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WorksheetsIFT201c
Total questions: 145
Worksheet time: 1hrs 13mins
The main goal of futures thinking is to get better at accurately predicting the future.
True
False
According to a global scientific study, most people say YES, if it were possible, I would like to know what will happen in my own future — for example, the cause of my death, or whether my marriage will end in divorce. Which of the following is correct?
True
False
According to Alvin Toffler, author of Future Shock, "When it comes to thinking about the future, it's more important to be WHAT than to be right?"
It's more important to be IMAGINATIVE than to be right.
It's more important to be FAST than to be right.
It's more important to be READY than to be right.
According to professional futurists, in how many years does the future start?
8
9
10
11
Is creativity one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking? Which of the following is correct?
Yes
No
Is empathy one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is smarter investing one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is mental flexibility one of the strengths you will develop by practising futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is accurate prediction one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
The computer vision research team at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence recently released a collaborative game. In the game, a human and an AI take turns drawing scenes that the other can understand and identify correctly. The goal of the game is to improve human-AI communication. What kind of change is this a signal of?
AI is becoming more collaborative with humans.
AI is becoming more likely to replace humans at work.
Etch is a new blockchain-based payroll system that automatically pays wages to workers in real-time. Instead of waiting for a check every two weeks or 30 days for an invoice to be paid, Etch gets you your wages the second you earn them. Or, as they say: "You can buy lunch with the money you earned at work that morning." What kind of change is this a signal of?
Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain will make it easier for people to get paid right away for work in the future, increasing their economic security.
Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain will make it more complicated to pay people in the future, creating new stress for employers.
A new kind of technology called "ultra-haptics" will allow people to interact with machines without touching them. One signal in this field is an ATM (cash withdrawal machine) that you can operate without touching any buttons. You simply wave your hands in the air. What kind of CHANGE is this a SIGNAL of?
Interacting with machines will be more dangerous in the future, especially at work.
Interacting with machines will be safer and cleaner in the future, especially in spaces where many different people interact with the same machines.
Interacting with machines will be safer and cleaner in the future, especially in spaces where many different people interact with the same machines. Which of these signals of change do you personally find most interesting, or think is most likely to impact YOU in the future?
Safer and cleaner machine interactions in shared spaces
Increased machine complexity in private spaces
Reduced machine usage in public areas
Decreased safety in machine interactions
Which of these types of futures thinking are you personally most excited to learn and practice? (There is no right or wrong answer — this is a reflection question.) Choose the one that excites you the most:
Forecasting skills
Simulation skills
Collaborative gaming skills
Urgent optimism / Action skills
Institute for the Future uses a three-step methodology that Bob Johansen explains in his mini-masterclass video and in the reading this week. The first step of the methodology, or cycle, is to anticipate what might be different in the future. What is the name of this step?
Get There Early
Foresight
Insight
Action
The second step of the Institute for the Future methodology is to make sense of the possible changes and imagine what you might do to prepare for and take advantage of those changes, or to slow them down and prevent them. What is the name of this step?
Get There Early
Foresight
Insight
Action
This week you learned about the neurological pathways and activity areas of the brain that support thinking more creatively about the future.One of the important neurological activities is "scene construction", where the brain creates a vivid mental simulation. What is another term for this neurological activity?
Mentalizing
Performance monitoring
Memory and simulation
Another important neurological activity that happens when we think about the future is that we try to simulate how other people might feel and what they might do. This activity is a way for our own brain to "get inside someone else's mind." That's why it's called: Which of the following is correct?
Performance monitoring
Memory and simulation
Mentalizing
A third neurological activity that happens when we think about the future is a kind of "scanning" of the future for possible opportunities to make choices and take actions that serve our own personal goals. What is this called?
Mentalizing
Memory and simulation
Performance monitoring
There's a region of the brain that fires up whenever you register something as important to you, personally. It says, "Hey! This matters to YOU! It's about YOU! Pay attention!" What is this region called?
Temporal Lobe
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Medial PreFrontal Cortex
What does this same part of the brain do, for most people, when they imagine themselves in a far future — say, 10 years out or more? Which of the following is correct?
If they're in a good mood, it fires up and says "Hey! Pay attention!"
If they're bored, frustrated, or angry, it doesn't react.
It acts like they're thinking about a complete stranger, someone who doesn't matter to them at all.
It fires up and says "Hey! This is important! Pay attention!"
What's the result of this part of the brain's behavior, when it comes to imagining your future self? Which of the following is correct?
It's easier to predict what you will do and harder to predict what other people will do in the future.
As a result, you lose empathy for others and focus only on your own needs and goals.
