Future Dimensions – what moves the world tomorrow‪?‬ Mercedes-Benz

When we think about energy these days, it is usually in terms of crisis, climate change and anxiety. Energy has become a hotly debated commodity. But energy is so much more than those concepts. Energy is always in flux. We can actively decide how much we use and where we get our energy from. Today’s conversation is an exploration of various ways in which we can obtain enough clean energy in the future and how we can transform our relationship to energy itself.
For this last episode of Future Dimensions, host Ricardia talks to experts who paint a big energy picture. We learn about some of the most exciting new technologies, like using the power of ocean waves. We also drill deep into how to create energy with something as simple as friction with sustainability expert Marlen Voigt. Second guest Roberto Bocca shares the World Economic Forum’s ideas on what each and every human can and will do to create enough clean energy in the future, while still preserving the health of the planet.

In a world that’s changing at lightning speed, being sentimental about the past goes way beyond holding onto people and places in the past. Rather, it has become a powerful force, influencing pop culture, product design, and the entire trajectory of our lives. In our tenth episode, we're traveling back to our human love for all things retro – and finding out why nostalgia will inspire the next leaps in technology, design, and art.
Together with existential psychologist Clay Routledge, our host Ricardia explores why our human desire to look back shapes how we look forward. She learns that our personal biography influences our personal experience of flavour, music or art – far more than expected – during her conversation with design professor Beth Altringer Eagle. And Ricardia is happy to hear that remembering those moments where we were brave in the past can even boost our courage to change the world today.

Millions of people around the globe play video games. Gaming has become an integral part of daily life, and already now, we’re seeing how games transform how we work, socialize, and learn. In our ninth episode, we’re going one step further – and see how the seamless merging of gaming and reality will change our view on the world and how we act in it.

Our host Ricardia talks to gamer and entrepreneur Erin Ashley Simon who opens our eyes to a future where gaming will create greater equality and ground-breaking medical advancement. She invites Professor Thi Nguyen to challenge us to rethink the state of play and clear up the myth of playing being a waste of time. And she learns that the act of play or playing video games is no longer child’s play – but a very real way to stay healthy, to amplify our creativity and happiness, and to become effective problem solvers.

By the year 2100, an estimated 10 billion people will be living in cities. In an urban future where more than twice as many of us commute, go shopping, take kids to school, visit parents in the suburbs and have goods shipped to the doorstep, city planners might be driven to their limits. After all, all these activities will put increasing strain on our urban mobility systems. That’s why our episode 8 embraces the idea of moving in different ways and explores forward-looking city designs that encourage individual mobility – while still making the most of our public spaces.

Looking at the future of our cityscapes, Ricardia draws inspiration from city planner Doug Voigt, who turns abstract ideas into plausible and workable realities that improve life in both today’s and tomorrow’s cities. She also talks to a professor and city innovator who advocates for urban labs in which we can prototype new technologies and ways of living. Overall, she learns that if we want to shape future urban mobility the right way, then automated electric cars could make all the difference.

The rise of tools powered by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence allows us to create texts, images, videos or ideas with just a few clicks, and the technology is making giant leaps forward every day. In our seventh episode, we explore how this rapid evolution might change our society – and whether creativity will remain something uniquely human or not.

To get to the heart of these questions, Ricardia dives into the world of AI art and its implications for creative workflows with a digital artist who goes by the name BLAC.ai. She invites an actual AI model to reflect on itself and tell us more about the nature of both human and artificial intelligence. She also explores what it takes to turn today’s mostly single purpose AI tools into tomorrow’s all-knowing all-rounders.

Enjoying that vibrant feeling of a live concert … everywhere you go, even in your car? In our sixth episode, we tune in to the future of music – and to the sound innovations both we as listeners and the artists we love can look forward to.

Ricardia meets a pianist who takes his classical pieces to new dimensions with a magic glove. With a neuroscientist, she ventures into the depths of the brain to find out about its vital role in creating lasting music moments. She asks a sound engineer what the future holds for immersive soundscapes inside our cars, and she learns from Grammy Award winner Derek Ali what makes the car our absolute happy place for enjoying music.

Are you looking for additional insights into exciting visions? Explore our website: https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/art-and-culture/zeitgeist/mercedes-benz-podcast

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