to achieve great outcomes. 

Guest:
Pascal Finette, Cofounder at Be Radical
Co-hosts:
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Can you spell 'mayonnaise'? Apparently AI cannot.
Now, how much do you trust AI to operate your car with your children inside? To help get the next lander to the moon?

We know AI can hallucinate. But can it dream?
It can retrieve. But can it innovate beyond the boundaries of recombination and human imagination?

In this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts connect with Pascal Finette, Founder of Be Radical, to continue the conversation about generative AI - what it can and can’t do. With the speed at which these technologies are being applied within the complex systems around us, are we accelerating beneficial outcomes, or amplifying risk?

Understanding the inherent limitations and practical capabilities of these technologies is essential to more effectively safeguard our ecosystemic futures. 

Join us as we delve into the unimpossible futures generative AI can unlock, and how we discern better pathways with these smart agents at our side.

Guest:
Pascal Finette, Cofounder at Be Radical
Co-hosts:
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Generative AI is everywhere, and societies worldwide are grappling with what it is, what it's becoming, and what that means for humanity.

In this episode of Ecosystemic Futures, our hosts connect with Pascal Finette, Co-founder of Be Radical, to discuss this shift, and the many options to leverage emerging technological capabilities like generative AI, large language models and more as our 'trusted co-pilots' in work and life. 

Can we trust them though? 
With disruptive technologies like generative AI reaching a pivotal moment where they now touch the lives, workstreams and social feeds of many who may not yet understand the implications of that interface - the potential for unintended or harmful outcomes can accelerate dramatically.

On the side of positive outcomes - research and learning functions that may have taken hours or days in the past, pouring over vast amounts of structured and unstructured data - can now be synthesized by technology in minutes, enabling the human co-pilots to spend more time with strategic and creative work. Accelerating innovation and solution pathways.

The difference? Ecosystemic resilience.

Designing for resilience, adaptability, and beneficial outcomes within and across complex, interconnected systems in society, industry, and policy. And maintaining a position of constant sensing, sensemaking, discernment, and thoughtful action in these complex, dynamic environments.

Join us for another great discussion from the Ecosystemic Futures community.

Guest:
Pascal Finette, Cofounder at Be Radical
Co-hosts:
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

To conclude this series on artificial intelligence and organizational design, this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast focuses on pathways to resilience with effective ecosystemic design. Brian Evergreen, C-suite advisor and author of the new book Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, engages with our hosts to explore the natural tension between managing within the context of accelerated change, and a thoughtful approach to designing for ecosystemic resilience.

Guest:
Brian Evergreen, Senior Fellow, C-Suite Advisor, Author of Autonomous Transformation

Co-hosts:
Ed Powell, CEO, TensorX
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Our first episode in this series on artificial intelligence and the role it can play in transforming organizational structure explored the pitfalls of embracing technology while ignoring fundamental flaws in organizational design. In this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts connect with Brian Evergreen, C-suite advisor and author to continue the conversation. In this episode our hosts and guest explore AI futures, and the implications of innovation failure in the context of rapid technology adoption including how to measure success, evaluate opportunity cost and drive transformation instead of reformation.

Guest:
Brian Evergreen, Senior Fellow, C-Suite Advisor, Author of Autonomous Transformation

Co-hosts:
Ed Powell, CEO, TensorX
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Artificial Intelligence and other advanced technologies present profound opportunities for transforming organizational structure, strategy, and design. While it’s tempting to focus on the positive outcomes of this integration, on today’s episode of Ecosystemic Futures, our hosts sit down Brian Evergreen, a C-Suite Advisor and author of the new book Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, to discuss the broader implications.

Guest:
Brian Evergreen, Senior Fellow, C-Suite Advisor, Author of Autonomous Transformation

Co-hosts:
Ed Powell, CEO, TensorX
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

To conclude our series on taming complexity for humans - today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast addresses the importance of planting seeds around where things are going next, and reviewing complex systems to activate better decisions and pathways. Mickey McManus, a pioneer in the field of strategy, innovation, pervasive computer and human-centered design and education, guides our hosts through lessons learned from generative AI systems and harnessing complexities to design for ecosystemic resilience.

