I help organisations increase their value by making them future-fit. #Mindcandy scenario prompts are part of that programme. Find out more here.
Scenario prompt 19 September 2025
The future is no longer something you prepare for—it’s something you train for.
Today’s #Mindcandy scenario prompts cover:
- 25 books on AI, predictive analysis & consciousness
- Robots transforming infrastructure
- Smart glasses that “see what you see”
- Brain-computer interfaces racing ahead in China
- Shape-shifting materials redefining design & medicine
- XPRIZE breakthroughs that are bending entire industries
- Animal intelligence (you may never eat squid again…)
Have a great weekend. Subscribe to my substack.
You are the upgrade
https://www.ronimmink.com/product/a-book-about-books-about-ai/
Data, acceleration, and the future of intelligence: Lessons from 25 core books (and links to 114 other books) about AI, technology abstraction, and consciousness.
AI Is Learning to Predict the Future—And Beating Humans at It
https://time.com/7318577/ai-model-forecasting-predict-future-metaculus/
The one thing about forecasting, or predictive analytics, is that it’s decision support. A lot of leadership will throw the data out the window if they have a gut feeling in a different direction.” That’s a problem that AI can’t solve.
Intelligent Robots Transform the Future of Structural Health Monitoring
https://bioengineer.org/intelligent-robots-transform-the-future-of-structural-health-monitoring/
In the rapidly evolving landscape of infrastructure maintenance, the advent of intelligent inspection robots marks a transformative milestone
Meta unveils AI-powered smart glasses with display and neural wristband at Connect event
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-meta-unveils-ai-powered-smart.html
Glasses are the only form factor where you can let AI see what you see, hear what you hear, and eventually generate what you want to generate, such as images or video.
Scientists grow mini-brains in lab to unlock energy-efficient artificial intelligence
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/lab-grown-brains-for-ai
Tiny brain models could build artificial intelligence that works faster and wastes less power.
3D bioprinting enables detailed models of the human placenta
https://www.3printr.com/3d-bioprinting-enables-detailed-models-of-the-human-placenta-4883776/
A research team has used 3D bioprinting to create miniature placentas.
Magnet-controlled soft metamaterial shifts shape, locks form for safer medical devices
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/magnet-controlled-soft-metamaterial-medical
It survives compressive loads, extreme heat and acidic corrosion, while shifting between stable shapes on demand.
China’s Brain Implant Startups Take On Musk’s Neuralink in New Tech Race
In the July directive for the brain industry, President Xi Jinping laid out a clear objective: to establish two to three world-leading companies and establish a full-fledged ecosystem by 2030. China envisions brain interfaces embedded into everyday items such as headphones and glasses — hinting at how the function may become a core tenet of future technology.
XPRIZE impact report 2025: we’re in the business of breakthroughs
https://www.xprize.org/articles/impact-report-2025
Over 30 years of bold innovation, the results are clear: XPRIZE delivers some of the highest returns on philanthropic capital by tackling problems and catalyzing investment that traditional systems can’t — or won’t.
Cephalopods Passed a Cognitive Test Intended For Human Children
https://www.sciencealert.com/cephalopods-passed-a-cognitive-test-intended-for-human-children
An eye-opening experiment on cephalopods reinforces why it is so important for us not to underestimate animal intelligence.
