pages and pages of print interviews
are we prepared for the next "Minsky Moment"?
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.
surveillance technologies
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.
getting more AI than we bargained for?
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.
who will unleash the terminator?
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!"
what about the future?
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.
who's looking forward?
This interview, for the European Union's Horizons 2020 Congress, takes a business-friendly look at the future.
is civilization a pyramid or a diamond?
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."
should we worry about AI?
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.
does generosity have a future?
An interview with Futurist.com looks at future trends in philanthropy, and whether longer lives leads to kinder lives.
learning to write science fiction?
This interview, posted on Futurism, asks about how science fiction writers craft futures ranging from AI to the apocalypse.
are we too worried about AI?
Brin's Gizmodo interview looks at the cautionary tale's ability to accurately predict a technology's danger.
what keeps David Brin writing?
A fun, brief Clarkesworld interview discussing transparency, transformation, and the joy of the short story.
writer to writer?
In this interview with Henry Herz, David talks about writing's "sweat equity."
can we outgrow the power-mad scientist character?
In this Amazing Stories interview, Brin talks about the science — and the scientist — in science fiction.
are we following Asimov?
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.)
is predicting so difficult?
Discover Magazine interviews Brin about looking for those "honey-pot ideas."
can we keep our credibility?
A panel discussion at Arizona State University on reputation systems, surveillance technologies, and the future of the Internet as a problem-solving tool.
how will we use our new devices?
NPR's All Tech Considered asks Brin how the many new technologies will change the way we live.
is anybody out there?
San Diego's Union-Tribune, on what we're finding out about the solar system — and SETI.
who's watching us now?
The Union-Tribune again, asking about transparency and spying.
where else can Brin get published?
This author profile and interview at HBS Author Spotlight looks at what it takes to be an author in the age of the internet.
are we cosmically alone?
Santa Barbara Independent, on expanding our notion of existence.
what's the message in Star Wars?
The Science Technology Future site interviews Brin about "Star Wars on Trial, asking — is it a "feudalistic fantasia pushing an elitist anti-democratic agenda"?
what goes with "Bubbles"?
The science fiction and fantasy magazine Lightspeed online-published Brin's story "Bubbles," and includes an author interview-discussion.
do we get the science right?
Nature Journal interviews David about writing science into a story.
is life getting longer, or busier?
SFFworld.com interviews Brin about how Kiln People portrays cloning and life extension.
Brin's "inebriating" philosophy?
For Italian readers, this Nocturnia interview about science fiction and writing.
the "glass house" effect?
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.
which comes first, science or science fiction?
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.
where is it going?
In this Writing World interview, David Brin answers questions about the genre of science fiction — its range, influences, and future trends.
fixing, or foretelling?
Living Planet Magazine interviewed Brin about whether science fiction can offer solutions to our environmental problems — or merely sensationalize its disasters.
making a game of it?
In this gameranx interview, Brin looks at how both gams and novels play with the future.
the technological singularity of sci-fi?
io9 interviews David about the challenges of creating a plausible future when the range of possibilities is so rapidly evolving.
first contact or worst contact?
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.
the future of secrets?
Metroactive wants Brin's contrarian solution to society's technological unmasking.
what won't a writer write?
Stephen Ormsby's Q&A on a writer's life.
gadgets and games?
Geek Wire wants to know about science fiction, new technologies — and geek culture.
does Brin see threats or opportunities?
Futurist.com asks David: what significant problems must we overcome if we want to thrive, and not merely survive?
are sci-fi writers ideologues?
In this Metroactive interview, Brin talks about what makes science fiction authors think — and write.
what are our pessimistic and optimistic options?
In this Orbit Magazine interview David Brin talks about the transformative power of science fiction.
is the unconventional ordinary?
In The Horror Zine's Q&A about technology, Brin consults his palantir to foresee the people-friendly tech.
hiding oppression in plain sight?
Read h+ Magazine's feature interview about surveillance's traps — and positive sousveilance.
wistfully wanting a feudal future?
Science Fiction Musings interviews Brin about writerly obsessions and other ODDysseys.
explosions in different directions?
Slawek Wojtowicz interviews David about a writer's day-to-day work and leisure activities.
a red sunrise?
Planetary Society asks Brin — are we ever getting to Mars?
Brin's pièce de resistance
Read Orbit Book's interview with David Brin about the transformative power of science fiction.
author to author
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?
frequently-asked interview questions
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.
science fiction's lessons of the past
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Brin talks about how science fiction is more of a study of history.
a brief intro to science fiction author DAVID BRIN
To learn more, visit his books page, or see his "about me" page or detailed biography.
novels
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
shorter fiction
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
Contrary Brin blog
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
social media influencer
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
scientist
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
transparency expert
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
speaker & consultant
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
future/tech advisor
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