Guest:
Mickey McManus, Senior Advisor and Leadership Coach at Boston Consulting Group

Co-hosts:
Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Advisors
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Our first episode in this series contemplated taming complexity for humans, in an increasingly dynamic landscape . In today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts connect with Mickey McManus, a pioneer in the field of strategy, innovation, pervasive computer and human-centered design and education to discuss the notion of strategic surprise within the context of complexity - and the importance of deliberate planning to prepare for possible futures.

Guest:
Mickey McManus, Senior Advisor and Leadership Coach at Boston Consulting Group

Co-hosts:
Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Advisors
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Complexity is rich, powerful and essential; it gives us the ability to see beyond the norm and challenges us to consistently expand human cognition. While striving for beautiful complexity has always been part of the human domain, achieving advanced technology is no easy feat. In today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts connect with Mickey McManus, a pioneer in the field of strategy, innovation, pervasive computer and human-centered design and education to discuss ecosystemic shift, frameworks that drive innovation, and transformation of the human experience.

Guest:
Mickey McManus, Senior Advisor and Leadership Coach at Boston Consulting Group

Co-hosts:
Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Advisors
James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

To close out this series on quantum sensing, today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast focuses on resilience. Dr. Jeff Buchsbaum, a medical officer with the National Cancer Institute, guides our hosts through an evaluation of potential wicked futures enabled by quantum sensing capabilities - and the importance of integrating fairness, transparency and trust in the design of quantum sensing capabilities in order to elevate outcomes for humanity.

Guest:
Jeff Buchsbaum, a Medical Officer at the National Cancer Institute.

Co-hosts:
Ed Powell, CEO, TensorX

Gary Hunter, a Senior Electronics Engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Our first episode in this series on quantum sensing introduced what it is and why it is important, along with taking a broad look at its vast applications and capabilities. In today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts sit down with Dr. Jeff Buchsbaum, a medical officer at the National Cancer Institute with a keen interest in the field, to discuss the potential pitfalls associated with the technology and the importance of establishing the right framework to enhance and guide its application.

Guest:
Jeff Buchsbaum, a Medical Officer at the National Cancer Institute.

Co-hosts:
Ed Powell, CEO, TensorX

Gary Hunter, a Senior Electronics Engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Quantum sensing is impacting the way we observe and analyze the world today. It measures activity in the physical world using atomic properties, resulting in the collection of extremely precise information, ultimately helping us understand the inner workings of complex systems at atomic scale. The potential implications are profound. On today’s episode of Ecosystemic Futures, our hosts sit down with Dr. Jeff Buchsbaum, a medical officer at the National Cancer Institute to discuss the applications and implication of Quantum sensing.

Guest:
Jeff Buchsbaum, a Medical Officer at the National Cancer Institute.

Co-hosts:
Ed Powell, CEO, TensorX

Gary Hunter, a Senior Electronics Engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center
Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

To close out this series on The Future of Work, today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast focuses on designing for ecosystems as how we work continues to evolve. Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics guides our hosts through this discussion, focusing on the long-term impacts of this new way of working, along with best practices to better plan for ecosystem wellness now and into the future.

Guest: Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics

Co-host: Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures 

Our first episode in this series on The Future of Work discussed building for resiliency and optimizing for today’s new work structure.

In this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts sit down with Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics, to examine planning for equity within this new structure, including factors to consider for more equitable economic and geographical distribution.

Included in today’s discussion is an analysis of the different possible scenarios ranging from a dematerialized work environment to hybrid work to in-person collaboration. 

Guest: Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics

Co-host: Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures 

Kate Lister is a pioneer in workplace and workforce strategies, having worked in the field for nearly two decades. With expertise on trends shaping who, what, when and how we work, Kate’s work is in high demand given the significant changes in recent years, especially post-pandemic.

On today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts sit down with Kate, President of Global Workplace Analytics, to discuss optimizing for the new work structure including how we bring more flexibility in the way we work and how we consciously broaden both geographic and economic levels. 

