event | Vision Weekend

theme: Under the Radar: context • controversies • co-operation
October 1, 2019

— event —

event title: Vision Weekend
brand: Foresight Institute
theme: Under the Radar: context • controversies • co-operation

season: autumn
when: November 2 — 3
year: 2019
where: San Francisco, CA • United States

visit | event website

— summary —

Welcome to Vision Weekend — please join us for this engaging event. The future is a collaborative effort, and it should be fun. To encourage co-operation at scale, we invite our favorite organizations as advisors into the mix — with plenty of time to enjoy our beautiful setting, and connect with old + new friends. There will also be a “thank you” gathering for speakers, advisors, and patrons.

day 1  |

context — Invited thinkers provide context on their alternative take on approaching humanity’s greatest challenges. If you could focus your energy, time, and effort on one thing, what would it be?

controversies — Each talk is opened for discussion. Led by a panel of 3 fellow speakers, and followed by questions from participants. Why is or isn’t this idea worth pursuing?

day 2  |

co-operation — The choice is yours. Follow your favorite speaker into one of the many parallel sessions to explore yesterday’s ideas in-depth. Or make your way to the lightning talk room where other participants put their ideas on our radar. This room is free-style with 10 minute intervals.

In addition to our speakers, we have advisers from our favorite non-profits floating through the sessions. Connect with them to make your idea reality.

— speakers —

  • Aubrey de Grey PhD — reaching escape velocity for most people alive today
  • Tom Chi — change catalysts in climate destabilization
  • Peter Eckersley — setting priorities in addressing AI risk
  • Creon Levit — learning to learn + my favorite discoveries
  • Gaia Dempsey — the quantum biology loop-hole
  • ZARINAH AGNEW — experimental social science
  • ANTHONY AGUIRRE — aggregating opinions to reveal truth
  • SONIA ARRISON — investment as innovation vehicle
  • CHRISTINE PETERSON — crowd-sourced futurism + action
  • DAVID FRIEDMAN — lessons from legal systems different from ours
  • TOM KALIL — plausible moon-shots + how to get them done
  • ROBIN HANSON — 3 books I’d like to write
  • BREWSTER KAHLE — de-centralizing the web to get what we want

about | Foresight Institute

The Foresight Institute is advancing beneficial nano-technology, artificial intelligence, and bio-technology. We selectively accelerate technologies that can have wide benefits for the world.

Humanity is at a crucial point in history — we’re now developing tools that are more powerful than anything we created before.  We support the development of transformative tools that unlock the potential for a flourishing future.

for example:

  • solar-powered nano-structures for the de-salination of ocean water
  • AI for breakthrough scientific research
  • atomically precise structures to treat illness
  • atomically precise microscopic medical robots
  • nano-factories capable of general purpose, high through-put atomically precise manufacturing
  • manufacturing any physical object for the price of agricultural products

— activities —

Our ongoing efforts: public talks, media appearances, advocacy, and engagement with institutions. Our technical workshops attract domain experts and substantial funding.

Our Foresight Guidelines + Foresight Nanotech Roadmap are a guidepost for developing beneficial nano-technology. We host open conferences + events to engage the public — with a mix of talks, pop-up groups, and projects.

— background —

In year 1986 Foresight Institute was founded with a view toward the future of nano-technology. Current capabilities will eventually leadto fabricating complex products —  with atom-by-atom control of the manufacturing process.

This future capability — sometimes called “molecular manufacturing” or “atomically precise manufacturing” — was first described by physicist Richard Feynman PhD, in his 1959 talk: There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom. • read

Foresight Institute educates the public, researchers, and policy-makers about Feynman’s vision — what advanced nano-tech would be like, and what it could do. We ground these expectations in the current possibilities + applications of nano-tech.

We consider how to move from current capabilities to advanced nano-tech — how to capture opportunities but avoid the risks of the ultimate manufacturing tech.

on the web | pages

Foresight Institute | home
Foresight Institute | YouTube channel

— notes —

AI = artificial intelligence