Science Fiction Writer Predicted The Future in 1982

Dr. Isaac Asimov was a prolific science fiction author, biochemist, and professor. This was recorded in 1982. Asimov was best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science essays. Born in Russia in 1920 and brought to the United States by his family as a young child, he went on to become one of the most influential figures in the world of speculative fiction. He wrote hundreds of books on a variety of topics, but he's especially remembered for series like the "Foundation" series and the "Robot" series.
Asimov's science fiction often dealt with themes and ideas that pertained to the future of humanity.
The "Foundation" series for example, introduced the idea of "psychohistory" - a mathematical way of predicting the future based on large population behaviors. While we don't have psychohistory as described by Asimov, his works did reflect the belief that societies operate on understandable and potentially predictable principles.
Asimov's "Robot" series introduced the world to the Three Laws of Robotics, which are:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
These laws have been influential in discussions about robot ethics and the future of AI, even though they are fictional constructs.
Like many futurists and speculative authors, Asimov's predictions were a mix of hits and misses.
Hits: He anticipated the rise of computer networks and something resembling the internet. He also foresaw the idea of robotic assistants and many issues that would arise with automation and the changing nature of work.
Misses: Some of Asimov's predictions, like many other futurists', were either too optimistic in terms of timeframes or overestimated certain societal shifts. For example, while he predicted a rise in automation, some of the specifics (like how society would handle the transition) have been more complex than he foresaw.
Here is another video I made on futurists - • Predicting The Future....
And another one - • Emotional 1979 Film Pr...
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David Hoffman Filmmaker

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

My thoughts on people who predict the future with some interesting examples mentioned - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWTad6mmh6uHhNE

[@garethlowbridge2979]

Young people just looked old back then

[@nothenryporter81]

None of them imagined just how stupid the future would be.

[@allstarmark12345]

Capital begets capital. Gosh a lot of the social problems we have are a few forms manipulating financial physical markets with….capital

[@vladostrovsky9356]

@@allstarmark12345 hastag socialism

[@Game_Hero]

​@@allstarmark12345 Or, more simply, the Internet, that's what unleashed the stupidity.

[@west_park7993]

isaac asimov did. the book called The Gods Themselves. book has 3 parts, "against the stupidity", "the gods themselves". "in vain they fight", which all together comes from goethe

[@TheGodParticle]

So true.

[@masonbricke4568]

I wrote to this man twice in the late 1970s and he wrote back twice. Both were short, typewritten replies on scraps of paper. Nothing special as far as correspondence goes, but they were treasures to me. I wish I knew where they were now.

[@morbidmanmusic]

Worth serious money if you can verify it.

[@oakmaiden2133]

Shhhhhh lower thou head capitalist! Hi mason, hope you find your historic treasures.

[@djfingersflores]

how cool

[@philsurtees]

If you lose things that you treasure, I can only imagine what happens to things you don't care about...

[@babagalacticus]

you LOST them?! SERIOUSLY??!! oy vey, vas a bricke!!! framing brohim, framing. ah well, no one feels it more keenly than you i suppose....but tsk tsk boyo. 😹😳😹 it's interesting how quaint some of his predictions sound now given just how far we've progressed technologically yet REGRESSED socially. but he DID even have the prescience to include that most essential of ingredients; the human mind. pre-science, a good word that. 🙏🙏🏾🙏🙏🏼

[@bhud1972]

He was a great thinking. One of my favorite quotes was his: “violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

[@RoySATX]

This explains the actions of govts, ours and others.

[@marcgottlieb9579]

@@RoySATX He was wrong...Hieline was right..He said technology will fail in the 1st quarter of the next century and it will..Our elites for got to tell the public, our binary solar system is here..The same that caused the Great Deluge 12 thousand years ago..The Sun will rise in the West for 9 days and the Earth will stop rotating for 5 days..Another Atlantean event will happen before the end of 24..

[@leonsighdoria1919]

Issac Asimov's Foundation series and his Robot series with his introduction of the positronic brain with the 3 laws of robotics is an AWESOME collection of books. A scientist turned scifi writer a true genius.

[@rickywaye3836]

Wasn't his first law of robotics never to harm humans? That worked ...... Not so much!

[@AnalystPrime]

@@rickywaye3836 It is the whole point of many of his stories that the three laws are not infallible nor able to cover every possible scenario, especially if someone is trying to abuse or circumvent them: One human managed to give an order that allowed him to use the robot as a murder weapon; there was a plan to create warbots by not telling them that the targets they would be shooting at would be humans; children figured out that they can shut down their robot nannies by saying "you are harming me". Thus the robots had to be improved so they are smarter, better able to judge whether an order is safe and should be followed. The result was robots made law zero that says they should protect humanity above _a_ human, and caused Earth to become radioactive so everyone had to leave. As those series share the universe with the time travel story where humans from distant future come back to restart space exploration because otherwise by the time they were forced to leave Earth aliens had already claimed the whole galaxy, but in the Robots/Foundation series humans never meet aliens, the implication is that the robots who left Earth before humans went out and exterminated them. So the law to protect humans worked perfectly, but that does not mean robots never harmed anyone.

[@sanseverything900]

A recurring theme in "I, Robot" is that the three laws of robotics dont always work and that unforeseen problems could occur despite whatever guidelines we implement.

[@west_park7993]

and we see how correct was he with the foundations. the worst thing is that trump is "the mule". he speaks directly to the emotions of ppl, tells them how to feel, and they do. and he can switch loyalties on a dime. can we overcome the maga-mule and restore the usa?