If you spend too much time thinking about your future self, you can become disoriented. You may become confused about what is realistic or possible and set unrealistic goals for yourself.
It's hard to have empathy for your future self. As a result, you make decisions that feel good in the short run but are maybe not-so-good in the long run.
This week, you learned about 3 different areas of simulation innovation. One area involves creating realistic video or audio of a real person saying or doing something they've never actually said or done, using AI. These are authentic-seeming "fakes" based on real footage and audio. What does futurist Jamais Cascio call these new kinds of half-real simulations?
A "simtainer"
"Simulacra"
Haptics
Which of these three types of simulation technologies are personally most interesting to you? Which one could you see yourself being most affected by in the future, or taking the time to work with and create something yourself in the future?
a. Simtainers
b. Simulacra videos/audio recordings
c. Haptics
A smart wallet that knows how much money you've spent this month so far and what your total monthly budget is. It becomes harder and harder to pry open the closer you get to your maximum budget. Which of the following is correct?
This is real, it already exists.
This is not real.
What can we learn from images of the future?
A. What some common hopes for the future are
B. What some common anxieties for the future are
C. On the whole, whether a society is feeling more optimistic or more pessimistic about a particular future topic
D. Whether a particular future depicted by the image is more or less likely to happen
According to the course, which of the following is TRUE?
The main goal of futures thinking is to get better at accurately predicting the future.
Most people say YES, if it were possible, I would like to know what will happen in my own future - for example, the cause of my death, or whether my marriage will end in divorce.
It is more important to be IMAGINATIVE than to be right when it comes to thinking about the future.
Smarter investing develops by practicing futures thinking
It is more important to be IMAGINATIVE than to be right when it comes to thinking about the future.
Futurist Bob Johansen has a three-word philosophy that sums up the purpose and methods of future forecasting. He uses it in his daily personal life, and not just at work, to practice the skills of arriving before the masses and giving yourself enough time to think more clearly and respond to surprising challenges. What is this three-word philosophy?
Get There Early
Foresight before others
Insight of target audience
Action before others
The third step in the Institute for the Future methodology is to start trying new things, today, that let you experiment with possible strategies for the future. What is the name of this step in the cycle?
Get There Early
Foresight
Insight
Action
In the course, you learned about the neurological pathways and activity areas of the brain that support thinking more creatively about the future. One of the most important neurological activities in thinking about the future is "scene construction" During scene construction, the brain creates a vivid movie or3D virtual reality in your mind's eye. It allows you to "look Around" and immerse yourself in a simulated scene, whether it's something that you are remembering or something you are imagining could happen in the future. What is another term for this neurological activity?
Memory and simulation
Mentalizing
Performance monitoring
None of other is correct
Another important neurological activity that happens when we think about the future is that we try to simulate how other people might feel and what they might do. This activity is a way for our own brain to "get inside someone's mind". That why it's called
Memory and simulation
Mentalizing
Performance monitoring
None of other is correct
What is an image of the future according to professional futurists' terminology? Which of the following is correct?
An illustration (photo or drawing) of what the future might look like.
A representation in popular media (TV, film, books, comics, political speeches) of what the future might be like.
A mental picture (like a movie or virtual reality in your mind) of what the future might be like.
What some common hopes for the future are.
The first step of the methodology, or cycle, is to anticipate what might be different in the future. What is the name of this step?
Get There Early
Foresight
Insight
Action
In the course, you learned about the neurological pathways and activity areas of the brain that support thinking more creatively about the future. One of the most important neurological activities is "scene construction," where the brain creates a vivid mental simulation. What is another term for this neurological activity? Which of the following is correct?
Memory and simulation
Mentalizing
Performance monitoring
None of the above is correct
If you want to build up all of the neurological pathways that support these 3 important activities — memory and simulation, mentalizing, and performance monitoring — you can practice the "magic triangle" of simulation. Which of the following are NOT the habits that make up this magic triangle?
a. Remembering the past exactly as it was.
b. Remembering the future as if it has already happened.
c. Predicting the past, and how it could have been different.
d. Hard empathy, or imagining yourself in situations you've never directly experienced.
Which of these are NOT real signals of change that already exist today in the lesson (video and readings) of the future of empathy?
A smart wallet that knows how much money you've spent this month so far and what your total monthly budget is.
A neurosensing headband monitors how "focused" or "bored" you are. If you are deeply focused on a task, it automatically cancels notifications to your phone and hides new emails so you can stay focused on your job.
A smart shirt for rugby fans that uses haptic feedback to help them "feel" the action on the sports field. For example, the fan would feel a strong rumbling in their chest when a player is tackled in the real match.