Guest: Kate Lister, President of Global Workplace Analytics

Co-host: Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures

Concluding this series on the incredible potential for AI to augment human cognition – this episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast focuses on design frameworks that harness the complementary power of integrating humanity and AI.

Futurist Ross Dawson and our hosts explore approaches to better systems thinking and design to improve ecosystemic resilience.

Our first episode in this series on AI and the potential to augment human cognition discussed its current use in decision making.

In today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts sit down with leading futurist Ross Dawson, to discuss the importance of understanding that this is a co-evolutionary system, with humanity at the core.

In this session the discussion explores the potential unintended consequences in leaning too heavily on AI without using human intent as a guide, and the importance of designing systematic ways to maximize positive outcomes.

Applications for the advancement of AI, and its role in decision-making, are moving quickly.

Yet the opportunity for improvement remains substantial - and on today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts sit down with leading futurist Ross Dawson, to discuss the emerging trend of leaning on AI to delegate decision making, and what role human intent and cognition can and should play.

To conclude this series on Blockchain & The Next Generation of Ecosystem Design - today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast focuses on the future. Joining us for this discussion is Anne Connelly, a leader in the blockchain arena, who walks us through private and public sector roles, and the importance of ecosystemic orchestration in the digital era.

In today’s episode of the Ecosystemic Futures podcast, our hosts sit down with Anne Connelly, a leader in international development, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, to discuss the key problems and opportunities that are instigating the exploration of blockchain-based capabilities, and how could blockchain enable a better path forward for humanity.

Guest: Anne Connelly, Instructor, University of Oxford Impact Finance Innovations Programme at Saïd Business School, Faculty, Boston University Blockchain-based Business Models for Social Impact

Co-hosts: 

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners on Twitter at @marcoannunziata

James Villarubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures 

Shoshin Works | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration | White House Presidential Innovation Fellows

Our first episode in this series on Blockchain & The Next Generation of Ecosystem Design - we discussed what blockchain is, how it works, and the landscape of problems and opportunities that can be addressed with this new capability. In today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, our hosts sit down with Anne Connelly, a leader in the blockchain space - to explore the vast array of potential future scenarios for society, industry and policy that could be enabled with blockchain technology.

Blockchain gets a lot of attention these days, with financial technology and banking utilizing it as more data is shared worldwide and security is paramount. But what is blockchain and its popular network bitcoin? How does it work? 

In today’s episode of the Ecosystemic Futures podcast, our hosts sit down with Anne Connelly, a leader in international development, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, to discuss the key problems and opportunities that are instigating the exploration of blockchain-based capabilities, and how could blockchain enable a better path forward for humanity. 

Guest: Anne Connelly, Instructor, University of Oxford Impact Finance Innovations Programme at Saïd Business School, Faculty, Boston University Blockchain-based Business Models for Social Impact

Co-hosts: 

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners on Twitter at @marcoannunziata

James Villarubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures 

Shoshin Works | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration | White House Presidential Innovation Fellows

Blockchain gets a lot of attention these days, with financial technology and banking utilizing it as more data is shared worldwide and security is paramount. But what is blockchain and its popular network bitcoin? How does it work?

In today’s episode of the Ecosystemic Futures podcast, our hosts sit down with Anne Connelly, a leader in international development, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, to discuss the key problems and opportunities that are instigating the exploration of blockchain-based capabilities, and how could blockchain enable a better path forward for humanity.

Guest: Anne Connelly, Instructor, University of Oxford Impact Finance Innovations Programme at Saïd Business School, Faculty, Boston University Blockchain-based Business Models for Social Impact

Co-hosts: 

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners on Twitter at @marcoannunziata

James Villarubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures 

Shoshin Works | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration | White House Presidential Innovation Fellows

To close out this series on Shell’s Energy Security Scenarios, today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast  brought to you by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project focuses on understanding how Shell’s process and approach can be translated very quickly into other events. Geraldine Wessing, chief political analyst at Shell, guides our hosts through lessons learned from the scenario planning process, and what principles can be extracted to apply as we design for ecosystem wellness.

