Horizon 2040:

Influence & Anarchy

The Year is 2040…

...A contest for dominance unfolds in an emerging international order. Nations, corporations, and independent actors vie for influence over civilian populations in an effort to mold these populations’ behavior and thoughts to fit their own subversive aims.

Under the weight of these strains, societies struggle to maintain cohesion in the face of influence efforts of malign actors, foreign and domestic.

Rapidly progressing technology and a growing emphasis on the cognitive domain of warfare has centralized the human mind as the most contested battleground.

Truth is a whisper drowned in noise.

Two plus two is five, up is down, and the sky is red.. depending on to whom you listen.

Even while the character of warfare has evolved with technology, its basic nature remains immutable—a contest of human will.

Individual Promtps

There are three prompts from which you can select. Each one has a particular emphasis on an aspect mentioned in the scene-setter.

  • Write a story about how emergent technology is used to influence individuals and the collective.

    Items to think deeply about for this prompt:

    • How does the adoption of drones, AI, bio-technology, and other technologies create opportunities for new forms of influence.

    • How would said methods of influence be exploited by nefarious actors?

    • What opportunities for human flourishing exist within those same technologies?

  • Write a story about how societies can build resilience in the face of emergent threats.

    Some topics to think deeply about for this prompt:

    • Who are the main drivers of influence, persuasion, and deception in 2040?

    • How do societies form defense mechanisms to those forms of manipulation and influence?

    • The ethics and impacts of free-speech, censorship, and institutional trust.

  • Write as story about ideological conflict and identity in a world where truth is difficult to identify.

    Some topics to think deeply about as you write your story are:

    • Who is a trusted agent in 2040, and why?

    • How is trust created between individuals and societies in 2040?

    • Are there tried and true methods that extend into the digital and post-digital world?