David Brin's best-selling novels include The Postman (filmed in 1997) plus explorations of our near-future in Earth and Existence. His award-winning novels and short stories explore vividly speculative ideas through a hard-science lens. His nonfiction book, The Transparent Society, won the American Library Association's Freedom of Speech Award for exploring 21st Century concerns about security, secrecy, accountability and privacy.
During times of great stability, many people take continuity for granted and pile up ever greater amounts of risk without hedging against a reversal... till reversal happens and creates a "Minsky Moment," at which point things shake out amid lots of pain. See this 2019 interview in ACM about our need for Resilient Systems that are robust enough to ride these shocks out.
David Brin was interviewed about transparency and freedom and the future by the Indian magazine Factor Daily, with emphasis on India's ambitious Aadhaar Program to digitize all billion of the nation's people.
Thomson Reuters just published one of David Brin's best interviews about Artificial Intelligence and ways to get a "soft" singularity. Good questions and editing by Paul Thies. Brin's proposal re AI is (alas) not offered anywhere else, though it's the only one that can possibly work... because it already has worked, increasingly well, for 200 years.
At David's interview for the Artificial Intelligence Conference in San Francisco, he noted, "Skynet is unlikely to come from the military — they really love off-switches!"
Here are the answers to 12 questions from my Reddit AMA "what's the scariest thing about the future that hasn't come true yet?" session.
This interview, for the European Union's Horizons 2020 Congress, takes a business-friendly look at the future.
In this MarketShadows interview, David Brin discusses how our current crises fit into the patterns of 6000 years of human history... how this phase of the Civil War might end... whether a key human ingredient (lacking in powerful men who commit sexual aggressions) is satiability... whether we face tech-driven unemployment... and the likelihood of "singularity."
At GigaOm, Brin answers questions about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and why it is possible that these new, genius offspring of humanity may decide not to treat us badly.
An interview with Futurist.com looks at future trends in philanthropy, and whether longer lives leads to kinder lives.
This interview, posted on Futurism, asks about how science fiction writers craft futures ranging from AI to the apocalypse.
Brin's Gizmodo interview looks at the cautionary tale's ability to accurately predict a technology's danger.
A fun, brief Clarkesworld interview discussing transparency, transformation, and the joy of the short story.
In this interview with Henry Herz, David talks about writing's "sweat equity."
In this Amazing Stories interview, Brin talks about the science — and the scientist — in science fiction.
In this interview, the authors of three new novels in Asimov's Foundation universe talk about the challenges of expanding his grand design for humanity. (Learn more about the novels here.)
Discover Magazine interviews Brin about looking for those "honey-pot ideas."
A panel discussion at Arizona State University on reputation systems, surveillance technologies, and the future of the Internet as a problem-solving tool.
NPR's All Tech Considered asks Brin how the many new technologies will change the way we live.
San Diego's Union-Tribune, on what we're finding out about the solar system — and SETI.
The Union-Tribune again, asking about transparency and spying.
This author profile and interview at HBS Author Spotlight looks at what it takes to be an author in the age of the internet.
Santa Barbara Independent, on expanding our notion of existence.
The Science Technology Future site interviews Brin about "Star Wars on Trial, asking — is it a "feudalistic fantasia pushing an elitist anti-democratic agenda"?
The science fiction and fantasy magazine Lightspeed online-published Brin's story "Bubbles," and includes an author interview-discussion.
Nature Journal interviews David about writing science into a story.
SFFworld.com interviews Brin about how Kiln People portrays cloning and life extension.
For Italian readers, this Nocturnia interview about science fiction and writing.
This CNNMoney interview asks about the business and political ramifications of public revelations about celebrities and other leaders — a much-discussed topic in The Transparent Society.
In this interview, which originally appeared in Albedo One #21, John Kenny asks how science and fiction writing interact (do they compete, or cooperate?) and whether it can foretell humankind's destiny.
In this Writing World interview, David Brin answers questions about the genre of science fiction — its range, influences, and future trends.
Living Planet Magazine interviewed Brin about whether science fiction can offer solutions to our environmental problems — or merely sensationalize its disasters.
In this gameranx interview, Brin looks at how both gams and novels play with the future.
io9 interviews David about the challenges of creating a plausible future when the range of possibilities is so rapidly evolving.
In this extensive Wired Magazine interview, Brin discusses the 21st Century's inventions, discoveries and wars, whether we will ever meet aliens — and Star Wars, of course.
Metroactive wants Brin's contrarian solution to society's technological unmasking.
Stephen Ormsby's Q&A on a writer's life.
Geek Wire wants to know about science fiction, new technologies — and geek culture.
Futurist.com asks David: what significant problems must we overcome if we want to thrive, and not merely survive?
In this Metroactive interview, Brin talks about what makes science fiction authors think — and write.
In this Orbit Magazine interview David Brin talks about the transformative power of science fiction.
In The Horror Zine's Q&A about technology, Brin consults his palantir to foresee the people-friendly tech.
Read h+ Magazine's feature interview about surveillance's traps — and positive sousveilance.
Science Fiction Musings interviews Brin about writerly obsessions and other ODDysseys.
Slawek Wojtowicz interviews David about a writer's day-to-day work and leisure activities.
Planetary Society asks Brin — are we ever getting to Mars?
Read Orbit Book's interview with David Brin about the transformative power of science fiction.
In this interview with Ann Wilkes Brin wonders: How and why did humanity escape (at last) from its old, vicious cycle of feudalism and begin a tremendous enlightenment — one that included vital things like science, democracy, human rights and science fiction?
Here's a FAQ of sorts — a compilation of questions that David Brin is asked most often by interviewers. Writing still is magical. To create strings of black squiggles that millions of others skillfully de-code with just their eyes — into emotions and thoughts, or the struggles of believable characters.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Brin talks about how science fiction is more of a study of history.
In NAUTILUS Namir Khaliq interviews David Brin, Cory Doctorow, Lois McMaster Bujold, Charles Stross, N. K. Jemisin & Andy Weir about how science influences science fiction, especially in a time of looming AI. Come for insights.
David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!). Learn More
Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form. Learn More
Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore. Learn More
Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages. Learn More
David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research. Learn More
Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy. Learn More
Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 300 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings. Learn More
Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was appraised as "#1 influencer" in Onalytica's Top 100 report of Artificial Intelligence influencers, brands & publications. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Learn More
All the Ways in the World to Reach David Brin
wikipedia page
view David's wikipedia page
isfd page
view David's internet speculative fiction database page
subscribe to David Brin's newsletter and keep up to date on his books, signings and appearances
share David Brin's pins from these Pinterest boards and share the word about science and science fiction