Stuck in traffic and daydreaming about an eVTOL escape, Sean and Andrew use “flying cars” (and a new Blackmagic URSA spatial camera that gobbles terabytes) to make a larger point: tech doesn’t fix congestion—or much else—without a systems view that includes people, policy, and behavior. From there, they unpack futures thinking as a mindset, not fortune‑telling: exploring possible, probable, and preferable futures to make better choices today. You’ll hear how horizon scanning (signals, trends, megatrends), scenario building, and backcasting turn uncertainty into actionable paths—while avoiding “used futures,” reducing future shock, and stress‑testing for unintended harms, especially to vulnerable communities and the planet. The conversation ranges from SimCity lessons and Mars‑city thought experiments to risk innovation, protopian versus dystopian frames, and why the plural “futures” matters. They dig into where foresight lives in organizations (embedded roles and external consultancies), why every team needs it, and how to infuse K–12 without piling on: layer a futures lens into existing subjects and use pop culture (e.g., The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future) as safe space for tough ideas. The episode closes on agency—concrete ways anyone can start practicing futures today—plus a timely reminder that we’re living in a moment of extraordinary promise and peril.Strategic Foresight Toolkit [Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies]
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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1:04:02
Films from the Future: Moviegoer’s Guide to Tomorrow
In this episode of Modem Futura, hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard dive into Andrew’s book Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies, and the course it inspired, The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future. Together, they explore how blockbuster films—from Jurassic Park and Minority Report to Limitless, Ex Machina, Elysium, and Contact—become more than entertainment: they serve as mirrors reflecting society’s hopes, fears, and ethical dilemmas around technology. The conversation ranges from the philosophical weight of Never Let Me Go and its meditation on mortality, to the prescient warnings of predictive policing in Minority Report, and the unsettling manipulations of AI in Ex Machina. Along the way, Sean and Andrew highlight how film and media shape our perceptions, act as cultural playgrounds for exploring futures, and inspire debates that spill far beyond the classroom.They also reflect on the communal experience of movies, the tension between science and storytelling, and the importance of using narrative as a vehicle to unpack complex issues like AI ethics, biotechnology, inequality, and human agency. What emerges is not just a tour through iconic sci-fi films, but a passionate argument for why stories matter in helping us navigate the possible, probable, and preferable futures of being human.Links: The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future (FIS 338) [Official Course Page] Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies [The Book on Amazon]Films from the Future: an authors note [Andrew's website]
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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1:21:39
Up in the Air: The Future of eVTOLs and Urban Air Mobility
In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard take to the skies—literally exploring the promise and pitfalls of eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft). From personal one-seat “flying pod” drones to futuristic air taxis, eVTOLs are being touted as the next leap in personal and urban transportation. But do they represent a bold solution to gridlock and emissions, or a risky Jetsons-inspired fantasy?We dive into the history of flying car dreams dating back to the 1940s, the technological advances in drones, batteries, and sensors that make eVTOLs possible today, and the regulatory landscape beginning to emerge around their use. Along the way, we weigh the benefits—time savings, lower emissions, new mobility options—against serious challenges, including safety risks, infrastructure needs, urban noise, environmental impacts, and questions of equity and access. What happens when futuristic transport serves the few rather than the many? And how might this reshape the very design of our cities and societies?By comparing the rise of automobiles to the uncertain future of aerial mobility, we ask listeners to consider not just canwe build these systems, but should we—and under what conditions. Is this the start of a new era of human flight, or another techno-fantasy with unintended consequences?Links:NASA AAMM [Website]FAA Regulatory Info [Website] Special Acknowledgment We'd like to acknowledge the partial funding support provided by the US Department of Transportation-sponsored Travel Behavior and Demand National University Transportation Center led by The University of Texas at Austin. The Center, of which Arizona State University is a consortium member, has helped make this podcast episode, and the research we're discussing, possible.
