I help organisations become future-fit. #Mindcandy scenario prompts are part of that. They are designed to stretch your imagination, sharpen situational awareness, and spark opportunity thinking. Find out more here.
Scenario Prompt – 8 October 2025
The prompts to expand your lens today are:
- You are the upgrade, a summary of 25 books on AI
- Artificial neurons that could directly communicate with living cells
- AI-crafted toxins
- Chemical micro circuits
- Purpose
- Implant for in-body energy generation
- Brain-Computer Interface for Apple
- Editting nature
- Humanoids on Mars
- EV charging via straat lamps (DUH!)
- Printing custom made viruses
The above list illustrates the importance of normalising or routinising change.
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.
Engineers create first artificial neurons that could directly communicate with living cells
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-artificial-neurons-communicate-cells.htm
A team of engineers has announced the creation of an artificial neuron with electrical functions that closely mirror those of biological ones. Building on their previous work using protein nanowires synthesized from electricity-generating bacteria, the team’s discovery means that we could see immensely efficient computers built on biological principles which could interface directly with living cells.
‘Up to 100%’ of AI-Crafted Toxins Escape DNA Screens, Microsoft-Led Team Finds
https://www.eweek.com/news/ai-engineered-toxins-dna-screens-microsoft-research/
Microsoft tested if AI could fool biosecurity screens. 100% yes.
Johns Hopkins Unlocks New Chemistry for Faster, Smaller Microchips
https://scitechdaily.com/johns-hopkins-unlocks-new-chemistry-for-faster-smaller-microchips/
The scientists demonstrated how to build circuits so tiny they cannot be seen with the human eye, using a method designed to be both highly accurate and cost-effective for large-scale production.
Purpose isn’t dead, but the era of easy wins certainly is
Not long ago, “purpose” was every marketer’s favourite word. But consumers today have grown tired of half-baked efforts and virtue signalling. Brand leaders must reposition purpose if they are to maintain their values and their customers.
RMIT Researchers Develop 3D-Printed Diamond-Titanium Implant for In-Body Energy Generation
A research team has developed an experimental 3D-printed implant made from diamond and titanium that can generate electrical energy from fluid flow while also being wirelessly powered. This could pave the way for long-lasting, maintenance-free medical implants.
This Startup Wants to Put Its Brain-Computer Interface in the Apple Vision Pro
While Neuralink and others are working on implants that are surgically placed in the head, Cognixion’s technology is noninvasive
Should we edit nature?
https://aeon.co/essays/should-we-intervene-in-evolution-the-ethics-of-editing-nature
Countless species are dying from human-induced environmental change. Should we use genetic technology to alter and save them?
Elon’s Robots Will Quickly Become Dead Husks on Mars, Expert Warns
https://futurism.com/future-society/elon-robots-dead-husks-mars
Right now, humanoids aren’t reliable enough to be autonomous on Earth, let alone Mars
Your Next EV Charge Might Come From A Streetlamp
https://scienceblog.com/your-next-ev-charge-might-come-from-a-streetlamp/
A team has spent the past year testing whether ordinary streetlights could double as EV chargers, and the results suggest this isn’t just feasible but potentially superior to traditional charging infrastructure
Custom Viruses Are on the Way—And Scientists Are Already Printing Them for You
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a68825778/custom-viruses-fight-e-coli/
This type of synthetic technique might be used to create simple cells with useful applications in the future, scientists say.
Leaders Today Must Routinize, Not Inspire, Change
https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/adopting-change-in-the-workplace
Routinizing change means helping employees see change as normal, regulating discomfort and building intuitive responses to new situations
