The Future of You
Hello, welcome to the Future of You podcast.
Here we’re going to investigate and analyse all the ways emerging technologies are going to affect our identity. We used to argue about whether personal identity was in the mind or in the body; but now that psychology of the self and the biology of self has been joined by a third dimension - the technology of the self.
In a digital, data-driven world, Facebook gets a say in verifying who we are, medical science can alter our genetic make-up, and AI will help us create our digital twin - just how many identities do we need in the multiverse? How is 21st Century technology changing who we are?
I set out to research exactly that, when I wrote my book The Future of You. That turned out to be only the start of my journey into our changing identity in a digital world. And I thought rather than continue to research this on my own, I could invite you along too.
I’m Tracey Follows, I’m a futurist and founder of Futuremade, the futures consultancy, and I’ve helped brands and businesses like Virgin, Google, Diageo and Farfetch spot trends, develop strategic foresight and fully prepare for what comes next.
I believe identity is the defining issue of our generation. So every fortnight I’ll be releasing new episodes, featuring panels of experts as we delve into topics such as how we use media to express our selves, the emergence of the extreme self, transhumanism and the augmented self; anonymity, genetics, biometrics, mind clones, and the digital afterlife - these are just some of the innovations, and controversies, we’ll cover.
Join the community, buy the book at thefutureofyou.co.uk or connect with me on X at @traceyfutures. Please come with me on this journey to explore identity in the digital world, as we investigate the future of me, and the future of you.
The Future of You
Meet Your Future Self #33
What if you could use AI to see what your life would be like when you are 60, or better understand how you got there? Today on The Future of You I’m talking to the creators of an interactive experience that will allow you to do just that.
In this episode I speak with Germeshausen Professor Pattie Maes and technologist and researcher Pat Pataranutaporn from MIT Media Lab. Pattie and Pat are working on "Future You", a project using AI to create our own digital twin.
We talk about human-AI interaction, human attachment to machine conversation, and what questions we might pose to our future selves when given the opportunity.
Try Future You from MIT Media Lab https://futureyou.media.mit.edu/
Tracey's book 'The Future of You: Can Your Identity Survive 21st Century Technology?' available in the UK (https://bit.ly/44ObTha) and US (https://bit.ly/3OlDxgk)
The Future of You was named Best Technology Podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards 2023.
Find Tracey at https://www.futuremade.group/abouttracey
Explore more on The Future of You at https://www.futuremade.group/the-future-of-you