A global social network that allows users to share their feelings with others by sharing heartrate, breathing rate, hormone levels and more. A peripheral headset can stimulate the same feelings so you can literally "feel" what someone else is feeling.
What can we NOT learn from images of the future?
The exact events that will happen
Possible technological advancements
Predicted changes in environment
Speculative trends in fashion
Some common hopes for the future include:
Advancements in technology and healthcare
Decline in global cooperation
Increase in pollution and conflict
Reduction in education opportunities
Is creativity one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is foresight one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is empathy one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is practical skepticism one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is strategy one of the seven strengths you will build by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is hope one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is smarter investing one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is talent spotting one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is accurate prediction one of the seven strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
Is mental flexibility one of the strengths you will develop by practicing futures thinking?
Yes
No
This week, you learned about signals of change. Which of these are accurate descriptions of signals of change? Choose all that apply.
They are the "raw ingredients" or "building blocks" of futures thinking.
They are clues to how the future might be different.
They are real things, happening now, in the real world.
They are always a new technology or a scientific innovation.
The computer vision research team at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence recently released a collaborative game. In the game, a human and an AI take turns drawing scenes that the other can understand and identify correctly. The goal of the game is to improve human-AI communication. What kind of CHANGE is this a SIGNAL of?
AI is becoming more collaborative with humans.
AI is becoming more likely to replace humans at work.
Etch is a new blockchain-based payroll system that automatically pays wages to workers in real-time. Instead of waiting for a check every two weeks or 30 days for an invoice to be paid, Etch gets you your wages the second you earn them. What kind of CHANGE is this a SIGNAL of?
A. Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain will make it easier for people to get paid right away for work in the future, increasing their economic security.
B. Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain will make it more complicated to pay people in the future, creating new stress for employers.
A new kind of technology called "ultra-haptics" will allow people to interact with machines without touching them. One signal is an ATM that you can operate without touching any buttons. You simply wave your hands in the air. What kind of CHANGE is this a SIGNAL of?
Interacting with machines will be more dangerous in the future, especially at work.
Interacting with machines will be safer and cleaner in the future, especially in spaces where many different people interact with the same machines.
Interplay Learning is an online learning platform that uses Virtual Reality and 3D simulations to train workers in new skills. Workers can access 100s of hours of lessons anywhere, anytime. What kind of SIGNAL of CHANGE is this?
In the future, workers will have fewer opportunities to learn new skills at work.
In the future, online learning and workplace learning is likely to be more immersive and simulation-based. It may incorporate Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality into every learning experience.
When was the Institute for the Future founded?
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
What was the primary reason for the creation of the Institute for the Future?
To help companies maximize profit and grow faster.
To deal with the accelerating rate and scale of change in society, and to help society learn how to control those forces of change.
To create the conditions for peace globally.
Which is the best description of the method of futures thinking that Institute for the Future proposed to create and teach to others?
Explore multiple alternative futures, analyze the comparative risks and benefits of each, and devise strategies and action plans for increasing the probability of the most desired futures.
Describe multiple possible futures, rate each future for their likelihood and probability of actually happening, and propose investments and business strategies to maximize profit and growth based on those probabilities.
Identify the worst-case and best-case scenario futures, and help leaders prepare for both possibilities.
The prospectus for Institute for the Future says that it will be "imaginative by design." What does this mean?
It will encourage a wide range of writers, scientists, philosophers, artists, engineers and social innovators to contribute their creative vision and unique point of view about what they believe could be possible in the future.
It will not be concerned with "evidence" but will rely mainly on intuition.
This type of futures thinking is the first step in any new futures project. It asks the question: How might the world be different in the next 10 years? It looks for evidence of changes already happening today and helps us anticipate what's coming next.
Forecasting skills
Simulation skills
Collaborative gaming skills
Action skills
This type of futures thinking helps you immerse yourself in possible futures. It challenges you to feel and experience the future before it happens. The goal is to help you decide which futures you want to make more likely, which futures you want to prevent, and what actions you can take to thrive and succeed in any given future.
Forecasting skills
Simulation skills
Collaborative gaming skills
Action skills
This type of futures thinking is designed to help you avoid blindspots when it comes to the future. It lets you see the future from many diverse points of view. It helps you work with others to uncover the hardest-to-anticipate consequences and ripple effects of change.
Forecasting skills
Simulation skills
Collaborative gaming skills
Action skills
This type of futures thinking helps you strategize about what you can do today to make the future you want more likely, and the futures you don't want less likely.