[@west_park7993]

back in 1980s a bulgarian scifi writer, luben dilov, published a short story "the 4th law of robotics: robots must always declare himself as a robot" and now, with the flood of robocalls, and ai-answering machines, and bots in socializing internet rooms, you see how important was the 4th law.

[@_Lumiere_]

Crazy to see a video of them speculating about computers in the household in the future on one of those very computers.

[@Chris-fn4df]

Dude, this kind of thing was being speculated about decades before this. This dude is making all of these predictions _after_ popular television shows and movies like Buck Roger’s, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. IBM was famous for their computer. Bill Gates was inspired by Popular Electronics Magazine and PC advertising 7 years before this. You guys will take a single clip and a headline and just make up your own branch of the multiverse, I swear.

[@durrcodurr]

The late 1970ies and early 1980ies were the beginning of the home computer boom. When I was in school in the early 1980ies, me and a lot of my classmates had computers at home (or access to them).

[@markrymanowski719]

Sinclair was promoting laptops in the 1970's. UK.

[@Snooperking]

Good Science Fiction doesn't predict the Car, it predicts the Traffic Jam. He's spot on.

[@BenjaminFrediani-xr9wo]

More like its programming.

[@BenjaminFrediani-xr9wo]

The hidden hand guides everything

[@SuperKiwilime]

A brilliant man with great foresight and vision.

[@globe2555]

@Snooperking That's an easy one since more people mean more cars.

[@heyhoe168]

@@globe2555 oh boy, not so simple! More cars with automatics/ traffic regulations/ city design lagging behind creates traffic jam.

[@petemc5070]

Impressively accurate and articulate from Azimov. He did recognised that humanity could well choose to go the path of 'hatred and suspicion', so he was spot on with that one, too.

[@TheWorld_2099]

This man had it so right. His predictions were really just being totally aware of the state of technology. He’s one of the best minds we’ve ever had.

[@mlconley]

He was dead wrong about the space exploration bit, if only because we much prefer building bombs and killing each other. Let's face it: it's Far more profitable to use our resources to agitate and stoke the winds of war.

[@ilyatsukanov8707]

@@mlconleyHe wasn't really wrong. He said we have a choice, and we unfortunately chose war. Personally I see the decline starting in the late 1980s-early 1990s with the end of the USSR, the end of the competition of ideologies and technospheres and the rebirth of 19th century-style imperialism and geopolitics. At the same time, I suppose it's heartening at least to know that we're all trapped on one planet. Better that than having these primitive bomb-throwing monkey men who can't get along with one another even in their one and only home spreading throughout the galaxy.

[@PeteQuad]

​@@mlconleyAre you a visitor from the future? How do you know he was dead wrong? Sounded dead right to me.

[@mlconley]

@@PeteQuad He spoke of leveraging science to learn and further explore the universe and spread knowledge. Instead, we leverage science to build better munitions and spread destruction across the globe. I'm not faulting his ideals, but rather the reality of what the purpose of space exploration has always been.

[@stasi0238]

​@@mlconleynot true

[@LindaCasey]

As a little kid in the 50s I too had soooooooo many visions of the future. For example: living underground and allowing the surface to be a nature reserve, instant information (Internet), 3D screening rooms with smell and holographics, driverless anti-gravitational vehicles where traffic accidents were impossible, animal product replacements. Maybe in my next lifetime people will be more altruistic. 💕Thanks for the memories David! 🕊

[@riverraven7]

Wow! I bet you were a fascinating child! I bet you're a fascinating adult as well! Pleased to meet ya Linda!

[@fryertuck6496]

You sound like a woke fool. We need sun on our skin. Meat is the healthiest food we can eat. Animal agriculture rejuvenates the earth. I like to drive, I don't want to travel everywhere by elevator like automation. You must be a hoot at parties! 🤡🌍😂

[@kiwibonsai2355]

Yup big fan of Earth being our solar systems nature reserve. Sadly in my 50 years all I've seen is the elite running the worlds politicians for their individual greed. Lobbying was illegal at one stage as it is bribery. How does democracy work when corporate lobbying outweighs public opinion 🤔

[@RandyKing314]

i would be so down for the 3D screening with smell and holographics!!!

[@analogalbacore7166]

I like meat

[@backyardsounds]

*Brilliant man. I've read a lot of Asimov. He was spot on with a **_lot_** of his predictions.*

[@carlodave9]

He missed how computers would be used to addict and manipulate minds, promote ignorance, and erode the notion of truth. That’s a gigantic miss for the hopeful optimists.

[@nigel900]

And yet a lost soul…

[@KayInMaine]

​@carlodave9 yes, liberals have done this

[@gaetanoroccuzzo]

​@@carlodave9I have to disagree with you. Asimov had rightly predicted the utility of computers to humanity. They are only tools, just like a knife is a tool. It's entirely up to the user if the tool becomes an aid or a weapon.

[@mavrosyvannah]

​@@nigel900ok I will bite. What's the wise crack about lost soul referencing, oh holy soul determiner spirit of all gnosis.

[@UFOCurrents]

Thank you David. I'm 52, a software engineer, and grew up learning science from a young age. Both computer and space technology as Asimov described are still as accurate today as his vision was then. ❤😊

[@MargaretLeber]

Well said. I'm a software engineer myself, and twenty years your senior. :-)

[@greg8909]

Well in this video, he said that robots will not be able to harm humans but we now know that AI is hard to controll because it's based on a model that is not understandable by humans.

