Intellectual Property
Can AI Be an Inventor? What the Patent Office Now Says
For nearly two centuries, the United States patent system operated on the unspoken assumption that the "inventor" was a human being. But the arrival of generative…
Technological Futures
Technological futures is about emerging technologies that could reshape the economy, health, security, and daily life, and how governments prepare for them. The topic covers the science, the risks, and the rules that follow. Congress, federal agencies, states, and courts all decide how such technologies are funded, limited, and used.
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October 3last updated
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The Webby-recognized AI behind our articles »
Latest in Technological Futures
Space Policy
How Cold War Rivalry Still Shapes America’s Space Policy Today
From the mission of the U.S. Space Force to NASA's ambitious return to the Moon, American space policy remains profoundly shaped by the Cold War. The…
Space Exploration and Colonization
America’s Plan to Replace the International Space Station with Private Companies
The International Space Station has long served as humanity's outpost in space. But as this engineering marvel approaches retirement, the United States is making a historic…
Space Exploration and Colonization
Is International Cooperation in Space Falling Apart?
The enduring image of international space cooperation is one of unity above Earth. American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts shaking hands in orbit in 1975, transcending Cold…
Topics in Technological Futures
Computing and intelligence
Artificial Intelligence Futures and Quantum Computing cover machines that think and calculate in powerful ways, and Technology Convergence looks at what happens when separate fields merge into combined systems.
Other frontiers
Space Exploration and Colonization looks at efforts to live and work beyond Earth, and Virtual and Augmented Reality looks at digital worlds that blend with the real one.
All Articles on Technological Futures
How SpaceX and Blue Origin Have Transformed America’s Space Program
The era of government-led programs like Apollo and the Space Shuttle—where NASA designed, built, and operated everything—has given way to a new model. Today,…
A New Space Race: How America, China, and Russia Are Racing for the Moon and Mars
The new space race links American, Chinese and Russian lunar plans, international partners, private companies and the challenges of reaching Mars.
Congress and the Struggle to Regulate Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is a defining technology of our era. It rapid advancement presents Washington with a monumental challenge: how to govern technology with the…
AI, Drones, and Self-Driving Cars: The Deregulation Debate Explained
The United States is at a crossroads for three technologies poised to redefine society: Artificial Intelligence, drones, and self-driving cars. On one side is…
How Government Supports the Commercial Space Industry
What was once the exclusive domain of national governments has transformed into a dynamic ecosystem of public-private partnership. Today, the roar of a rocket…