Science fiction as a driver of innovation

Science Fiction as the Frontier of the Conceivable Yes, indeed, there was once a TV series (with moderate success) based on a novel of the same name by Robert J. Sawyer. Flashforward. In short, it was about the effects of a collective blackout during which humanity was catapulted six months into their future. After 137 seconds, the ordeal was over, and the population had to come to terms with the insights... You might think it's quite "out there." Quite justified - but that's how science fiction is. Always on the frontier of the conceivable. And that's what makes the genre so exciting for us. Science fiction is a prime source of inspiration in the context of innovation. You don't have to think too hard to discover how many anticipated developments and truths the genre contains. Technological Progress, Decades Ahead Need examples? Let's start with... Well, first, there's the classic of all science fiction series: Star Trek Enterprise. Just think about the Communicator that James T. Kirk casually flipped open to communicate with Scotty in the engine room. Quite similar to the Motorola Razr that it-girl Paris Hilton pulled out of her it-bag decades later. In fact, Jim's phone was even a bit more "sophisticated," as it apparently already extensively used Bluetooth and improved hands-free technology. Same series, different example: the Replicator. You're not familiar with the Replicator? The dream of every single household? A forerunner of visions that the food industry currently has regarding 3D printing? Star Trek was ahead of the curve here too. After all, with the Replicator, you could already wish for a tiramisu and promptly receive a nice glass tumbler within seconds. Yummie, yummie! Inspiration through Utopia and Dystopia Perhaps you heard in 2015 that one of the most realistic futuristic films celebrated its 30th anniversary: "Back to the Future." A wonderful masterpiece. Reason enough for numerous media outlets tocheckthe visions that Marty McFly and Doc Brown had in your personal 2015 against the actual realizations. They found some successes. The counterpart to the aforementioned film, whose reception was positive because it depicted a predominantly optimistic future in terms of technological progress, are dystopias. Countless of these apocalyptic scenarios have become blockbusters in recent decades. The fascination with the grim is great - one might assume more than ever today, but that's a different topic. From the absolute mother of all dark future visions "Metropolis" (1927), to "RoboCop," "Judge Dredd," and "Terminator" (80s and 90s) to "Minority Report," "Idiocracy," and "The Hunger Games" (2000s). Everywhere you can find (sometimes alarmingly) strong connections to evolving realities. The Power of Immersion When I recently discussed an innovation philosophical question with my students, we came across another film example that I don't want to withhold from you. This example, with a bit of a darker imagination, could actually come true. But more on that later... The specific thought experiment was inspired by an experience I had while testing a Virtual Reality headset with an older colleague from research and teaching. It quickly became apparent during the trial that the power of immersion - the feeling of being drawn into the artificial experience space - had a significantly higher degree than was the case with the known games from the console era of the 90s and 00s. Even back then, it was already the case that the - as media critics like Jean Baudrillard or Paul Virilio would describe them as extensions or prostheses - "controllers" were mindlessly twisted in one direction until you felt like you could still make it around the programmed corner with the racing car. Dealing with the new, commercially available virtual reality for some time now takes the user much deeper. Deeper into the realms of the digital. For example, my colleague's immersion experience was so strong that he felt completely unobserved after just a few minutes. On every channel. He cursed, kicked around unashamedly, and gasped for air, overwhelmed by the real effort that the virtuality triggered in him. Interestingly, this intense immersion experience naturally opens up completely new perspectives for digitized business models. Just think about the opportunities and margins that can be achieved through uniquely programmed experience worlds that have effects on the real body. The tourism industry alone (or anyone offering the value proposition of "relaxation") can offer experiences that can be accessed directly from the sofa. Pay-per-Experience, so to speak. It is therefore not surprising that the porn industry is also actively involved in the future field. By 2025, it sees a market for "Adult Content" of6 billion US dollars. Accordingly, high investments are being made for development and optimization. Paying attention to initial examples from Japan, it is evident that both companies and test users are heavily involved. The Thought Experiment Anyway - back to the discussion with the students. The question I asked at the time was: What do we do with our society and all population segments that no longer have employment due to digitization, because their current job simply disappears? What does the world look like in 2037? Task: Be innovative! No doubt, the task was somewhat grim, but it was also meant to stimulate creative thinking. The students were then guided to identify main problems and possible solutions. Boredom and feeling "useless" were recognized as core social issues in that context, as well as the problem of decreasing purchasing power due to the perceived increase in unemployment. Particularly stemming from the consequence of "boredom," the students also saw the increasing risk of unwanted behavior and crime. As a first, rather symptom-treating solution, the topic of unconditional basic income was discussed. And although the experiment inFinlandis quite current, the significantly positive attitude towards such social benefits was surprising. In the further course, the students extensively thought about job descriptions (in the creativity curve, the classic valley of perplexity), until we came up with creatively new ideas towards the end. Societal Dystopia in the Most Digitized World What if a portion of the population were physically still among us, but mentally living in a parallel, virtual reality. Useful, happy, and risk-reduced for the real world. Wouldn't that be a solution? Yes, a creepy thought - admittedly - but is it actually so far-fetched? Let's have some "fun" and dive back into the world of science fiction. Do you remember "The Matrix"? If there were a prequel to the trilogy, it might explain the reasons for the creation of the Matrix and why entire population groups prefer to be intoxicated by perfect programming rather than opting for the red pill. The blue pill combats the issues arising from digitization extensively. Remember: unemployment, declining purchasing power, boredom. All gone. "You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." Morpheus to Neo in that specific scene. Perhaps that's the decision we will have to make someday. William Gibson describes in his Neuromancer trilogy how in the new era, the object-subject dialectic progressively approaches a reversal. The controller (in this case, the VR headset) is no longer a prosthesis and extension of the human arm, but rather the extension of the machine onto the body (see also Bühl 2000, p. 377). In the very dystopian consequence of "The Matrix," this means: the machine or the Matrix keeps humanity alive. Born to be plugged in and lead a happy life in virtuality. Personally, I hope we never reach that point, but it doesn't seem entirely impossible. Finally, the question arises: who ultimately decides in which world they want to live (and are allowed to) and whether there is always a way back? Science Fiction as a Valuable Driver of Innovation The technological developments we are experiencing today determine our future. Science fiction is already giving us food for thought about what may come in the more distant future. You should use this source as innovators to venture into mental territories where no one has gone before. Even if they are not always beautiful.