
We've Been Sold a Bad Bill of Goods About the Future
From TechStuff by iHeartPodcasts
May 6, 2026 · 44 min
About this episode
Futurist Ari Wallach discusses the importance of long-term thinking and cultural change through storytelling, alongside Alex Thier's insights on an AI chatbot for Afghan students.
What would it mean to be a "great ancestor"? Futurist Ari Wallach believes that's the question everyone, including our tech leaders, should be asking right now. Ari joins Oz to explain why the systems we're building today are laying rails for centuries to come. And he argues that shifting culture through storytelling is the fastest way to change the systems that govern our lives. He also introduces The Protopias Collection , six graphic novels imagining worlds that are messy and human, but unmistakably better. Also on the show: Alex Thier, the CEO of Lapis, discusses Lalah, an AI-powered chatbot built to help Afghan students learn beyond the classroom, a place girls can’t access past the sixth grade. Additional Reading: Ari Wallach: 3 ways to plan for the (very) long term | TED Talk The Protopias Collection: Various: 9781953165787: Amazon.com: Books EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/techstuff Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Oz
Guests: Ari Wallach, Alex Thier
Topics covered
- future planning
- storytelling
- technology impact
- education
- AI
- cultural change
Keywords
- great ancestor
- long-term planning
- AI chatbot
- Afghan education
- cultural storytelling
- graphic novels
Sponsors
NordVPN
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Lapis
Products: NordVPN
Books & works: The Protopias Collection
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