When our team was deciding which topics to explore, a few felt obvious, like AI, sustainability, and misinformation. Most people would agree that these are challenges we can't ignore.

So with limited time and a world of pressing issues, why did we decide to kick off with imagination? Many researchers believe that imagination has been a driving force in our evolution. It lets us anticipate scenarios without living them, visualize new tools and solutions, and supports community cohesion by seeing things from other perspectives. It’s one of our most powerful problem-solving skills, yet we rarely put it first when solving problems.

In school, we practice math drills and memorize historical facts, but little time is dedicated to cultivating our ability to imagine. We don’t practice looking for connections in unexpected places, protecting space for original thought, or untethering our solutions from the status quo. We test for analytical abilities and acquired knowledge, rather than the creative or imaginative capacities we need to solve the complex problems around us.

There’s no doubt that in our culture, leading with imagination can feel vulnerable. It can lead to experiments that don’t work or ideas that others reject. So instead, we lean into the skills that society taught us to practice and value – analysis, discipline, testing, certainty – leaving a lot of what’s possible hidden by what we're used to.

In a time when we’re often motivated by fear of what could go wrong, we hope this space will inspire you to explore the possibilities for what we could build.

We put imagination first, because everything else depends on it.