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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1:08:36
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1:08:36
Agentic AI in Education & the Art of Becoming with Punya Mishra
Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard welcome ASU’s Punya Mishra back to unpack what “agentic AI” could—and shouldn’t—mean in education. After a nostalgic cold open on AOL’s September 30, 2025 dial‑up shutdown and why the show’s intro samples the 56K handshake, they question recent AI “study” and “agent” releases and the industry’s habit of mistaking prompts and dashboards for pedagogy. Mishra contrasts gamified nudges with deep, personal motivation, sharing how he used AI to begin reading Odia so he could finally engage with his mother’s writing—learning driven by belonging, not badges. Grounding the conversation in John Dewey’s four natural impulses (inquiry, construction, communication, and expression) and Seymour Papert’s constructionism, the trio argues for moving from AI playpens to playgrounds where students build with AI (including examples from ASU’s Herberger Young Scholars Academy) rather than being optimized by it. They challenge LMS‑first thinking (“management” over “learning”), highlight the power of subverting assumptions versus breaking rules, and frame courses as crafted experiences that shape identity and community. When AI agents automate coursework, who’s learning? The hosts distinguish classic intelligent tutoring systems from today’s LLMs, warn about surveillance‑and‑efficiency logics (TikTok‑style profiling, datafication of kids), and call for transparent, local, personal AIs—with a literal kill‑switch—that help people become, not become X. Sean closes by showing how an AI‑built Final Cut Pro “course” nails mechanics but misses the art (like J/L cuts)—a reminder that human judgment and aesthetics still carry the soul of learning. Mishra also previews his “Education by Design” class that centers on building educational tools with AI, not just chatbots.Guest Info: Punya Mishra, Ph.D.Punya Mishra is Director of Innovative Learning Futures at the Learning Engineering Institute(LEI) and Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching & Learning Innovation at Arizona State University (with an affiliate appointment in the Design School).Punya's Blog [punyamishra.com]
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
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1:15:23
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1:15:23
AI, Not AI: Riding the Hype Cycle
Summer-mode serendipity turns into a sharp tour of today’s tech hype and what actually matters. Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard open with the rapid-fire AI news cycle—GPT-5 rumors, Claude 4.1, and OpenAI’s new open‑weight releases (120B/20B under Apache 2.0 license)—and why running local models (think Whisper on M‑series Macs, or other local models) is accelerating “garage‑scale” experimentation. From there, Andrew shares a candid writer’s-eye view of co‑authoring with AI: Claude can produce moving, “too perfect” drafts, but the human editor’s job is to re‑introduce voice, variation, and those unmistakable personal “tells.” The conversation then zooms out to the Gartner Hype Cycle—peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment—and why “agentic AI” sits at the peak while generative AI is sliding into the trough. Blending this with diffusion‑of‑innovation, the hosts offer a practical lens for thinking about how technological innovations move through societies. Finally, they pivot to spatial and ambient computing (Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest pass‑through), personal‑area networks, and a world saturated with invisible data—Wi‑Fi sensing that can “see” through walls included—asking what happens when AIs interpret patterns across these sensor-rich environments in ways that exceed human comprehension. It’s a lively mix of hype‑busting, craft, and futures thinking—with a few sci‑fi threads for dessert (and to be honest - a lot of really good potential band names).
-----Modem Futura is a production of the Future of Being Human initiative at Arizona State University. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To learn more about the Future of Being Human initiative and all of our other projects visit - https://futureofbeinghuman.asu.eduSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: @ModemFuturaFollow us on Instagram: @ModemFuturaHost Bios:Sean M. Leahy, PhD - ASU BioSean is an an internationally recognized technologist, futurist, and educator innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is a Foresight Catalyst for the Future of Being Human Initiative and Research Scientist for the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.Andrew Maynard, PhD - ASU BioAndrew is a scientist, author, thought leader, and Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions in the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society. He is the founder of the ASU Future of Being Human initiative, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus, and was previously Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.-----
Modem Futura is your weekly guide to the future of science, technology, and society—where futures and foresight meets real-world impact. Hosts Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard—educators, futurists, and public scholars—dive into the breakthroughs and big questions shaping tomorrow: AI ethics, space exploration, climate tech, bio-engineering, digital media, STEM education, and the shifting future of work. In candid, banter-filled conversations with innovators, scholars, and storytellers, they unpack how emerging technologies influence human values, creativity, and culture—and what these trends mean for you today.
Whether you’re curious about quantum computing, electric air taxis, or the sociology of robots, Modem Futura connects cutting-edge research with the narratives that drive innovation. Join us each week to explore possible, probable, and preferred futures, and discover practical insights for navigating an increasingly tech-driven world. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and be part of the conversation exploring what it will mean to be human in the future!
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