[@blackholeentry3489]

Something NOT widely known about Asimov....Although he wrote all of these sci/fy tales of 'flying' all over the galaxy, he himself feared flying and always took an alternate means of transportation. In the early 1980's, I took a cruise ship to Bermuda for a telescope observation session under dark rural skies, planned for New Yorkers (and others) to the dark sky site. Issac Asimov went with us and was the primary guest speaker. I learned several things about him....he feared flying and NEVER traveled via air. Also, one of the gals on the trip observed, "He's an ass pincher!" When we arrived for the viewing session..the telescope was identical to mine...a Jim Coulter Odyssy 1 13". His wife hogged the viewing line, always crowding in front of everyone else already in line. When we viewed Saturn, I was first in line and she crowded right in front of me, saying in amazement, "WHY, IT'S GOT A RING AROUND IT!! Yeah, lady....been like that ever since Galileo first discovered it over 400 years ago. BHE

[@PeteQuad]

​@@greg8909AI and robots are two separate things.

[@scottw5315]

I had a Timex computer in 1983. Yes, the watch company made a computer that you hooked up to a TV. I used it to run repetitive calculations as a chemistry major. We were in awe of a kid who had an Apple computer. Asimov was absolutely correct about the future of computers.

[@hazy33]

Your Timex computer was a version of the ZX Spectrum designed by Sinclair Research in the UK.

[@billrose2339]

Sinclair!! I remember.

[@mrobertson188]

It seemed so futuristic looking at it and messing around on it

[@cygnustsp]

Yep I had a timex Sinclair. Wrote a program that took over 5 minutes to upload frim a cassette tape. I upgraded to a Commodore 64 in 1984 and got online. Hacked into NORAD and the FBI showed up at my house. Great times.

[@classicsciencefictionhorro1665]

@@cygnustsp Yeah, I saw that movie.

[@deltatango5765]

Wow, was he ever correct! I don't think he got a single fact wrong. His thoughts on computers were dead on.

[@ACDZ123]

Space settlements?? Yer he got that wrong

[@peoplevsradio317]

​@@ACDZ123the richest men in the world are currently working on it. As he said.... it will be a choice. At present two humans with infinite resources have made the choice to do exactly that.

[@dust195]

@@peoplevsradio317People like Elon Musk are con men, he will never build a permanent settlement just like he will never build his hyperloop, just like he will never have a street legal self driving car, and just like he will never have a biochip that doesn’t kill the organisms he implants them into.

[@ACDZ123]

@@peoplevsradio317 gimme a call when it happens ..talk is cheap .saying something may happen is vastly different to reality . There's people working on travelling to the stars and beyond as well..but it's not reality yet .it may never be

[@marcd1981]

@@ACDZ123 No, he wasn't wrong, that will happen. There are multiple countries working on this as we watch this video. The first settlements will be on the Moon, then they will work outwards from there.

[@flamencoprof]

I discovered Mr. Asimov in the Sixties at the public library through his column in The Magazine of Fantasy And Science Fiction. I have retained his attitude to this day, even through my Pop Music, Psychedelic, Buddhist, Agnostic, Atheist and Naturalist phases. This interview does nothing to reduce my more modern evaluation. What a guy!

[@user-sk9sp7pe4y]

Underrated comment

[@thesjkexperience]

A lot of writes need to hide behind their typewriters. Issac is a brilliant speaker and had amazing foresight.A joy to listen to.

[@deedoyle4069]

Yes. SFWA

[@RoySATX]

This is a remarkable piece of history, the relevance of which, to quote Asimov himself, has "an endlessly receding horizon".

[@francis5518]

Beautiful words 😊

[@oakmaiden2133]

When I heard Asimov say, “ in the future people will have their own channel “. He was speaking of tv, but it came true with KZbin. Everyone can have their own channel! He was brilliant and if he and Steven Hawking could have shared ideas, wow!

[@tomaszszupryczynski5453]

can have? tell that to goolag and shadowban

[@Thekrazzykangaroo]

man was ahead of his time back then and still is

[@moonlighteternal8024]

I love that you keep us educated like this, David! Your channel is one of a kind! Thank you SO much!

[@tamikoestomo3275]

Having read several works of Isaac Asimov, including "I, Robot", my admiration for this foresighted genius knows no bounds. He is right. 🌴🇮🇩🌴

[@deedoyle4069]

SFWA YES!

[@ballhawk387]

Wow, he was bang-on about the effects of computers and automation on the work force.

[@seanwilliams4087]

My favourite author from probably the age of 8. I would have loved to have met him and thanked him for countless hours of enthralling reading and helping instill a sense of empathy, goodwill, and optimism for the boundless future.

[@metalrooves3651]

was he writing at age 8? thats impreesive!

[@user-qt7nq5xl1m]

This man was brilliant. I always watched him as a kid whenever he was on TV talking about something. I remember how fascinating his visions were.

[@silentblackhole]

What a really smart man. We need people like him to lead the nations of the world.

[@maryhaddock9145]

Why smart? He got things fundamentally wrong.

[@drush525]

We have plenty, it's just liberal socialism has stifled all progression and we will soon de-evolve.

[@ivangamez9773]

I remember reading a few of his books as a young kid. Didn't know much about the person Isaac Asimov until later on. Great voice for human progress. An American treasure.

[@RandyKing314]

Asmov’s book “On Numbers” leveled up my mind when i was a kid…it was a major influence on my going into mathematics

[@rh0mbustics898]

Older people had sooo much more energy back in the day- pretty sure were being poisoned but that’s another story

[@MichaelJamesWood]

I agree. Preservatives, pesitcides, and GMO's aren't helping us.

[@riverraven7]

Someday read about DuPont....we've been poisoned for a long time...and DuPont is only a fraction of the contribution of poisons in our environment.