Forecasting skills
Simulation skills
Collaborative gaming skills
D. Action skills
In the scenario "Machines as Criminals", what's different in this future?
Lawmakers have to decide who should be legally responsible when "smart" objects break the law: the people who own the objects, or the companies who make them? For example, if a self-driving car gets a speeding ticket, who should pay: the owner of the car, or the auto manufacturer who programmed it to speed?
It proves impossible to teach ethical decision making to robots and AI. As a result, most "smart" machines behave in ways that are criminal or in violation of human values, and the production of "bad" machines is banned.
One area of innovation is creating realistic video or audio of a real person saying something they've never actually said, or doing something they've never actually done. These videos and audio recordings are based on machine intelligence. An AI creates an authentic-seeming "fake" based on real, previous videos and audio recordings. So they are a hybrid of "real" and "faked." What does futurist Jamais Cascio call these new kinds of half-real simulations?
A. A "simtainer"
B. Simulacra
C. Haptics
B. Simulacra
Another area of simulation innovation is the use of shipping containers to create a portable Virtual Reality environment that can easily be set up, moved, and re-installed anywhere in the world. Futurists are using these spaces to imagine how real shipping containers, an important and underutilized part of the global infrastructure, might be used in the future. What is this project/technology called?
Simtainers
Simulacra
Haptics
Who invented and first described "Afrofuturism"?
Mark Dery
N.K. Jemisin
Samuel L. Delany
Octavia Butler
Which of these are true statements about Afrofuturism? (Check all that apply)
It focuses on the experience of Black people in the future.
It usually has a positive or utopian aspect, depicting a better world than today.
C. It is often practiced and communicated through popular culture, like music videos, fashion magazines, movies, and science-fiction writing.
D. For many people, it is a kind of artistic therapy, working through the traumas of the past and present by imagining a more just future
In one of this week's videos, Professor Lonny Brooks says the African diaspora community "have always been futurists." Why?
The slave trade took Africans against their will to far-away, strange lands where they needed to adapt, innovate, and invent new culture in order to survive.
As a way to deal with the trauma of slavery, many cultural and religious practices spread by the African diaspora centered around imagining their future selves somewhere better.
The work performed by enslaved people globally built the future, creating the economies and raw materials needed to invent modern society.
The slave trade took Africans against their will to far-away, strange lands where they needed to adapt, innovate, and invent new culture in order to survive.
In how many years does the future start, according to professional futurists?
8
9
10
11
Interplay Learning is an online learning platform that uses Virtual Reality and 3D simulations to train workers in new skills. Workers can access 100s of hours of lessons anywhere, anytime. What kind of SIGNAL of CHANGE is this?
In the future, workers will have fewer opportunities to learn new skills at work.
In the future, online learning and workplace learning is likely to be more immersive and simulation-based. It may incorporate Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality into every learning experience. The majority of Coursera courses could be VR and AR based by 2030!
The best definition for a future forecast is:
A. A prediction of what will most likely happen in the future, based on probability, statistics and simulations.
B. A prediction of what COULD happen in the future, based on evidence of how the world is already changing. This evidence is called "signals" of change.
C. A description of what you want to happen in the future
Futurist Bob Johansen has a three-word philosophy that sums up the purpose and methods of future forecasting. He uses it in his daily personal life, and not just at work, to practice the skills of arriving before the masses and giving yourself enough time to think more clearly and respond to surprising challenges. What is this three-word philosophy?
Get There Early
Foresight
Insight
Action
The third step in the Institute for the Future methodology is to start trying new things, today, that let you experiment with possible strategies for the future. What is the name of this step in the cycle?
Get There Early
Foresight
Insight
Action
Professional futurists often talk about "drivers of change" when making future forecasts. What's a driver of change?
A person who gets to decide what the future will be.
A major new technology, global trend or phenomenon that is likely to have a big influence on what the future will be.
An action you can take today to change what the future will be.
What's the best way to describe what Blockchain technology is?
A. A decentralized system of record-keeping, in which it is easier to counterfeit or fake data because no one authority is in charge of maintaining the record.
B. A decentralized system of record-keeping, protected by a form of math called cryptography so that only experts in security and advanced mathematics have access to the records.
C. A decentralized system of record-keeping, protected by cryptography, that creates trust because everyone connected to the system has a complete copy of the record, preventing individuals from faking data or altering the record.
The Blockchain forecast you read this week predicts that we will see three waves of innovation when it comes to blockchain over the next decade.
Computing: Rise of a new global "stateful" computing platform
Currencies: New forms of money, crypto-tokens, new exchange methods
Commons: Resources and infrastructure managed by the crowd
What order are these 3 waves of innovation expected to occur in?
