Imagination, risk and optimizing for trust
Risk and Resilience
The U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites has added a new layer of geopolitical volatility to an already fragile global economic landscape. As energy prices threaten to rise and consumer confidence shows signs of strain, central banks must navigate a delicate balance between inflation risks and slowing growth. Public sentiment adds another dimension: nearly 60% of Americans do not support entering a war with Iran, reflecting a growing disconnect between government actions and public will.
For the people of Iran, already living under economic pressure and political repression, the strike intensifies daily uncertainty and fear. Risk and resilience become strategic mindsets, shaping how businesses, governments, and individuals respond to this layered and uneven landscape. Read more here
The Unsettled Generation
In this article, young Americans reflected on how the past five years, marked by a pandemic, inflation, and political division, have reshaped their expectations of adulthood. Their experiences reveal a generation navigating rapid change, questioning long-held promises, and trying to make sense of an uncertain future.
Key takeaways are that many young adults feel financially insecure, with rising costs and a tough job market making independence difficult despite their education. While AI offers new tools and efficiencies, it also raises concerns about lost opportunities and a system that feels increasingly out of reach, leaving this generation caught between disillusionment and cautious hope. Read more here
Taste in the Age of AI
In an age of infinite AI-generated choices, taste, the ability to perceive what is meaningful, resonant, and right, has become a vital human skill. Unlike AI, which can generate endless variations, only humans can apply judgment with style, cultural intuition, and emotional sensitivity.
Taste is not just aesthetic, it is also ethical. It reflects values, awareness, and responsibility in decision-making. As AI accelerates production, the ability to curate, choose, and stand for quality is what will define impactful leadership and creative direction. Pictured above is the Materialism exhibit by Solid Nature during 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen. Read more here
Future Begins With Imagination
In her talk in Rotterdam, Ruha Benjamin framed imagination not as escapism, but as a vital force for dismantling systems of oppression. Drawing from her new book Imagination: A Manifesto, she challenged the audience to question how big tech often repackages old hierarchies as future visions.
She emphasized that technology is never neutral, it reflects the values of its creators, and too often reinforces exclusion and inequality under the guise of innovation. Ruha argued that the first step is not to fix the technology, but to repair the human systems behind it. Imagination, taste, play, coalition-building, and systemic accountability are not luxuries, but essential tools for shaping a more inclusive technological future. Read more here
Optimizing for Trust
If you’re used to optimizing for search, you will be familiar with tuning for discoverability and relevance. Optimizing Large Language Models (LLMs) is different, not about matching queries to keywords, but shaping behavior, improving reasoning, and minimizing mistakes.
Instead of rankings, you are balancing context, consistency, and risk. To ensure the model's output aligns with user expectations, it is not about being perfect, but about being consistently dependable. The real difference? You are not optimizing to be found, you’re optimizing to be trusted. Read more here
Second Book Club Meeting
Next Monday we will meet for the next OvN Foresight Book Club meeting on June 30th at 3 PM CET. You are welcome to join the conversation, even if you have not finished the book.
Beautiful Shining People provokes future thinking about a world where we live in symbiosis with AI and robots. We think the discussions will be interesting because the book opens your perspective to a future world, where a lot will be the same, but also significantly different. We look forward to the discussions! Sign up here