Projecting the Future: Foresight Framework Through Cinematic Artifacts
Foresight Frameworks Through Cinematic Artifacts
Hollywood has spent a century imagining the future. Some of those futures have already arrived. Most reveal more about the anxieties of the present than any credible forecast. This session treats science fiction films as foresight artifacts. We will watch clips, categorize the futures they portray using Jim Dator's Four Futures framework, then dissect those futures using Causal Layered Analysis to uncover the assumptions, systems, and myths buried underneath. The audience drives the conversation. Your phone captures the room's reaction in real time via Mentimeter.
The Approach:
Every film gets two analytical passes: Dator's Four Futures categorizes the film. Jim Dator, one of the founders of academic futures studies, argues every vision of the future falls into one of four archetypes: Growth (the system works and scales), Discipline (society imposes control), Collapse (systems fail), or Transformation (the rules themselves change). One of the session's hypotheses: Hollywood gravitates heavily toward Collapse and Discipline and largely avoids the other two. Causal Layered Analysis dissects the film. Developed by Sohail Inayatullah, CLA peels any issue through four layers: the surface narrative (what happens in the plot), the systemic structures that produced this future, the worldview assumptions the film takes for granted, and the myths or metaphors driving the story underneath. The panelist delivers this as a real foresight reading. The audience responds.
Agenda:
5:30 PM Doors open. Grab a seat, scan the Mentimeter QR code. First audience word cloud goes live as people arrive.
5:45 PM Welcome and framework introduction. Dator's Four Futures, CLA, and how the session works.
6:00 PM Film clips and analysis. Each round: clip plays, panelist delivers a foresight reading, the audience responds via Mentimeter, the room discusses. Interactive throughout.
7:05 PM Debrief. We project the aggregate audience data and discuss what landed. 7:15 PM Close.
Before You Arrive
• You do not need to have seen any of the films. The clips and analysis stand on their own.
• Bring your phone, charged. It is your voice in the room.
• No preparation required. We provide the frameworks, the films, and the questions.
• Your opinions about the future. Strong ones preferred.
Facilitators
Mike Hyzy is Vice President of AI Strategy and Product Development at CGI, a Forbes Technology Council contributor, and a board member at Roosevelt University. He holds an MBA from the University of Illinois Gies College of Business. Chief Innovation Officer, Chicago Futures Salon.
Libby Spencer is a Senior UX Manager leading AI product innovation, research operations, and futures-oriented experience strategy. She brings a background in strategy, team development, and enterprise AI delivery, connecting emerging technology signals with organizational design to build actionable roadmaps. Founding Member, Chicago Futures Salon.
Location:
The SPARK Center at DePaul University
1 E. Jackson Blvd, Room 8010
Chicago, IL 60604 Loop Campus.
Steps from Jackson Red/Blue Line.
Doors at 5:30 PM. Session begins at 5:45 PM.
Chicago Futures Salon // A 509(a)(2) public charity dedicated to making foresight accessible, participatory, and actionable. chicagofuturessalon.com