Scientists can help governments plan for the future. But don’t forget sci-fi writers: we can do it too | Emma Newman

The Ministry of Defence invited science-fiction authors to talk about what the world could be like many decades into the future.

The Creative Futures project is a partnership between Coventry University and the MoD’s defence science and technology laboratory.

Authors were asked to help consider combinations of factors that could lead to new problems.

For example, what if future life-support machines rely upon software that is subscription-model based?.

Emma Newman is an author, podcaster and audiobook narrator.

Her Planetfall science-fiction series was shortlisted for the best series Hugo award.

Science-fiction writers have the ability to look at big systems and how changing one variable can affect the people who live within them.