On October 23, 2025, the FuturesWorks initiative hosted its inaugural Futures WorkShop. The FuturesWorks initiative is led by David Guston Foundation Professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, College of Global Futures, and Associate Vice Provost for Discovery, Engagement and Outcomes, in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. Additional FuturesWorkShops, connecting with practicing futurists and others in the field, are planned to occur once or twice a semester.
During the workshop, Marina Gorbis, executive director of the Institute for the Future – the leading not-for-profit futures organization in the United States – spent an hour in conversation with students, staff and faculty discussing her views on how to do futures work, how to understand the relationship between AI (and other emerging technologies) and social change, and how we might train students and prepare organizations for the future.
"Says Guston: "As SFIS continues to develop its curriculum, connection to applied futurists is critical to understanding what skills, knowledge and perspectives are necessary in the field," Guston says. "We hope that we can continue and extend a relationship with Institute for the Future to the benefit of our students and to the broader public as we navigate increasingly uncertain waters."
Guston offers the following acknowledgments: to Michelle Walker for organizing the meeting and Ernesto Abeytia for the photograph.