[@jedi77palmer]

I'm tired all the time(update⬇️) Gone carnivore since the beginning of the year and I feel less tired already

[@dust195]

Poisoning is debatable, more adeptly I say we’re being overworked on top of poor diet. You can’t put cheap fuel in a Ferrari and expect it to drive cross country.

[@ProxyMaestro]

This guy was 38

[@sirheatbag4024]

My family loved the game Isaac Asimov's Superquiz. I always thought Mr. Asimov would be impressed that I often won as the youngest of a big family. Thank you for this cool video.

[@trg1408]

Just recently I have really fallen in love with Issac Asimov and all the talks and interviews of his, his intelligence aligns with a lot of the things I think. I haven't even read any of his books yet. Everything just sounds correct and a lot of what he's said still applies today. The things he's "predicted" aren't all that surprising. What is surprising, is that we just so happened to be inspired by these ideas enough to make them a reality, yet we still can't come to terms with making the ideal choices for the betterment of our future, which he talks a lot about. One particular interview of his he explains how science fact inspires science fiction and how it inspires making sci-fi ideas become a reality and what that means for the future and the way he describes it, it really just makes sense. I haven't been able to get enough of him. When he talks, I just listen, he's so intriguing and very well spoken and usually I have a short attention span with long video's but there's something about him that really speaks to me.

[@logotrikes]

Do yourself a favour trg, try the Foundation Trilogy. There are more parts written much later, but the first three, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation are riveting. They're long stories , but well worthwhile when you get into them... Asimov's trilogy expanded into I think at least three other novels, but I didn't like them at all. The first three, written in the 50's, are the ants pants....

[@RavenNl403]

Brilliant man. I love hearing this history. I believe he was right about computers. Thank you David ❤️

[@auntissie]

Such genius minds should live on forever... and ps; Mr. Hoffman, thank you for all your work. If not for you, all these gems might be forgotten!!

[@rabbit251]

They say that we now double our knowledge every 10 years. I am 60 years old. When I was young, cancer meant certain death. It wasn't an issue of if you would die but simply when. My father is 91. When he was young their family gathered around the radio every night to listen to stories. His family, farmers, didn't get a car until he was a teenager. Before that they always used horse and wagon. My dad is in awe of technology and struggles to use it. He spends a lot of time watching youtube videos of TV shows he liked when he was a young father. He struggles with being able to use Skype. He's had 3 heart attacks and had triple bypass surgery last year. He was in the hospital for only 3 days before they sent him home. I can keep up with technology so far, but it is annoying when my colleagues, some only in their 20s, look down upon me because of my age. In 1989, years before they were even born, I had lived in Taiwan for 2 years and learn Chinese. That year I found myself teaching in China and in the middle of the Tiananmen Massacre. The stories I could tell. The 20, 30 somethings always have only one response, "I wasn't even born then." Duh! No questions, no curiosity, probably no understanding of what the event even was. I went on to be an English and history teacher and then a lawyer. I currently am an associate principal at an international school overseas. I can't wait till those young people grow old and get the same treatment I get, except they will get when they are in their 40s. Talk about generation gaps.

[@blackholeentry3489]

I am now 83...found out I had prostate cancer in 1999 and, consequently, had mine removed. My wife and I, prior to our marriage, spent three weeks in China and took a three day boat trip down the mighty Yangze River to the High Dam, and then through the locks ...which now I understand the dam is facing some serious problems. Our primary reason for being there at that time was to view a total solar eclipse, but our luck ran out, faced total overcast and even though we ended up moving to an alternate site, total cloud coverage prevented us from seeing it....and my 2nd wife didn't get the priviledge of seeing her first total solar eclipse until we went to her native Australia a few years later.....I've now witnessed ten. BHE

[@432b86ed]

Thought that I'd mention, Royal Raymond Rife was curing cancer in the 1930's with a device of his own invention. The AMA attacked it and then ignored it. This denial continues to this day. If you decide to research my claims, you must look beyond the short-sighted wikipedia hit-piece. Best regards.

[@1TightMinute]

I think you’ll be dead by then but yeah time passes everyone by……my eighty year old dad was a computer programmer when they first came out. He did the job before there was a computer science degree to get at any university. Now he struggles with technology himself. He had a meltdown trying to connect to a coffee shops Wi-Fi the other day. It’s funny and sad.

[@blackholeentry3489]

@@1TightMinute I, for one, never thought I'd ever have any use for a computer and often said having one would be the equivalent of having a semi truck parked in my front yard and using it once a week to run down to the local grocery store to get a couples sacks of groceries. My ex took a computer class at the local college and I got one mainly to help her out. It proved to be way too complicated for her, shenever used it....and, I discovered You-Tube. Little did I ever suspect how it would become the focal point of my life and the amount of time I'd end up spending on it. Now, I routinely chat with prople all over the world on a wide variety of subjects...and is my choice of entertainment...way better than sitting and watching boring and ad drenched TV shows....Like Donald Rump plays golf at Mar Logo, and, with a little sideways foot action, tromps all contenders! BHE

[@jasondashney]

You absolutely should tell your stories of Tiananmen Square. We never get to hear firsthand accounts from civilians.

[@NannyMAU]

It’s not the brain - it’s the soul that makes us complex and brilliant

[@haelius99]

whats the soul?

[@cdynes385]

The soul is consciousness which is expressed from the frontal cortex,specifically the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the seat of judging,thinking,feeling. " I think therefore I am"- Rene Descartes

[@ejkalegal3145]

@@cdynes385 And what is consciousness? Where does it come from?