A. Computing, Currencies, Commons
B. Commons, Computing, Currencies
C. Currencies, Computing, Commons
D. Currencies, Commons, Computing
This week, you watched two demonstration videos of how to turn signals and drivers into forecasts. Which of the two demonstrated forecasts do you think would impact you the most if it came true? (No right or wrong answer)
Yes, you can play with your food! Virtual reality and 3D food printers make mealtime more fun and experimental
Go team! Professional sports allow fans to buy power-ups for their favourite athletes and teams through physical activity
In the scenario "Machines as Consumers", what is different about this future?
Instead of deciding what to buy for themselves, most people let artificially intelligent "personal assistants" do their shopping for them.
Globally, more money is now spent on purchases for keeping machines running than for keeping humans alive.
In the scenario "Machines as Conscience", what is different in this future?
A. A new AI called the "Digital Consequence Awareness System" helps people understand the ripple effects and long-term consequences of their actions, so they can behave more ethically.
B. A new blockchain app called "Karma" allows individuals to report when someone else's actions have helped them or harmed them, creating a lifelong record of who is a "good person" or a "bad person"
One of the most important neurological activities in thinking about the future is "scene construction." The brain creates a vivid movie or 3D virtual reality in your mind's eye, letting you immerse yourself in a simulated scene. What is another term for this neurological activity?
Mentalizing
Performance monitoring
Memory and simulation
Another important neurological activity when we think about the future is simulating how other people might feel and what they might do. This helps our brain "get inside someone else's mind." That's why it's called:
Performance monitoring
Memory and simulation
Mentalizing
If you want to build up all of the neurological pathways that support these 3 important activities (memory and simulation, mentalizing, and performance monitoring), you can practice the "magic triangle" of simulation. What are the 3 habits that make up this magic triangle?
A. Remembering the past exactly as it was.
B. Remembering the future as if it has already happened.
C. Predicting the past, and how it could have been different.
D. Predicting the future, and explaining why it will be that way.
E. Hard empathy, or imagining yourself in situations you've never directly experienced.
There's a region of the brain that fires up whenever you register something as important to you, personally. It says, "Hey! This matters to YOU! Pay attention!" What is this region called?
Temporal Lobe
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Medial PreFrontal Cortex
What's the result of this part of the brain's behavior when it comes to imagining your future self?
A. It's easier to predict what you will do and harder to predict what other people will do in the future.
B. As a result, you lose empathy for others and focus only on your own needs and goals.
C. If you spend too much time thinking about your future self, you can become disoriented. You may become confused about what is realistic or possible and set unrealistic goals for yourself.
D. It's hard to have empathy for your future self. As a result, you make decisions that feel good in the short run but are maybe not-so-good in the long run.
Creating realistic video or audio of a real person saying or doing something they've never actually said or done, using machine intelligence, is called what by futurist Jamais Cascio?
A. A "simtainer"
B. Simulacra
C. Haptics
The use of shipping containers to create a portable Virtual Reality environment that can be easily set up, moved, and re-installed anywhere in the world is called what?
Simtainers
Simulacra
Haptics
The third simulation technology explored this week is technology that simulates touch. It allows you to have a physical sensation of touching a virtual object, or being touched by a virtual object. What is this technology field called?
Simtainers
Simulacra
Haptics
What goes at the center of a future wheel?
A forecast or scenario you want to explore the consequences of
A question you have about the future
A prediction of what you believe is the most likely future
What question is the main question you ask, in order to fill out your future wheel?
How likely is this change to happen?
Do I want this future change to happen? Why or why not?
If this future change happened, what might happen NEXT?
What is the primary goal of filling out a future wheel?
A. To brainstorm responses and strategies for dealing with any future change or event.
B. To uncover hard-to-predict, surprising consequences of any future change or event.
C. To determine the most likely positive consequences and most likely negative consequences of any future change or event.
Which of these are real signals of change that already exist today? Which are made up, and do not in fact exist? A neurosensing headband monitors how "focused" or "bored" you are. If you are deeply focused on a task, it automatically cancels notifications to your phone and hides new emails so you can stay focused on your job.
This is real, it already exists.
This is not real.
A smart shirt for rugby fans that uses haptic feedback to help them "feel" the action on the sports field. For example, the fan would feel a strong rumbling in their chest when a player is tackled in the real match.
This is real, it already exists.
This is not real.
A small, non-invasive wearable earpiece that stimulates the vagus nerve to change your mood. You get to pick how you want to feel. You can set it to increase your energy and alertness or to decrease anxiety, and feel calm and peaceful.