Guest: Geraldine Wessing, Chief Political Analyst and Scenario Planner at Shell  

Co-host: James Villarubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures series host

Our first episode in this series on Shell’s Energy Security Scenarios discussed the history and impact these models have had.  In today’s episode of  Ecosystemic Futures episode brought to you by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, our hosts sit down with Geraldine Wessing, chief political analyst at Shell to discuss how different countries may respond to the scenarios, given varying resources and priorities affecting how they navigate this critical time. What do the scenarios teach us, and how do those lessons differ?

Guest: Geraldine Wessing, Chief Political Analyst and Scenario Planner at Shell 

Co-host: James Villarubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures series host

Shell publishes energy security scenarios as a way to understand potential evolutions of the world in the future.  Informed by data, constructed using models and containing insights from leading experts in the relevant fields, Shell hopes that by developing these models, it will inspire readers to evaluate choices, explore assumptions and consider options for significant change.  

In today’s episode of The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast, brought to you by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, our hosts sit down with Geraldine Wessing, chief political analyst at Shell, to discuss the history of Shell’s scenarios, the impact they have had on future planning, along with the importance of risk management.

Guest: Geraldine Wessing, Chief Political Analyst and Scenario Planner at Shell 

Co-host: James Villarubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures series host

In the AgriTech and Food sectors, “the most significant unlocks haven’t been achieved with the tech innovation... they’ve been with the business model innovation”.

In this Ecosystemic Futures episode brought to you by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, our hosts sit down with Melissa Clark-Reynolds - futurist with a focus on food, agriculture, and technology - to discuss the wicked opportunities ahead for our most precious resources.

A truly fascinating take on designing for ecosystemic resilience, this episode showcases the brilliant complexities in the expanding ecosystem for food, agriculture, energy, and technology. 

Guest:

Melissa Clark-Reynolds, Futurist, Strategist, Professional Director 

Co-hosts: 
Jon Rask, Life Sciences Generalist for Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works and Ecosystemic Futures series host

Transforming a sector dominated for decades by deeply entrenched organizations requires not just a better way of doing things, but an ecosystem that’s willing to make the shift with you.
Dr. Enass Abo-Hamed knows a thing or two about pioneering sector-level operating systems. With an interest in engineering from an early age - she started her company H2GO Power 9 years ago, focusing on building hydrogen storage infrastructure and the predictive AI that optimizes storage system operations.

On today’s Ecosystemic Futures podcast, our hosts connect with Dr. Abo-Hamed to discuss the potential impact of this technology, and how she’s focusing on using science, innovation and ecosystems to revolutionize how we live.

The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast is provided by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project - connecting with the world’s brilliant minds who are leading research and development in areas that will help us better innovate, operate, and navigate in our increasingly connected world.

Guest:

Enass Abo Hamed, co-founder and CEO of H2GO Power Ltd. 

Co-hosts:
Christopher Potter, Senior Research Scientist, Ecosystem Science & Technology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder and CEO Shoshin Works; Ecosystemic Futures series host

Connectivity has unlocked paradigmatic shifts in work, workforce and workplace design.

But are we focused on the right problems? Are the Future of Work narratives missing the critical, nuanced opportunities for these shifts?

"Mark Zuckerberg pointed out that remote engineers were performing less well than engineers... what is fascinating about seeing these arguments is that they're essentially an admission of the company, that they are not investing in tooling, training and transformation to enable engineers to perform better remotely. When leaders put things out there like this, they think that it's an indictment on remote work, but it's actually an indictment on their own operations and their lack of evolution because someone can only perform as well as the system that they are performing within. And that's where the opportunity is. So much of this narrative is fixated on the where, but the real magic is in the how. How does work happen?" - Darren Murph

Today co-hosts Tom Cooke and Vik Shyam sit down with remote work pioneer Darren Murph to explore the problems worth solving. Darren is a visionary, supporting organizations in designing and scaling remote operations. Currently the VP of Workplace Design and Remote Experience at Andela, Darren hopes to unlock significant value as he enables remote work globally, encouraging others to pursue their purpose portfolios through work flexibility.

