Risk Innovation And The Power Of Wonder And Awe In Innovation Success | Dr. Andrew Maynard
“Classical categories of risk aren’t the things that often affect our decisions. What leads to people taking radical actions like committing suicide for instance is usually not because they’ve lost money. It’s because their sense of identity and self have been compromised and threatened. These are social risks and personal risks that we don’t quantify. And, because we can’t quantify them we tend to ignore them. But it turns out these are more important than ever when it comes to emerging technologies. This is where the concept of risk innovation came out. It asks: how can we think differently about risk so we can have conversations about how we navigate new technologies?”
Dr. Andrew Maynard (Arizona State University) and Xiao Han Drummond (Centre for Responsible Innovation) share a wonderful conversation about the changing nature of innovation, "risk innovation" and the power of wonder and awe in driving breakthrough science and innovation. They also discuss the role of science fiction in enriching human imagination and possibilities.
Watch Full Episode
Topics covered:
Innovation that had the most profound impact on humanity
World Economic Forum's Top 10 Emerging Technologies
Technologies that make one pause
How is the nature of risk evolving?
Risk Innovation Nexus - what is it and how can organisations use it to navigate new innovation risks (e.g. "soft risks", "orphan risks" of innovation); challenges and importance
How can we better understand the benefits of innovation in a socially complex world? (and the importance of real-world feedback) 00:27:56 - How the process of gaining real-world feedback builds trust in innovation
The concept of responsibility and what it means to be “responsible” as innovations progress
Responsible Innovation - a systems approach to creating impact
The role of wonder and awe in innovation and human progress
Innovation as an athlete 00:46:44 - Innovation and Globalisation
"Tell us a story only you can tell"
Teach us a lesson only you can teach
Envision 2050: what would you hope it to look like, feel like and sound like?
About Andrew:
Andrew Maynard is a professor in the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Lab.
Trained as a physicist, his work cuts across disciplinary boundaries as it focuses on the ethical and socially responsible development and use of new technologies.
He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, serves as co-chair of the Institute for the Advancement of Nutrition and Food Science (IAFNS) Board of Trustees, is a member of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research President’s Advisory Council, has served on a number of National Academies of Sciences committees, and has testified before congressional committees on several occasions.
Since 2008 he has also worked closely with the World Economic Forum in a number of capacities, including chairing and serving on Global Agenda Councils/Global Future Councils and contributing to the WEF annual list of top ten emerging Technologies.
In addition to his academic writing, Andrew is known for his work on communicating with broad audiences around complex issues. As well as his two books, Films from the Future and Future Rising, his work has appeared in publications ranging from The Washington Post and Scientific American, to Slate, Salon, and OneZero. He also co-hosts the podcast Mission: Interplanetary.
Learn more about Andrew:
Personal/professional website: https://andrewmaynard.net/about/
Mission: Interplanetary podcast (a ground-breaking podcast hosted by astronaut Cady Coleman and scientist/author Andrew Maynard exploring the future of humans in space!): https://missioninterplanetary.com/