This is real, it already exists.
This is not real.
A global social network that allows users to share their feelings with others by sharing heart rate, breathing rate, hormone levels, and more. A peripheral headset can stimulate the same feelings so you can literally "feel" what someone else is feeling.
This is real, it already exists.
This is not real.
What's an image of the future? (according to professional futurists' terminology)
An illustration (photo or drawing) of what the future might look like
A representation in popular media (TV, film, books, comics, political speeches) of what the future might be like
A mental picture (like a movie or virtual reality in your mind) of what the future might be like
Who wrote the book "The Image of the Future" and first suggested the value of analyzing images of the future?
Marina Gorbis
Bob Johansen
Rebecca Solnit
Fred Polak
In his book "Images of the Future", the author writes: "It was but a small step for man from realizing that he had a future to wanting to know what that future would bring." The author identifies some of the earliest known images of the future, ones that go much further back in human culture than the science fiction films and tv series and the modern dystopians novels often named as examples. Which of these are considered early "images of the future?"
A. The City of God by St. Augustine Plato's Politeia, also known as The Republic
B. Thomas More's Utopia
C. The City of God by St. Augustine
D. Plato's Politeia, also known as The Republic
What's an artifact from the future?
A short story that includes many vivid details about what the future might be like.
An artist's rendering of an everyday object, physical or digital, that might exist in the future.
A scientific piece of evidence that strongly suggests how the future is most likely to turn out.
What's the relationship between an artifact from the future and a future forecast?
A. A forecast predicts what the future will most probably be like. An artifact is a piece of evidence that supports the prediction.
B. A forecast is a description of a possible future and how it's different from today. An artifact is a specific, concrete, measurable outcome that can tell us: "Has this forecast come true yet, or not?"
C. A forecast describes, generally, the world we might live in someday and how it could be different from today. An artifact is a new kind of object that might exist in that future.
What are some of the benefits of creating artifacts from the future?
A. It makes the future more "real" and "tangible" to our imagination.
B. It can spark thought and conversations about the future, especially for people who don't ordinarily think about the far future.
C. It can blur the line between "today" and "tomorrow" in a way that provokes strong emotional reactions.
ABC
Which will you NOT develop by practicing futures thinking?
A. Strategy
B. Hope
C. Foresight
D. Smarter investing
Which will you develop by practicing futures thinking?
A. Foresight
B. Smarter investing
C. Talent spotting
D. Accurate prediction
Which will you develop by practicing futures thinking?
A. Mental flexibility
B. Smarter investing
C. Talent spotting
D. Fortune teller
Which of these are accurate descriptions of signals of change?
A. AI is becoming more likely to replace humans at work.
B. AI is becoming more collaborative with humans.
C. Nothing is becoming more likely to replace humans at work.
D. Interacting with machines will be more dangerous in the future, especially at work
What is the best definition for a future forecast?
A. A prediction of what will most likely happen in the future, based on probability, statistics, and simulations.
B. A prediction of what COULD happen in the future, based on evidence of how the world is already changing. This evidence is called "signals" of change.
C. A description of what you want to happen in the future.
D. None of the other is correct.
The computer vision research team at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence recently released a collaborative game. In the game, a human and an AI take turns drawing scenes that the other can understand and identify correctly. The goal of the game is to improve human-AI communication. What kind of CHANGE is this a SIGNAL of?
A. Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain will make it easier for people to get paid right away for work in the future, increasing their economic security.
B. Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain will make it more complicated to pay people in the future, creating new stress for employers.
C. Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain will make it more concentrated on employer to pay right away for work in the future.
D. Secure distributed ledgers like blockchain cannot help the employer in the future
One of the most important neurological activities in thinking about the future is "scene construction" — the brain creates a vivid movie or 3D virtual reality in your mind's eye, allowing you to immerse yourself in imagined or remembered scenes.
What is another term for this neurological activity?
A. Memory and simulation
B. Mentalizing
C. Performance monitoring
D. None of other is correct
Another important neurological activity is when we try to simulate how other people might feel and what they might do — a way for our brain to "get inside someone's mind."
That's why it's called:
A. Memory and simulation
B. Mentalizing
C. Performance monitoring
D. None of other is correct
What is an image of the future? (according to professional futurists' terminology)
A. An illustration (photo or drawing) of what the future might look like
B. A representation in popular media (TV, film, books, comics, political speeches) of what the future might be like
C. A mental picture (like a movie or virtual reality in your mind) of what the future might be like
What is an artifact from the future?