The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast is provided by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project - connecting with the world’s brilliant minds who are leading research and development in areas that will help us better innovate, operate, and navigate in our increasingly connected world.

Guest: Darren Murph, VP of Workplace Design and Remote Experience, Andela and Remote Work Pioneer, on Twitter @darrenmurph

Co-hosts:
Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA
Tom Cooke, Founder & CEO, Spacely

Series Host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

As technologies become more interconnected and innovation more fast-paced, the obsolescence rate within the skills layer of our economy is also increasing. Gaps are emerging, creating a challenge for education systems and organizations alike, in how to upskill and train more quickly. The future of work is transforming the world - how do organizations prepare for that from a learning and readiness perspective? Earning, learning, and enablement pathways are now more than ever, inextricably linked.

On today’s podcast episode, the Ecosystemic Futures podcast co-hosts Ed Powell and James Villarrubia sit down with Andrew Powell, Cofounder and CEO at Learn to Win, to answer this question and many more, as we dive into the future of education, exploring how to make it more equitable, accessible, scalable and effective.

Show Highlights:

“Personalization is not the goal, optimization of personalization is the goal.” -Andrew Powell

“It's not just about how effective the learning experience is, but if you maximize the effectiveness of the learning experience, is it leading to real world outcomes that matter, like succeeding on the job or hitting your sales quota?” -Andrew Powell

“Let's shift our thinking about education and learning from focused on the inputs and focused on the process to instead start with the outcome that matters and then work backwards from that.” -Andrew Powell

Guest: Andrew Powell, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Learn to Win, Twitter @AndrewHPowell

Co-hosts:

G. Edward Powell, PhD, CEO, TensorX, Inc

James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

Links and Resources:

African Leadership University https://www.alueducation.com/

Learn to Win https://www.learntowin.com/

Platform-enabled Ecosystems to Power A Circular Economy

As we look to the horizon of a sustainable future, a circular economy and its impact on our environment becomes ever more important. With the growth and reach of platforms throughout our economy and society, to what degree can circular systems be enabled by our platform economy? 

This fascinating opportunity is the topic of today’s Ecosystemic Futures podcast, as our co-hosts Marco Annunziata and Christopher Potter sit down with Dr. Peter Evans, the Chief Strategy Officer at MacFadyen Digital, to discuss the ways that platforms and ecosystems can power a circular economy, inform supply chain and sustainability, and unlock greater ecosystemic wellness within society.

The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast is provided by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project to help explore and share broadly technological advances and structural patterns that will help us better innovate, operate, and navigate in our increasingly connected world.

Guest: 
Dr. Peter Evans, the Chief Strategy Officer at MacFadyen Digital and Faculty Fast Future Fundamentals

Co-hosts: 
Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners
Christopher Potter, Senior Research Scientist, Ecosystem Science & Technology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center
Series Host:
Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

At its core, NASA’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project is about collective collaboration; partnering across channels and disciplines to transform perspectives and address challenges and opportunities. 

On today’s Ecosystemic Futures podcast, our hosts sit down with Keith Wichman, leader of NASA’s CAS project, to discuss ways in which CAS is trying to connect to a broader ecosystem through looking deep into the horizon for expansive insights to help make a desirable future better for society.

The Ecosystemic Futures Podcast is provided by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project to help explore and share broadly technological advances and structural patterns that will help us better innovate, operate, and navigate in our increasingly connected world.