[@cdynes385]

Consciousness is the soul or vice versa. Self awareness is sentience . The region of the brain where thinking, judging, feeling emanates from is the prefrontal cortex. If that part of the brain is highly developed that's where the sense of ethics, morality comes from.

[@ejkalegal3145]

@cdynes385 lol consciousness is the soul and the soul is consciousness. Kind of a cyclical argument 😆.

[@koshintokoshinto]

Nothing says the future like mutton chops and a bolo tie

[@kartzgo9938]

As weird as it all is to fit that voice and face to a name on a book, it couldn't be anymore perfectly matched 😂

[@riverraven7]

My favorite genre of reading and one of my favorite writers. This was an awesome lil look into the days of yore😂. Thank you for another wonderful film, David ❤

[@ParkinT]

I concur. Asimov is my favorite author. I have attempted to collect a copy of EVERYTHING he has written. Although, I continue, it appears I will fail; he has written so much in so many varying media (novels, short stories, pulp magazines)

[@indylawi5021]

One of my favourite sci-fi authors, especially his 'Robot' series. He is spot-on in his prediction about everyone would want to own a computer (like our present day Smartphone, Laptop/Notebooks, etc.). It would have been interesting to hear his opinion on AI as it relates to Robot. He would certainly be very excited about the state of current AI tech.

[@riverbender9898]

Isaac Asimov was a brilliant scientist and an excellent Sci-Fi writer. Thank you.

[@LunaIsShy]

Totally a visionary. It is kind of nice to look back and see how a brilliant mind was so hopefully for the future and be pretty spot on

[@trainer1158]

What a brilliant man. Sadly, the part about not leaving people behind, training them for new jobs so they can keep their self-respect, was ignored. The rise of unchecked capitalism and greed has ensured that the middle class is shrinking and that the chances of reaching it are almost impossible. We now have the first generation of Americans who will not do better, and perhaps not as well, as their parents. The world hasn't ended its love affair with nuclear weapons, either. A delight to see the wonderful MacNeil & Lehrer again.

[@troubleshooter166]

@trainer 1158, you have missed watching some of Mr Hoffman's films. It's not greedy capitalism. People are greedy. Capitalism is just a vehicle..... If a people take away or ridicule teaching or perspective of morals then greed and selfishness rule. Mr Hoffman recently showed business men struggling with keeping business afloat and growing verses falling behind by not automating. Work on a solution because the next revolution and wave of lay offs is here

[@effexon]

if nukes are not used, things should change, usually for the better, in next 20 years. I assume US dont fall and china,russia dont take over in world. tremendous things happened in only 80 years since 1945. all of those above problems hinder solving truly difficult problems and are only in social/politics domain, hardly rocket science.

[@newworldman2112]

Yeah capitalism is pretty bad, unless you compare it every single other type of economic system there is.

[@goonerboz6023]

​@@troubleshooter166capitalism is a pyramid scheme it needs extreme poverty for it to work because it needs to make sure theres unemployment for a certain amount of people for it to work

[@JBravo69]

There are levels of capitalism and greed is what we’re experiencing today. It has spin out of control.

[@despoinaire4017]

I love his take on the human brain. I’ve come to believe the greatest threat we face is narcissism in politics. These people are an existential threat when they get power, and it is likely power actuates narcissistic tendency.

[@scottw5315]

What you call narcissism I call criminality. The democrat party is the new mafia with far more power than the old Italian mafia.

[@hazy33]

Yup. Anyone who WANTS to be a politician should be banned from politics. The Greeks had it right, people would be picked randomly from the population to govern.

[@gailtaylor1636]

@@hazy33 While this seems like the correct answer, how many 3-toes Greenes are out there?

[@hazy33]

​@@gailtaylor1636er I don't understand your reply.

[@gailtaylor1636]

@@hazy33 3-toes Greene=Marjorie Taylor Greene. Tons of them out there. Dumber than the dumbest rock.

[@steevsmith2792]

Wow..40 years ago, Asimov (& his compatriot Arthur C Clarke,), were telling us, how to handle/manage A.I. Robots, machines in the year 2023! Has anyone really listened?

[@randomgrinn]

People don't listen to intelligent people, they listen to dramatic people.

[@adrianciobanu5856]

​@@randomgrinndemoncratic true word is

[@elenabob4953]

I knew Asimov written a few very interesting books but I didn't knew he wrote that many, 240 books wow.

[@sbug2705]

The final figure was actually closer to 500. He died in 1992.

[@Orangeflava]

@@sbug2705how many were good?

[@javierfernandoagudelogomez1794]

​@@OrangeflavaAround 99%

[@Orangeflava]

@javierfernandoagudelogomez1794 now thats a high success rate!

[@itemlocation]

@@Orangeflava I've read about 20 of his books and all 20 were so very special to me. Each one mesmerized me. Every time I mention Isaac Asimov to my sister, she says, "Not him AGAIN."

[@drewpall2598]

this was most fascinating I've seen Dr. Isaac Asimov on some television programs in the 1980's he came across as an interesting fellow. as a young child growing up in the 1960's I thought we would be living life like the animated cartoon series The Jetsons with flying cars in the 21st century. thanks for this one David Hoffman.

[@riverraven7]

Me too! Where the heck is my flying car and sassy robot?

[@libertarianbydefault]

A true visionary. It is almost tear-jerking to be listening to a sage man talking 50 years ago about the choices the humanity would have to make and realizing it had made all the wrong ones.

[@PeteQuad]

42 years ago. I can't see that any wrong decisions were made yet. We have not had a nuclear war and we are still working on space.

