Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, deputy foresight editor Dan Hastings explores trend forecasting in the US, NASA’s erasure of female astronauts and AI being used for good.

: How does one do trend forecasting and strategic foresight in the US right now, amid chaos and uncertainty? There are many things we anticipated: rising individualism, protectionism, a post-truth society shaped by algorithmic bubbles, the erosion of common ground and a growing paralysis around climate action. These weren’t surprises. But what’s next? That’s the question I’ve been trying to answer all week, jumping on calls with four US brand strategists to hear their thoughts on what brands can, can’t, should and shouldn’t do under this new Trump administration. We talked authenticity, trust, citizen brands, language, culture and brand values. I loved this quote from Brandarchy Reimagined’s founder, Gary J Nix: ‘The difference between pandering and doing the right thing is a level of trust the outside world has in you.’ Coming soon on LS:N Global. 

: While I won’t dwell on the astronomic distraction of Katy Perry and her crew travelling to space, it’s worth noting that NASA has quietly removed its First Woman: NASA’s Promise to Humanity graphic novel from its website. Published in 2021, the story followed commander Callie Rodriguez as she led a diverse space crew to the Moon. NASA has also walked back on its earlier pledge to ‘land the first woman, first person of colour and first international partner astronaut on the Moon’, amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration to scale back DEI efforts across all US government departments and agencies.

: In other news, pole dancing is breaking stereotypes in India; I love Moroccan photographer Zineb Koutten’s series WLAD CHA3B (People of the Country), which celebrates Morocco’s working class; and I’m deeply moved by the My First Voice initiative, which uses AI to give parents the gift of hearing their non-verbal children’s voices for the first time.