A. A scientific piece of evidence that strongly suggests how the future is most likely to turn out
B. An artist's rendering of an everyday object, physical or digital, that might exist in the future
C. A short story that includes many vivid details about what the future might be like
D. It makes the future more "real" and "tangible" to our imagination
What are NOT the habits that make up the "magic triangle" of simulation?
A. Remembering the past exactly as it was
B. Remembering the future as if it has already happened
C. Predicting the past, and how it could have been different
D. Hard empathy, or imagining yourself in situations you've never directly experienced
This means new habits, activities, and strategies that a few people are trying out today that might become more common in the future. What is this?
A. leading-edge behaviors
B. massively multiplayer forecasting game
C. practice positive and shadow imagination
D. using a future wheel to draw out surprising consequences
In which principles of future thinking will the futurist use "The Two-Curve Framework" by Ian Morrison?
A. Forget about predictions
B. Focus on signals
C. Look back to see forward
D. Uncover patterns
E. Create a community
Collaborative gaming skills are a good place to start if you've landed in square #..... of the Future Four-Square Tool
A.1
B.2
C.3
D.4
The forces of change that move us toward particular futures. What is it?
A. Driver
B. Signal
C. Sweet spot
D. Insight
Which questions will be used in practicing shadow imagination?
A. What could go right in this future?
B. What could go wrong in this future? What would you worry about in this future? What new risks, dangers or inequalities could exist in this future?
C. If X happened, then what would happen next? And then what? And then what?
D. What would you be excited about in this future? What would be better than today in this future?
When you think about a future topic, you get a clearer picture of multiple possible outcomes, in which one current trends continue along the same trajectory?
A. A "growth" future
B. A "collapse" future
C. A "constraint" future
D. A "transformation" future
Which is/are future thinking skill(s)?
A. innovation skills
B. business skills
C. leadership skills.
D. All of the above are correct
Which future force(s) are driving the budding learning economy?
A. learning commons
B. maker mindset
C. digital natives
D. All of others are correct
What is the key COLLABORATIVE GAMING skills?
A. Heading the future
B. Use a future wheel to draw out surprising consequences
C. Envision Alternative Futures
D. Use the experiential ladder to create full-body simulation
How to write good scenarios?
A. allow a reader to understand a different world in a way that draws out insights
B. are logically coherent and internally consistent, where the external events and human actions make sense in relation to each other.
C. are based on evidence from drivers, trends, signals, and other research, but make a leap from the foundations into new territory
D. All of others are correct
Signal: Did you know that scientists say the Bay Area should expect 6- to 10- inches of sea level rise by 2030? San Mateo County unveiled a "One Map, Many Futures" sea level rise calculator and map, based on the state of California Sea Level Rise Guidance. The map gives you a view of any location with multiple scenarios at 2030 and 2050, based on probabilistic combinations of sea-level rise, storm surges, and high tides.
How professional futurists at IFTF share and analyze above signal with each other?
A. As tools like this become more available around the world, potential flood risks will become an everyday part of the calculation of big ticket, long term investments like buying a home or situating a new retail space, office building, or housing development.
B. Shifting land values will affect the whole region - not just the areas immediately at risk
C. Some heavily populated areas may have to relocate.
D. All of others are correct
Which of the following means thinking about a decision you made in the past and wondering "What if I had made a different decision?"
A. Headline the Future
B. Predict the past
C. Remember the future
D. Use hard empathy
People in organizations will think about signals and get together to share their observations. This is called...
A. sensing
B. foresight
C. insight
D. sweet spot
Signal: Iceland holds a funeral for its first glacier lost to climate change. About 100 people, including the country's Prime Minister, commemorated the loss of the Okjokull glacier with a monumental plaque entitled "A Letter to the Future." The plaque addresses people 200 years in the future, when the scientists expect Iceland's 400-plus glaciers to be gone.
How professional futurists at IFTF share and analyze above signal with each other?
A. Solastalgia for rapidly changing landscapes will produce more rituals mourning environmental deaths - including monuments to occupy the transformed physical spaces where natural landmarks once stood.
B. They'll come up with new and different ways of remembering what the environment once looked like.
C. Future generations will have to go to a museum to learn what a glacier is.
D. All of the above are correct
When should you use Collaborative gaming skills?
A. The future is getting better, and you can help move things in the right direction, faster
B. The future is getting better, but you don't think you have any power to influence it
C. The future is getting worse, and you don't think you have any power to influence it
D. None of others is correct
In which principle of future thinking will the futurists use "The Two-Curve Framework" by lan Morrison?
