David Wood

YouTube video by London Futurists The Economics of Abundance: Achieving it and Sustaining It

I scripted and recorded this video today following an excellent discussion on these topics yesterday with London Futurists: "The Economics of Abundance: Achieving it and Sustaining It". It seems to have come out pretty well. I hope you find it interesting! www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGhz...

The Economics of Abundance (Discord Swarm), Wed, Feb 11, 2026, 7:30 PM | Meetup If we handle technology wisely - nanotech, biotech, infotech, cognotech, and more - we could soon reach a global situation of sustainable abundance for everyone. That's an

For more details, and a link to the event in the London Futurists Discord, see www.meetup.com/london-futur...

Here are some headlines from the slides I have prepared to introduce the London Futurists discussion later today (7:30pm UK time) on "The Economics of Abundance: Achieving it and Sustaining it"

What we must never give away to AI, Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup As AI systems become more capable and more widely deployed, what are the human principles and practices that it will be especially important for us to retain and uphold, an

This conversation will take place as a Zoom Meeting. For more details and the links to join, see www.meetup.com/london-futur...

I've prepared my scene-setting remarks for tomorrow's online London Futurists discussion, "What we must never give away to AI". Despite huge uncertainty over near-future developments, there are six trends that we should continue to keep in mind

Horizons in Ethics & Emerging Technologies (HEET 2026) Dive into the future at HEET 2026, where ethics meet the latest tech face-to-face!

It's in-person only, free to attend, but pre-registration is essential. To apply for one of the remaining tickets visit www.eventbrite.com/e/biglietti-...

The inaugural conference of the Hub for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (HEET) will take place on 16th April Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin. Consider attending if you're interested or concerned about human enhancement tech, trustworthy AI development, and/or quantum technologies

YouTube video by London Futurists Learning with Machines

Used wisely, AI can boost learning significantly. Some schools and universities have already worked out how to obtain good results from it - without students resorting to "cheating". But are there bigger dangers lurking? Topics covered in this recording www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti4U...

The Economics of Abundance (Discord Swarm), Wed, Feb 11, 2026, 7:30 PM | Meetup If we handle technology wisely - nanotech, biotech, infotech, cognotech, and more - we could soon reach a global situation of sustainable abundance for everyone. That's an

More details here: www.meetup.com/london-futur...

Taking place in the London Futurists Discord at 7:30pm UK time this Wednesday (11th Feb): An exploration of "The Economics of Abundance: Achieving it and Sustaining it"

S Korean crypto firm accidentally pays out $40bn in bitcoin The company quickly realised its mistake and managed to recover virtually all the missing tokens from customers.

"In bitcoin we trust?" - what could possibly go wrong? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Can we change the future? Dear Futurists, If we don’t like the future that seems to be on our doorstep, what can we do about it? In our most recent webinar, last Saturday, Gerd Leonhard pointed out features of what he…

5) Midweek futurist events – Tuesday and Wednesday
6) How billionaires die – and what they should do about it.
Read the full newsletter here: londonfuturists.com/2026/02/06/c...

Items in this newsletter:
1) March for AI Safety – Sat 28th Feb
2) Slowing down the rush towards dangerous new forms of AI
3) Learning with Machines – tomorrow, 7th February
4) Special guests at our forthcoming Freaky and Fabulous Futures event
(continued)

"Can we change the future?" - the latest newsletter from London Futurists. It provides two answers to that question: "not much" and "a great deal"

Removing the pressure to rush Here’s an argument with a conclusion that may surprise you. The topic is how to reduce the risks of existential or catastrophic outcomes from forthcoming new generations of AI. The conclusion is th…

The conclusion is these risks can be reduced by funding some key laboratory experiments involving middle-aged mice – experiments that have a good probability of demonstrating a significant increase in the healthspan and lifespan of these mice."

See dw2blog.com/2026/02/05/r...

That's the theme of my latest personal blogpost.

Quote: "Here’s an argument with a conclusion that may surprise you.

The topic is how to reduce the risks of existential or catastrophic outcomes from forthcoming new generations of AI."