Episode highlights:

“What we're learning in CAS is we don't know. We're serious about that humility and I think the courage to go out there and buck trends, even internal pressures at NASA. This is kind of different stuff that we're doing.” - Keith Wichman

“NASA's customer, why we exist really is to serve humanity, to serve all mankind. In particular for us, we're funded by the US taxpayers, so our main mission is to support societal good.” - Keith Wichman

“In CAS we believe to our core this doesn't work without that diversity of thought, diversity of experience and bringing these things together. It's not one brilliant individual sitting in a lab somewhere coming up with the way, it’s by doing the work as part of the ecosystem.” - Keith Wichman


Guest:
Keith Wichman, Leader, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions, NASA

Co-hosts:

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA

Project references relate to initiatives within NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD)

The views and opinions of authors expressed in this podcast or in materials available through download from this site do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government or NASA, and they may not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

As today’s ecosystemic structure changes rapidly, what is the economic value of cities and how can it become different in the future? The idea of cities being powerful engines of innovation is a relatively new one, with a more distributed ecosystem of cities being attractive and potentially good for the economy to distribute the additional benefits of growth.

In this Ecosystemic Futures episode, co-hosts Vikram Shyam and Dyan Finkhousen sit down with futurist Tom Cheesewright, to discuss how technology is reshaping the structure of the city, why cities can work, and how they are being reinvented, along with whose responsibility is it to shape this behavior.

Episode Highlights:

“In terms of the metaverse in the digital piece, I'm a strong believer and I think we can see evidence of this from the pandemic and actually even before that. The more digitally connected we are, the greater the hunger we have for things that are physical and real and visceral, whether that is human relationships, whether that is great food, whether that is the great outdoors.”

“The macro pressures that we're facing and the need to respond to them are very well understood now by a lot of different stakeholders. And so they are shifting the horizon on which they're focused and they are taking what you might historically have seen as more certainly responsible, if not altruistic decisions about what those plans should look like.” 

Guest: Tom Cheesewright, Applied Futurist

Co-hosts:

Vikram Shyam, Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center

Series host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO of Shoshin Works

Organizations both large and small alike, are finding it increasingly difficult to understand who exactly their workforce is, and how it is defined. The workforce has now developed into a complex ecosystem, with strategic orchestration required to align needs with outcomes.

When designing a workforce framework to exist within this ecosystem, factors to take into consideration include strategic alignment, worker satisfaction and safety, optimizing productivity along with job security and workforce planning. More detail can be found in the infographic here. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/intentionally-orchestrating-workforce-ecosystems/? 

In today’s podcast episode, Dyan Finkhousen and her co-host Vik Shyam sit down with Liz Altman and Jeff Schwartz, two of the co-authors of the new book ‘Workforce Ecosystems’, to discuss the changing nature of the workforce and how people and technologies can work together to create value.

Workforce Ecosystems: Reaching Strategic Goals with People, Partners, and Technologies https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047777/workforce-ecosystems/

Show Highlights:

“We're starting to see, and I think it's becoming a very accepted number, that between 30 to 50% of a total workforce is in some way a contingent workforce.” -Elizabeth J. Altman

“Employees and workers are asking for new degrees of flexibility, new degrees of growth. They're interested in the purpose and the values of their organization.” -Jeff Schwartz

“We need to redefine and rebuild our educational and our public policies for these 100 year lives in workforce ecosystems versus for the 60-65 year lives, which is what social security was based on when we passed it in the 1930s where a typical career was you studied for 20 years, you worked for 30 years and then you retired. So there's some big reframing going on both on the technology side and on the policy side as well.” -Jeff Schwartz

Guests:

Jeff Schwartz, VP of Insights and Impact at Gloat, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, author WORK DISRUPTED, and co-author of WORKFORCE ECOSYSTEMS

Elizabeth J. Altman  Assoc. Professor of Management, Manning School of Business, UMass Lowell; Guest Editor, Future of the Workforce, MIT Sloan Management Review; Co-author of WORKFORCE ECOSYSTEMS

Co-hosts:

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Vikram Shyam, PhD, Futurist, Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, NASA

The topic of climate change ignites impassioned debate worldwide - a topic that has made its way into mainstream dialogue, from wall street to mainstreet, and achieved an extraordinary amount of global investment. The ecosystemic implications of this are fascinating. A global issue - with implications for society, industry, economy and policy. A long-standing debate. Yet clear consensus and paths forward remain elusive, suggesting potential misalignment in systems of information, and incentive.