[@artmaknev3738]

Crazy, he is spot on with every question, even AI!

[@pcatful]

Asimov's writings were very important to me in my youth. Not just the fiction books. Still his fiction books were the ones that warned us of human error, and the danger of humans, particularly demagogues and their followers--and the spoiling of the environment. iRobot explored the dilemma of AI. This video is a great find, also showing the interests and work or Jim Lerher and Robin McNeil.

[@bigverybadtom]

Actually I liked his nonfiction better, because he could explain things in a simple enough way so you could understand them.

[@heathinvaderstudios]

Isaac Asimov will forever make me think of MST3K Season 1’s, “Planet of the Prehistoric Women,” episode.

[@ParkinT]

A true visionary. I have read most of Asimov's work; and failed collecting a copy of EVERYTHING he has written. His books span all major categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification except for category 100, philosophy and psychology

[@mikechappell4156]

I'll take your word on it. I haven't looked at the Dewey Decimal system in 40~ years. It would however be appropriate to have never written a book on philosophy or psychology considering how almost everything he wrote showed how well he understood humanity.

[@Darhan62]

This is a great insight into Isaac Asimov's mind, and he was pretty much spot on with most of what he said.

[@KathysTube]

I remember the hopefulness of 1982.. Nice flashback David 😎👍

[@db5823]

Like most great minds, he thinks higher of most people than they deserve. He is very correct about many things, but the greed of the few and corporations throws a wrench into the brilliant future we could enjoy.

[@kingcosworth2643]

It's the same people you lambast that drive innovation

[@johnrockyryan]

Tbf though Mark Twain knew even before he got all nihilistic that we would never solve this problem that we have had as a species for years and are still having, and this was a man who met Nikola Tesla but he knew humans like him were one in a billion

[@georgefromgreece4119]

Well said

[@vinzw5609]

This man is a visionary and ahead of his time.

[@MonkeyBlueAss]

10 year after this interview he died at 6 April 1992. God bless him in Heaven with the light of his books we received.

[@danielradu7853]

He is not in heaven because he did not believe in God.

[@MonkeyBlueAss]

@@danielradu7853 - you have no idea about the God kindness, Asimov was loved and gifted with a reason.

[@itemlocation]

@@danielradu7853 I know where you are coming from when you say, "He is not in heaven because he did not believe in God." BUT, Isaac Asimov was one of the most BASED humans to have ever lived. He was one of the kindest persons there ever was. To say he is not in heaven in my opinion is very near-sighted. I believe God's wisdom and judgement are beyond all human understanding and we cannot say for certain what final decision God made in Isaac Asimov's case.

[@MrSyntheticSmile]

@@danielradu7853May be God believes in him, and that is enough.

[@blackholeentry3489]

@@itemlocation So....What if, as so many believe, including me....God exists ONLY within the minds of uneducated men, but doesn't actually exist in reality? (just Like Isaac Asimov)

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

I'm halfway through this video. This man has hit the head on every single one!

[@mpetersen6]

Dr Jerry Pournelle once commented that you cannot predict the future. But you can invent it. Pournelle did make one accurate prediction. On the Tom Snyder show he discussed how you would be able to buy a device that would allow to read books in electronic format. Down to how you be able to get them off of the net.

[@JamesMc2051]

Very clear-thinking and prescient. I never enjoyed his writing style but I always loved his ability to turn his mind to most things and think them through very logically. I wonder what he would have made of our technology now and how easy access and chasing quick fixes and endorphin highs has reduced our capacity to concentrate and devote time to endeavours? How people change through different times and conditions must be one of the most interesting (and meaningful) topics around. I think our basic nature remains unchanged and history is cyclical. We just adapt it to conditions and technology.

[@miguelangelluengotoledano7106]

Today I'm reading the second volume of his science fiction stories... I'm really enjoying it... thinking about the things he thought would happen in the not-so-distant future. Thank you, Mr. Asimov.

[@grimtapestry5585]

As an athiest I've always found it a very humbling fact that the most complex thing in the known universe lies between our ears. I Ioved the robot novels growing up, maybe this idea worked its way in from him.

[@feedthewhale4266]

When you say "known universe", known to whom? And how is such knowledge "known"?

[@grimtapestry5585]

@@feedthewhale4266 by us and through empirical observation.

[@feedthewhale4266]

@@grimtapestry5585 Not to be a suckered on technicality here, but such empirical observation is limited by the mind. That being the case, it is more correct to say that the human brain is the most complicated thing a human brain is capable of knowing. But since it is limited by its complexity, it can never "know" that which is more complex than it, much like a bacteria cannot know it firms part of a stomach, much less a human body. Sorry, not trying to nitpick here, just think it makes an interesting counterclaim to the atheistic insistence that knowledge is a prerequisite for a conclusion of truth.

[@grimtapestry5585]

@feedthewhale4266 empirical observation is not limited by the mind, it is limited by the nature of reality itself. Our ability to comprehend these observations is however limited by the abilites of our mind to comprehend. For example we cannot see the nucleus of an atom with our eyes nor conceptualize the speed of light, but we know of them because of experiments we have conducted and these explanations make the most sense based on what was observed. I would argue that the process of evolution from single cells to human beings is more complicated than the human being itself, yet I can conceive of this process in my mind. I would say a bacterium is not intelligent, but argue that bacteria is. there are bacteria that can produce energy from the air alone, through a process we don't understand yet, it took billions of years and trillions of bacterium, but they did something even we have not been able to replicate. The whole point of empiricism is that Truth simply is. Whether you understand what is or misinterpret it is an entirely separate question. If I understand you correctly you're essentially bringing up the concept of Ein Sof, which by definition is unprovable and undisprovable. Atheism doesn't mean you claim to know there is no God, the term includes such people but all it actually means is you don't believe there is one. The same way religious people don't know there is a God, they believe there is, that's why we call it belief/faith. To claim to know there is/isn't a God is to declare yourself to have omnipotent knowledge about the nature of the universe and therfore elevate yourself to the level of God.

