Are we really living through the worst moment in history, or are we actually in the best position ever to build a better future?

In this episode of Education Futures, we welcome Beatrice Erkers, Existential Hope Program Manager at the Foresight Institute.

Beatrice works at the intersection of technology, long-term thinking, and societal progress, helping people move beyond doom narratives to imagine desirable futures — and take responsibility for shaping them.

Together, we explore:

1. Why pessimism about the future is historically misguided
2. How “existential hope” differs from blind optimism
3. Why agency matters more than prediction when thinking about the future
4. How world-building and scenario planning can help rethink education
5. Why education may be the most powerful lever for long-term change
6. How AI could make learning more humane — not less
7. What skills and mindsets future education systems should prioritize
8. Why plural, diverse futures matter more than one “perfect” vision

Beatrice also shares inspiring examples — from AI tutoring models like Alpha School to progress-oriented movements — and explains why hope is inseparable from action.

This episode is an invitation to stop asking “what will happen?”

and start asking “what future do we want to build — and how do we begin now?”