A leading concern is the belief that even the most aggressive reductions of greenhouse gas emissions are unlikely to prevent their harmful impacts - especially to those people, organisms and ecosystems that are already vulnerable. While many believe solar geoengineering shows great potential to manage some components of climate change - it also poses environmental risks and governance challenges of its own. As we consider the global level of discourse, investment in research and development, and regulatory activity - it’s imperative we

In this episode, our hosts Chris Potter and Marco Annunziata sit down with International Environmental Policy expert Jesse Reynolds to discuss the capabilities and limitations of solar geoengineering, and where we go from here.

Show Highlights:

“Cutting emissions is a collective action problem where everybody kind of wants to drag their feet and hope that the rest of the world does a good job. And then the benefits of costly emissions cuts go to the future, whereas the costs are born by the present.” –Jesse Reynolds

“Climate change economics often quickly gets into the trillions of dollars when you're talking about impacts or very aggressive emissions cuts. In fact, if anything, solar geoengineering looks too cheap, right? We don't need to reduce the cost. That's not a barrier here. So the question in terms of is it effective?It's yes … but. It can be thought of best as a palliative or an analgesic, a type of a medicine that temporary suppresses some of the worst symptoms while a cure is being researched and implemented.” –Jesse Reynolds

“It turns out that the opponents of solar geoengineering have managed to stop these field experiments saying it crosses a rubicon, that this will legitimize something that we first need a global dialogue about. And you can see how it's the extremes feeding off of each other with the loser in this process being the generation of knowledge and trust that will be essential if solar geoengineering might be able to reduce climate change risks in the future, especially to the most vulnerable populations in the world.” –Jesse Reynolds

Guest:

Jesse Reynolds, Environmental Policy Expert

Co-hosts:

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners
Christopher Potter, Senior Research Scientist, Ecosystem Science & Technology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center

Exciting intersections between the ecosystems for architecture, building and material science are forging pathways to regenerative architecture. ‘Bio-Architecture’, a fascinating take on using mycelium to create convergent new systems to generate food, jobs, and building materials that concurrently store carbon.

In this episode of the Ecosystemic Futures podcast brought to you by Shoshin Works in collaboration with NASA Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, our hosts sit down with Christopher Maurer, architect and founder of Redhouse Studio, to talk about this new capability, and the critical role regenerative solutions play in creating greater ecosystem wellness.

Show Highlights:
“There are things that inert materials like steel could never dream of being able to do, things that only life can do. And that's why I think biomaterials are really exciting.” –Christopher Maurer

“It doesn't matter where you go, you're never going to have a shortage of problems. So the way that we look at this is to turn those problems into opportunities and bio architecture can generally do that.” –Christopher Maurer

“I wanted to be able to pair this ability to create impact through the design and the architecture, with the ability to get beyond sustainability honestly, because I think we're well past that at this point. We need to get to regenerative architecture and so that's where I see bio architecture as being the main driver for that.” –Christopher Maurer

Guest: Christopher Maurer, Principal Architect at redhouse studio architecture

Co-hosts:
Tom Cooke, Founder & CEO, Spacely
Vikram Shyam, Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center

Series host: Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO of Shoshin Works

The world is increasingly interconnected, change is dynamic, and volatility ever-present. Accelerating this curve - the democratization of technology and data.
While these factors are uplifting humanity - they are also destabilizing the way we work, live, and interact.

Our guest Dr. David Bray believes that the science of systems will provide structured and beneficial solution pathways. In today’s episode, we sit down with Dr. Bray who helps us examine how new systems of governance and frameworks can help inform ecosystemic wellness, to drive beneficial outcomes for society, industry, and the economy at large.

Show Highlights: 

“I am ultimately convinced that biology is how we're going to be able to solve the challenges associated with climate change and the impact that we're having on the planet.” –Dr. David Bray

“The other thing I think that's missing from the conversation, particularly about climate change at the moment. Oftentimes you have climate experts, but you don't have job and policy people present in the room, or you have job and policy people present without climate people in the room. I'd love to create a new discipline, I don't know what I would call it, and it’d probably come off a mismatched name, but that thinks about how we can solve climate while at the same time actually create more jobs.”