[@itemlocation]

@@feedthewhale4266 My goodness, you use such convoluted language but convey no valuable information. Just read what you wrote. You sound like a child trying to act like a smart adult. In your first comment: "When you say, 'known universe', known to whom? And how is such knowledge 'known'?" has to be one of the most vapid and empty stream-of-consciousness thoughts I have ever read. I am usually very civil in my KZbin replies. But you, my friend, are full of bovine gastrointestinal waste products. In your 2nd comment you literally go off the deep end and make NO SENSE AT ALL. Big words, no wisdom. I'm sorry buddy, but whatever education was forced upon you found no place to stick.

[@marktrain9498]

I've been a fan of Asimov all my life, but I've actually never heard him speak before. I had to laugh. He sounds like a waiter from a Brooklyn delicatessen.

[@lindaward3156]

The old "you can't judge a book by its cover" - or voice, in this case

[@user-hf8ie8mf3n]

Sorry, he sounds way too polite for that job…🤪

[@lindaward3156]

@@user-hf8ie8mf3n Yeah, that would ruin the experience!

[@cuibono6872]

Same as that, I always thought he was Polish or Russian, not a kid from the bronx, but what a clever guy.

[@susiegardener]

Actually, he was born in Russia.@@cuibono6872

[@joet81]

That was awesome! I love looking back at this kind of stuff and i love the work of Asimov.

[@jamaalrichardson4966]

This cat, Sagan, and Feynman were a few of the dopest human beings of the modern era. If only we had minds like theirs in this day and age. A veritable raging inferno of cosmic stupidity and banality.

[@laattardo]

Unpopular opinion, are all those brilliant minds not here because they were aborted? 😮 how many were never given their opportunity?

[@SilverSentinel]

Sagan isn't my favorite historic public figure. He famously spoke about the importance of not censoring "fringe science" because we never know if it will produce something of value even as he made derisive remarks about subjects like astrology, which he displayed a profound ignorance of.

[@laattardo]

@@SilverSentinel so, because he was against censorship, you don't like him as much? Cool

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

​@@SilverSentinelplease tell us how you equate astrology with any form of science, even fringe science? Fringe science is still science, just not mainstream. But all scientific principles apply, such as a testable theory that you can prove using maths and data. No one has ever proved astrology, or have they, and do you have the scientific data that proves it works? Anyone can believe in fake things, but they're obviously not real unless they're provable.

[@SilverSentinel]

@@Google_Does_Evil_Now How about you read a f^ckin' book and stop asking st^pid questions, smart^ss? 😉

[@marcd1981]

This was very interesting to watch. 1) The one that hasn't happened yet, but is on the way, is building settlements on other worlds. The first will be on the Moon, then they will branch out from there. 2) He was exactly right about computers and everyone wanting one, as well as how they will be used at home. 3) The part about the computer age taking jobs away and creating new ones was correct in two ways: 1) Different jobs were created for people to fill, 2) The people that lost their jobs needed to be trained for their next position(s). 4) We are in the same position today with society and keeping people employed as we were when the computer age was coming into its own with the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is expected to take many people's jobs over the next couple of years. However, if there is no training for the people that lose their jobs, it could be a disaster resulting in high unemployment rates. 5) I hadn't seen von Braun's vision of space travel from 1955. I can imagine what people were saying back then, ready to commit him to a rubber room.

[@jimmym3352]

1) is not going to happen. It's just not realistic. From both a financial and political perspective.

[@fyiaustralia9686]

@@jimmym3352NASA didn't have the computing technology in the 1960s to land on the moon and they still don't have it.

[@GnohmPolaeon.B.OniShartz]

Isaac was an Optimist. The people who actually built the tech should have made his views like law.

[@philomelodia]

Brilliant man! Dr. Azamov was so perceptive. He pretty much nailed it with computers. He also nailed it with robotics. I like what he had to say about people who needed to be re-transitioned into other professions and keep their self-respect. It’s a shame that we were not able to live up to our potential in space though. 42 years since this interview. We have made very little progress.

[@marlopuk]

Great insight and forward thinking. I have read a few of his books. I highly recommend his Foundation series.

[@sjmckee1609]

Wow! He is scary smart! And his predictions were spot on......

[@GalactusOG]

Ahead of his time.

[@janineskywalker527]

I love the idea and implementation of having a Positronic Brain! Awesome! J.

[@henrylawson430]

I grew up reading Asimov never knowing what he looked like or sounded like. I love how we can now watch such interviews.

[@jmjsr]

Even talked about the hot topic of today. Artificial intelligence

[@smatternschain]

Even his fashion was spot on. Asimov's legacy is a national treasure.

[@BernWag]

I just finished his Foundation series and loved it. What a great story teller and visionary!

[@Think_Global]

wow, the conversation about how work will change of labor and retraining, *MindBLOWN* I hope to be one of the ones who can be retrained.

[@artbasss]

Back when tv hosts had to look like alcoholics. Isaac bro. Word

[@angelinarojo3990]

I watched a old 60 Minutes episode that interviewed the man that invented A.I. His words honestly scared me. To hear the creator of this technology say that we have one shot at not letting A.I get to far advanced because it May one day think for itself.

