Technological advancements like human life extension and artificial intelligence are poised to dramatically reshape society, but their impact on human values remains underscrutinized. One area of concern is how extended lifespans might affect moral progress, traditionally driven by generational turnover. Without examining these connections, society risks adopting technologies that inadvertently preserve outdated or harmful norms.

Investigating the Tech-Values Nexus

One approach could involve creating an interdisciplinary research initiative examining how emerging technologies influence societal values. This could begin as a media platform (blog/podcast) interviewing experts about hypothetical scenarios like: How might a city populated by 150-year-olds approach climate policy differently? As interest grows, it could evolve into workshops and policy briefs, eventually scaling to a think tank.

Key components might include:

• Modeling how demographic shifts affect value transmission
• Developing frameworks to anticipate value conflicts
• Creating accessible explanations of complex ethics questions

Distinct Value Proposition

While similar to bioethics institutes studying current medical ethics or tech policy groups analyzing social media, this approach would differ by focusing specifically on future technologies' value implications. For example, whereas existing research might examine AI bias in hiring algorithms, this could explore how AI companions might reshape concepts of friendship.

The initiative could stand out by:

• Combining demographic modeling with normative ethics
• Prioritizing speculative yet plausible scenarios
• Maintaining a consistent focus on value shifts rather than immediate policy

Phased Implementation Strategy

A starting point could be testing public interest through an experimental podcast season. If successful, subsequent phases might involve academic partnerships to research specific questions, then policy engagement once robust frameworks are developed. Funding could initially come from foundations interested in long-term thinking, potentially expanding to institutional grants.

Early validation might involve gauging listener engagement with hypothetical scenarios or measuring policymakers' interest in preliminary briefings about potential value conflicts arising from technologies like cognitive enhancement.