Futurist Nikolas Badminton on Optimizing Humans

Should humans strive to optimize themselves via biohacking? What can 'smart drugs' do for us? What are the ethics of gene modification? Is there such a thing as going too far in improving ourselves? With gene editing in the mix, what does it mean to be human?

Our guest today is NIKOLAS BADMINTON, a futurist, a world-renowned keynote speaker, consultant, and media producer who shows you the future trends that shape impactful organizations, trillion-dollar companies, progressive governments, and 200+ billion dollar investment funds. Nikolas will shift your mindset from WHAT IS to ‘WHAT IF..?’ and (hopefully) into brighter futures. He also advised Robert Downey Jr.’s team for the ‘Age of A.I.’ documentary series, and was featured in ‘SMART DRUGS – a Futurist’s journey into biohacking’, a topic we’ll be tackling today. His  research and opinion was also featured on BBC, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Techcrunch, Business Insider, Forbes, and other media outlets.  He’s also the founder of “Dark Futures” - a popular series of TED-style talks in Vancouver, Toronto, and San Francisco that focuses on the darker side of the future and hidden systems that affect our lives.  Learn more: https://nikolasbadminton.com & follow on Twitter @NikolasFuturist

VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH3c3NJOy1E

About the Podcast:

MIND THE FUTURE is a podcast series that asks guests from the world of art, science, and technology to predict how what they do and love will look like as we fast forward into the future.

The podcast is hosted by Katherine Brodsky. As a journalist, she has served as a correspondent for VARIETY since 2011, and have also covered primarily film/TV, tech, and travel for publications like THE WASHINGTON POST, THE GUARDIAN, ESQUIRE, MASHABLE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, VULTURE, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, CNN, USA TODAY, THE INDEPENDENT — and even PLAYBOY MAGAZINE (which you definitely read for the stories)! She has conducted hundreds of interviews with some of the most fascinating subjects including Oscar, Emmy, Pulitzer, Tony, Nobel prize winner—and even spies! Follow her on Twitter @mysteriouskat