–Dr. David Bray

Guest: Dr. David Bray, Distinguished Fellow at the Henry L. Stimson Center; Distinguished Fellow with the Business Executives for National Security; CEO & Champion of Positive #ChangeAgents globally on Twitter at @chief_ventures 

Co-hosts: 

Tom Cooke, Founder & CEO, Spacely

Jon Rask, Life Sciences Generalist for CAS, NASA

#ecosystemicfutures

The emergence and convergence of technologies are unlocking tremendous value, and risk. As the digital thread connecting workflows, industries and economies increases - so does the potential for ecosystemic risk.

On today’s Ecosystemic Futures podcast, hosts Dyan Finkhousen and James Villarrubia sit down with Reid Blackman, founder and CEO of Virtue, an AI ethical risk consultancy, to discuss the implications of ethics within today's complex technological frameworks and the business-critical nature of ecosystemic risk management.

Guest: Reid Blackman, founder and CEO of Virtue and host of the podcast Ethical Machines and author of Ethical Machines: Your Concise Guide to Totally Unbiased, Transparent, and Respectful AI from Harvard Review Business Press.

Co-hosts:

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

James Villarrubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA

In a world where policy makers and business leaders focus on achieving single objectives - for some, that means saving lives; for others, achieving carbon neutrality; for others, creating a more equitable society.  The reality is, the narrative that focuses on the single noble outcome obscures the more important and nuanced reality - that there are no single-variable solutions, only trade-offs. 

Every decision requires evaluating many contingencies - and  having a robust, rigorous, and Ecosystemic approach to optimizing complex systems is becoming increasingly important. Considering the components in decision-making models, and valuing the trade-offs between various cost and performance metrics is critical to optimizing complex systems. And openly communicating the trade-off decisions and rationale is essential to establish trust and transparency in the ecosystem impacted by those decisions.

In this podcast episode, our hosts Marco Annunziata and James Villarubia sit down with Dr. Ed Powell to discuss the role and opportunity of value-driven model-based optimization, understanding the trade off between price and performance, looking at key performance indicators through a more systemic lens and how this approach can contribute to designing better Ecosystemic Futures.

Show Highlights: 

“It’s all economics… it’s a question of the currency.” -G. Edward Powell

“Seeing that everything is a tradeoff and what are the compromises…”  -G. Edward Powell

Guest: G. Edward Powell, PhD, CEO, TensorX, Inc on Twitter at @edpowell63

Co-hosts: 

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners on Twitter at @marcoannunziata

James Villarubia, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow & Digital Strategist for CAS, NASA on Twitter at @james_mtc

#ecosystemicfutures

As we exit a period of high inflation, what does the economic framework look like moving forward?

On today’s episode of the Ecosystemic Futures podcast, our hosts sit down with world-renowned economist Marco Annunziata, to discuss the financial impact of inflation, the factors influencing which direction it will take and the broader role that innovation plays in ecosystemic growth and health.

The stage is set for discussions on supply chain, sustainability and global warming, while considering the impact of governance and public policy, along with the role and risks associated with each.

Guest: 

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners

Co-hosts:

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Vikram Shyam, Futurist, NASA Glenn Research Center

Tom Cooke, Founder & CEO, Spacely

G. Edward Powell, PhD, CEO, TensorX, Inc

#ecosystemicfutures

The Future Belongs to Ecosystems.

We’re living in an era of unprecedented change - driven by advancements in science, technology, business models - and consistently reshaped by policy and geopolitical dynamics. The level of interconnectivity in society and our economy necessitates a new way - an ecosystemic way - of looking at our world, and our role in it.

In this inaugural episode, the Ecosystemic Futures podcast hosts sit down to discuss how the hyper-connected nature of our ecosystems are shaping the future, the implications for business innovation, operation and navigation.

Co-hosts:

Dyan Finkhousen, Founder & CEO, Shoshin Works

Marco Annunziata, Co-Founder, Annunziata + Desai Partners

Tom Cooke, Founder & CEO, Spacely

G. Edward Powell, PhD, CEO, TensorX, Inc

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