A. Forget about predictions
B. Focus on signals
C. Look back to see forward
D. Uncover patterns
E. Create a community
This is a special kind of future forecast. It's a description of a future in which one of today's biggest problems has been successfully solved. What is this?
A. An epic win
B. A leading-edge behaviors
C. A positive imagination
D. A shadow imagination
When should you use Forecasting skills?
A. The future is getting better, and you can help move things in the right direction, faster
B. The future is getting better, but you don't think you have any power to influence it
C. The future is getting worse, and you don't think you have any power to influence it
D. None of others is correct
You have a strong awareness of the hopes and fears of others. You pay close attention to how any future will affect different groups of people and communities differently. This means you are developed...
A. Practical skepticism
B. Empathy
C. Mental flexibility
D. Hope
Which is WRONG of "forget about predictions" according to Marina Gorbis?
A. Futures Thinking is about readiness
B. Futures Thinking is about seeing new possibilities
C. Futures Thinking can predict the future
D. Nobody can predict large socio technical transformations and what exactly these are going to look like
Who can hire futurists?
A. Any company
B. Any start-up
C. Any government
D. All of others are correct
We have to "Look Back to See Forward" because:
A. There is no data about the future; the only data we have is about the past
B. While we cannot fully rely on past data to help us see the future, there are larger patterns in history that we tend to repeat over and over again
C. We don't repeat our history completely, but we do repeat patterns.
D. All of others are correct
Which of the following is an example of future thinking?
A. A food manufacturer exploring new trends and diet, health, and food technology
B. A group of scientists trying to figure out how to prevent the next deadly pandemic
C. A CEO looking to lead their company into the future and to avoid being disrupted by new technologies or competitors.
D. All of others are correct
According to Marina Gorbis, which is/are core principles) for futures thinking?
A. Forget about predictions.
B. Focus on signals.
C. Look back to see forward
D. All of the above are correct
Which will you NOT develop by practicing futures thinking?
A. Creativity: transcend traditional ideas and invent new possibilities. You can imagine things that don't exist today, or have never happened before
B. Foresight: anticipate hard-to-see possibilities that others can't, or won't, see. You DON'T get blindsided bythe future.
C. Empathy: have a strong awareness of the hopes and fears of others. You pay close attention to how any future will affect different groups of people and communities differently. With this kind of empathy, you can
work for more sustainable, equitable futures that benefit everyone
D. Talent spotting: When you practice futures thinking, you MIGHT get better at identifying talented individuals who have the skills needed for tomorrow, and who are more likely to shape the future.
In which principles of future thinking will the futurist use "Foresight to Insight to Action Framework", according to the course?
A. Forget about predictions
B. Focus on signals
C. Look back to see forward
D. Uncover patterns
E. Create a community
Which of the following is an example of future thinking?
A. An activist trying to convince others to act together to solve an urgent challenge
B. A science fiction author writing news stories and op-eds from the future
C. A family deciding whether to move to a new country, and if so, which one. Where will the best economic opportunity to be in the future? What places will be safest in the future?
D. All of the others are correct
When you think about a future topic, you get a clearer picture of multiple possible outcomes, in which one a large-scale problem throws everything into chaos?
A. A "growth" future
B. A "collapse" future
C. A "constraint" future
D. A "transformation" future
How many steps do the Experiential Ladder consist of 4 steps designed by Stuart Candy and Jake Dunagan?
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6
What are NOT the key future simulation skills?
A. Headline the Future
B. Predict the past
C. Remember the future
D. Use hard empathy
What is the key future simulation skills?
A. Think in 10-year timeframes
B. Envision Alternative Futures
C. Headline the Future
D. Use the experiential ladder to create full-body simulation
How many steps technique for creating a new future forecasts that can instantly provoke conversation and spark imagination anytime, anywhere?
A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5
Which is NOT a tool for forecasting the future?
A. Draw Out Consequences
B. Envision Alternative Futures
C. Headline the Future
D. Embrace transparency
Which is/are RIGHT about "Think in 10-year timeframes"? (Choose all the correct answers)
A. 10 years is far enough out that things can be different - really different.
B. With a 10 year timeline, you are free to move past the constraints of today, so you can think more creatively and consider more surprising possibilities.
C. 10 years gives you enough time to plan, gather resources, recruit allies, and take action to decide what the future will be. When you're preparing for a future ten years out, it's a lot harder to be "late" to the future or to
miss your opportunity!
D. Futurists will make multiple competing forecasts that describe different versions of the 10 year future.
Which of the following can be a signal of change in future thinking?
A. a new law
B. a new kind of crime
C. a new invention
D. All of others are correct