[@Desertflower743]

Yes, and that’s dangerous because it has no soul. I have already come into conflict with an AI, I was using it to reword an explanatory piece I’d written about some scripture from the Bible and it refused to reword it because it said that the ideas I had used were dangerous and contradictory to present thinking - I reiterate, the material was from the Bible!!

[@shanetroy111]

That’s One of the more encouraging things i’ve heard about AI in a while. That it won’t adhere to dogmatic oppressive thinking of the past.

[@mikechappell4156]

@@Desertflower743 There are people still thinking? Where?

[@fernandomunozleon]

Amazing reflections, and so moving. Thanks for sharing.

[@employaiptyltd]

Incredible. What a visionary human. Thanks for sharing.

[@d4qatoa]

I love Asimov, adore his books. In the interview, no, he wasn’t close. But his books are awesome still. He is a legend.

[@TornSoul062473]

Sitting at my desk in 2023 in front of my computer, I'm finding nothing that isn't on the money.

[@tinytanks]

this level of humility combined with confident intuition and common sense seems like it's missing in the world today.

[@istuny0u]

"We can decide to cooperate and overcome our suspicions and hatred, in which case i see an endlessly receding horizon with no forseeable way of coming to an end to greatness" was an interesting choice of words 😅 had to watch that back a few times

[@davidmcpherson7451]

My step dad read all his sci fi books. He was in WW2 and involved in the return to the Philippines. He went in b4 general landing to lay communication lines and such. Far as I know. He couldn’t really talk about his experience in war. Really affected him. He won a Bronze Star. After the war he was in Naval Intelligence as civilian for awhile. He had been in the Army first. He was accountant for Az. Dept of something. Smart with numbers. He loved sci fi stuff, especially Issac. He was a putz though as dad replacement! 😂

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

Your step dad either read VERY fast, or he spent a huge chunk of his time reading. Issac ended up with over 600 published books (though some of the collections repeated stories).

[@davidmcpherson7451]

@@bricefleckenstein9666 He did indeed read “alot”! Thats what he did all the time. He was a smart man. WW2 really got to him though. Got a bronze star for something he wouldnt talk about.

[@adda58]

Transition from pre-robotic to post-robotic period is upon us. What an amazing man!

[@CatsInHats-S.CrouchingTiger]

The Computer as Time’s “Man of The Year” is a great acknowledgment! How delightful!

[@hakonl6047]

It is easy to take everything for granted looking back today, but this was in 1982, and this visionary man is just brilliant

[@matthewfarmer2520]

Hi David good afternoon 👋 his sideburns are something else lol 😊 he's the scientist nerd and write books so others can read and learn. Thanks for sharing this. 🎥🎞️🤓 if you David wrote a book I probably will buy one lol but your more likely just show your films in your personal collection.😊

[@drewpall2598]

@matthewfarmer2520... I ask David Hoffman has he ever thought of writing a book on his career as a filmmaker? his reply was " No, I'm a Filmmaker not a writer, David Hoffman Filmmaker" I respect his choice even though I love his description write ups.

[@cfyves]

Asimov was a brilliant man

[@emanuelcollado1343]

Always ahead of his time ❤

[@MV-eh4it]

This interview has aged well, like Asimov's texts that have remained inspiring and thought-provoking. Thanks for digging up this interview and sharing it! Asimov's hopeful optimism makes one wonder: why are we still sitting on the fence between self-annihilation and cooperation instead of committing to the latter.

[@divermike8943]

He had a great many predictions correct. We all have a computer in our home. Robots are replacing jobs, but also creating some. He was correct in that we should not toss people away like used dish rags. But he didn't say much on how that would be done. And he didn't seem to be concerned about how AI could be dangerous at all. I think we now know that it has that potential in a big way, but it's coming anyway. We had better figure out how AI can be created and used safely.

[@kevinskogg2179]

Every HOME has a computer? Haha, every POCKET has a computer in developed countries.

[@gorrilaz-ck8xs]

yes I to wondered about his lack of commentary about AI..

[@cagnazzo82]

Now as we enter the era of AI he is still right.

[@chuck9112]

Wow this Issac fellow was a genius. I never heard of him. Right on bro.

[@Seafox0011]

"People should not be treated as if they are used up dish-rags" We're on the cusp.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

How come people who predict the future are so wrong. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6W1c6pmZbydobs

[@paulsantamaria2605]

I wrote to Asimov - and he sent me one of his famous 3x5 postcards, typewritten - he signed it with blue inked fountain pen, like thousands of others. He hoped his fourth book on the Foundation "would not disappoint". Ha. What a dude! Really miss this true genius.

[@GuitarraLisboa1977]

Ele tinha um entendimento muito claro e rápido na resposta sem derivar na resposta, sobre aquilo que ia acontecer com o avanço tecnologico no mundo, em várias áreas. Mas também percebe se que ele coloca a evolucão da própria vontade do ser humano no centro dessa evolução tecnológica.

[@leightzmill]

An unwanted predictive vision i see, of whats to come, is a lot scarier. I saw another two, that happened. It's Mad as i sometimes can predict what's going to happen. Even conversations

[@williamminehan4416]

What a smart man!

[@paulgibby6932]

Thanks, great post. Notice Asimov talks about moving funds away from investment in the military. Not so easily accomplished (especially today, e.g. Ukraine proxy war). He was very prescient. p.s. I think his mutton-chops were to keep him from having a long face. There's a great tradition of mutton-choppers. Admiral Burnside started it (perhaps?)

[@kevinbirge2130]

One of my childhood heroes. I miss him.