Disclaimer: The artworks presented here are speculative visualisations generated using AI. They are based on current insights and expert forecasts, but they represent imagined possibilities rather than definitive predictions of the future. The stories, artworks, and locations mentioned in them should be understood as creative interpretations rather than factual representations of real-world scenarios.
Inside a futuristic zero carbon enclave (2024) by Ayaz BasraiWisdom & Culture lab, University of Waterloo
What lies ahead for our planet and human welfare?
Futurescape, a research initiative, explored such critical questions. Through a forecasting tournament, we gathered insights from experts and the public across four key domains: Climate, Economy, Peace/War, and Public Health.
Advancement in agro-tech (2024) by Ayaz BasraiWisdom & Culture lab, University of Waterloo
As part of the project, we interviewed top performers from the Forecasting Tournament to capture their insights into the future. We then collaborated with artists to visualise these perspectives, offering a deeper understanding of the potential future ahead.
Reflecting on the insights gathered from the forecasters, Ayaz Basrai, an Indian artist shared:
“In many future speculations, a key idea is often hinted at but rarely fully explored—the need to rethink our approach to growth. We live on a planet with limited resources, yet our systems and institutions have long been built on the fantasy of unlimited, unrestrained prosperity and relentless expansion. To truly envision a future within our planet’s boundaries, we must aim not for unchecked expansion but for balance in growth. This shift requires us to fundamentally unlearn and relearn—a cultural evolution toward slowing down.”
Inspired by the insights, Ayaz began to explore how travel vessels, especially major polluters like luxury liners and private jets, might be repurposed in the future. What if their costs soared? What actions could be criminalized in a climate-conscious world?
Could humanity shift its focus from the expansion of production and consumption to investing in shared resources? Ayaz’s artworks examined how these questions unfold in future society.
In the 2020s, the idea of a powerful AI system solving global problems gained traction. By the 2030s, this concept evolved into a network of decentralized intelligence systems, or “Hives,” — sharing data and information among themselves, collaborating to address the biggest problems of our time.
The first algorithms were tasked with reimagining the financial system and redistributing global wealth—dissolving shell companies, enforcing a 73% climate tax, grounding high-carbon industries, and imposing sanctions on polluters.
The next set of algorithms was tasked with creating a zero-carbon economic system. International flight tickets more than quadrupled in cost, and whole fleets of ships were docked permanently.
The luxury liner industry was banned for its unsustainable practices, including sewage dumping and emissions. Some ships were repurposed as offshore farms, with hydroponic systems powered by solar pumps, transforming their decks into agricultural spaces.
The hulks of luxury liners were repurposed as housing, with scaffolding supporting reassembled decks and sweeping balconies. As more of these massive ships were permanently stationed worldwide, new uses continued to emerge.
Massive carbon extraction initiatives were launched in dense cities across the Global South, fueled by subsidies for carbon entrepreneurs.
Neighborhood suction fans captured atmospheric carbon, channelling it into water reservoirs and storing it deep underground in basalt caverns.
Zero-carbon societies began springing up around the world, deemphasizing travel and emphasizing the collective use of their basic incomes to form green communes. AI-enabled perimeter walls allowed real-time sensors and atmospheric data to be aggregated.
Read the full story by visiting our website. Explore forecasted scenarios and challenge your understanding of past trends for societal change with our interactive game.
This exhibit is part of Futurescape, a project from the Wisdom and Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with scholars from the Forecasting Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Through a longitudinal forecasting tournament, researchers explored possible visions for human welfare and societal change, drawing on the insights of experts, superforecasters, and everyday people across four key domains: Climate, Economy, Peace/ War, and Public Health.
This project has inspired an innovative digital exhibition, Visions of the Future, which brings together the fields of forecasting, art, and technology.
Exhibit Curation: Project FUEL and Igor Grossmann
Artist: Ayaz Basrai
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