For Better Ideas, Read Some Sci-Fi
“The future is already here, but it’s not evenly distributed.”
What do the iPad, Skype, and Self-driving cars have in common?
The answer is they were all ideas conceived by science fiction writers long before they became a reality.
For example, fans of ‘Star Trek’ will note how the iPads we use today look suspiciously like the ‘PADD’ from the show.
We can also thank this TV series for the automatic sliding doors in shops and airports.
And 3D printers are inching us closer to the ‘replicators’ of Star Trek, capable of materialising objects from digital plans.
How about the concept of video calling?
Long before Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime existed, this method of communication was depicted in various forms in sci-fi.
In Jules Verne’s 1870 classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the author imagined submarines in fantastical detail long before they became a staple of naval fleets.
And artificial intelligence?
The acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick depicted a sophisticated and ultimately malevolent form of AI (HAL 9000) in his epic ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.
Then there’s Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the Metaverse, which is again not new.
Virtual reality as a concept has been floating around in science fiction for decades in books like Neuromancer by William Gibson and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
And remember the fantastic ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams?
The electronic guidebook in the book is much like today’s smartphones, complete with information at your fingertips and even some quirky humour, thanks to voice-activated assistants.
Another fascinating example of forward-thinking was the 1888 utopian novel ‘Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy’, in which he described a card that allows people to spend credit from a central bank. I.e. a credit card (which wasn’t introduced until 1950)
Why is sci-fi an excellent resource for ideas?
One of the challenges of generating ideas in the present is that we constrain ourselves to what is possible now.
We think about existing technologies and conventions; the imagined future has infinite possibilities.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Elon Musk is big on sci-fi. One of his favourite books is the epic Dune by Frank Herbert.
Jeff Bezos is also a fan of the genre, and Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, is another aficionado who enjoys contemplating the future through science fiction narratives.
Three recommended sci-fi reads
You might enjoy the following books if you're new to the genre. We hope they spark your imagination.
1. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3. The Martian by Andy Weir
For more tricks and tips on coming up with ideas, try out our Creative Thinking course, made in collaboration with some of the world’s most creative minds and certified by Cannes Lions.