Reducing AI risk isn't just about slowing down. It's also about removing the pressure to rush.

YouTube video by London Futurists Take Back Tomorrow with Gerd Leonhard

Forthright, hard-hitting, visionary, and (despite all the references to "the bad future") ultimately upbeat - A recording of yesterday's London Futurists webinar "Take Back Tomorrow" featuring Gerd Leonhard and Liselotte Lyngsø is now available. Highly recommended! www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wga...

Meet the Vitalists: the hardcore longevity enthusiasts who believe death is “wrong” They argue we need a revolution—and more and more influential scientists, funders, and politicians are taking them seriously.

"Meet the Vitalists: the hardcore longevity enthusiasts who believe death is 'wrong'" - a sympathetic, thoughtful account of what is likely to become an increasing powerful narrative in the years ahead www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/29/1...

Seven forthcoming futurist and futurist-adjacent events Dear Futurists, It has never been harder to predict the future. That’s because of: Multiple fast-changing new technological capabilities, happening in parallel, with hard-to-predict interacti…

9) Wow! or Yeow?! 2026: tomorrow;
10) My conversation with James of Ârc.
And don't miss the preamble to the newsletter:
6 reasons why it's never been harder to predict the future, and 7 profound trends that, nevertheless, seem likely to continue.
londonfuturists.com/2026/01/29/s...

4) Participatory and Deliberative Democracy in the Digital Age: Thu 5th Feb;
5) Learning With Machines: Sat 7th Feb;
6) What We Must Never Give Away to AI: Tue 10th Feb;
7) Freaky Futures and Fabulous Futures: Fri 13th Feb;
8) My conversation with Ezra Chapman;
(continued)

"Seven forthcoming futurist and futurist-adjacent events" - the latest newsletter from London Futurists:
1) Take Back Tomorrow: Sat 31st Jan;
2) Pull The Plug launch: Mon 2nd Feb;
3) The Adolescence of Technology: Wed 4th Feb;
(continued)

Learning with Machines, Sat, Feb 7, 2026, 4:00 PM | Meetup Many of us are making increasing use of AI systems to help us study, conduct research, develop forecasts, draft policies, and explore all sorts of new possibilities. The re

Our panellists will be reflecting on their own experiences over the last 12 months, and offering advice for wiser use of AI systems in a range of important life tasks. For more details, and to register to attend this live London Futurists webinar, see www.meetup.com/london-futur...

When we use AI, how can we handle the chaos of too much information, the distractions of superficiality, the vulnerabilities of expediency, the treachery of hype, the deceit of hallucinations, and the shrivelling of human capability in the wake of abdication of responsibility?

Just announced: "Learning with Machines", on Sat 7th Feb. Futurists Bruce Lloyd, Peter Scott, and Alexandra Whittington will be highlighting opportunities and risks of involving AI when we study, conduct research, develop forecasts, draft policies, and explore new possibilities

On Thursday (29th Jan), the venerable Cambridge Union will debate "This House Believes Science Should Pursue Immortality". Anyone with a life membership of that union (my card dates, ahem, from 1978) and who is in the vicinity, may wish to consider attending

Ahead of the two events, here are some ideas to start the freaky/fabulous conversation rolling. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own ideas too. After all, to improve our preparedness for future shocks, we need the insight and wisdom from multiple different perspectives!

The Discord Swarm is open to all members and friends of London Futurists members worldwide, and no RSVP is required. For the joining instructions, see the abovementioned meetup page

PS Although the in-the-pub gathering on 13th February has no remote access, some of us will be previewing potential lines of "freaky futures and fabulous futures" discussion at an online Discord Swarm event at 7:30pm UK time on Wednesday 28th January.

Freaky futures and fabulous futures, Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 6:00 PM | Meetup For Friday the 13th, consider joining London Futurists in Ye Olde Cock Tavern in Fleet Street, for a beyond-your-comfort-zone investigation of freaky and/or fabulous ways t

And we'll consider scenarios in which several of these freaky/fabulous changes interact - that's when the really mind-boggling timelines emerge. For more details, and to RSVP to attend, see www.meetup.com/london-futur...