The book “Assembling Tomorrow” by Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley explores the challenge of creating things in the world without causing harm and instead focusing on healing. With the rapid growth of AI and other emerging technologies, the authors emphasize the importance of using creativity and ingenuity to unite rather than divide. They discuss the concept of runaway design, which refers to the autonomous decision-making and replication capabilities of technologies. The book highlights the risks and opportunities associated with runaway design, focusing on the role of mischievous materials and emotions in shaping our creations. The authors argue that everything made by humans is designed, including not only products but also policies, relationships, and vaccines. They propose a design mindset to reduce risks and create smarter designs that build in speed bumps and mandatory pauses. Emotions play a significant role in innovation and design, driving inspiration and cultural shifts. Finally, the book explores how thinking and acting like a designer can help tackle the climate crisis by embracing limits, anticipating breakage, and acknowledging the environmental impact of our actions.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design with healing in mind | Shift from creating harm to creating with healing | More emphasis on creating products and policies that unite | Addressing the negative impacts of technology |
| Runaway design | Unpredictable technologies, environments, emotions | Greater understanding of risks and opportunities of technology | Autonomy of technologies |
| Design encompasses everything | Broadening the definition of design | Recognition that everything made by humans is designed | Recognition of the impact and importance of design |
| Design for healing | Designing with anticipation of breakages | Smarter designs with built-in measures to mitigate risks | Avoiding catastrophes caused by breakages |
| Emotions drive innovation and design | Importance of feelings in design and innovation | Greater awareness of the role of emotions in the design process | Acknowledgement of the power of emotions |
| Embracing limits | Accepting limitations as an opportunity for better design | Focus on designing with limitations in mind | Using constraints to drive better design |
| Anticipating breakage | Recognizing that everything breaks and using opportunities to improve | Creation of lasting work through addressing breakages | Improvement and progress |
| Acknowledging environmental impact | Understanding the environmental consequences of actions | Sustainability and avoiding unintended environmental problems | Minimizing negative impact on climate |