Archiving: It spans the world like a highway. It’s called the Internet.
Lawrence: People were very excited about the transformative potential of the internet. The editors of WIRED certainly were; I found this letter to the editor in an old issue criticizing WIRED for being a little too “orgasmic” about the Internet.
Gideon: Orgasmic.
Lawrence: Yes. And I don’t even think they were talking about specific websites.
Gideon: Hmm.
Archiving: For years they have said these things would change. The world would grow up from adding machines and typewriters to tools of the human mind, personal desktop computers, a network of people with unique experiences and expertise connected all over the world.
Lawrence: What could go wrong?
Gideon: So much went wrong in really unexpected ways. I mean, who predicted QAnon or ISIS recruitment videos or the ice bucket challenge? Frankly, the future is unpredictable, and that can be really unsettling
Lawrence: And the pace of innovation has accelerated so much. Cryptocurrencies, generative AI, the metaverse, so many exciting changes—
Gideon: But also freaky changes–
Lawrence: Changes that we just can’t stop and that we will have to face in one way or another.
Gideon: So we decided to make a show about it. Have a bright future.
Lawrence: It’s a podcast about how quickly things change, in good ways and in ways that make us very uncomfortable.
Gideon: Each week we’re going to talk to someone with a big, bold idea about the future and ask: Is this really the future we want?
Lawrence: We want to ask people what keeps them awake at night and what keeps them optimistic.
Gideon: And after we share the interview with you, Lauren and I will discuss how we feel about the future. They describe what we think is good about their vision, what we think is troubling, and what we and you can do about it in our own lives.
Lawrence: We’d also love to hear what you think. So send us all your questions about the future or what’s on your mind.
Gideon: Or even what makes you optimistic.
Lawrence: Yes, that too.
Gideon: So we decided to start this weekly conversation with someone who pretty much directly shapes mine and Lauren’s future. And eventually probably yours too.
Lawrence: In today’s episode, we talk to London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, whose job, cliché as it sounds, really is to build a brighter future for this city. And we have to determine: is this the future we want?
Gideon: We wanted to interview Mayor Breed because, of course, WIRED was founded in San Francisco, and the digital revolution that WIRED was created for began in the Bay Area. But technology infiltrates and distorts all aspects of life. It changes our social fabric and our urban fabric, and Have a bright future is also about all those changes, not just the bits directly caused by a new piece of code or hardware.
