“Necessary Tomorrows,” a podcast from Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates which combines science fiction and fact to envision hopeful futures, debuted on January 8. The series, produced in collaboration with Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios, is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts.
“Necessary Tomorrows” is set in several possible futures imagined by renowned authors, where animals have the rights of humans, capitalism is banned in outer space, and AI has become kin. The series is structured in episode pairs: one sci-fi drama set in the 2060s, and one creative nonfiction narrative featuring present-day activists, scientists, and researchers turning possibility into fact.
The podcast is hosted by “Ursula,” an AI instructor from 2065. Her narration combines readings from actor Nacia Walsh and AI software trained on her voice. Meanwhile, the series’ music is a collaboration between composer David Parfit and OpenAI Jukebox, an AI system for creating melodies and underscoring.
Directing the series and producing for Imposter Media is Brett Gaylor, a Peabody-winning documentarian whose works include immersive and cross-platform media such as the interactive documentary “Discriminator” and the TV documentary/web series “The Internet of Everything.”
“With ‘Necessary Tomorrows’ we tried to avoid depicting dystopian futures that imagine what would happen if the world ended,” said Gaylor. “There’s enough of that in science fiction. Instead, we dreamed—with an amazing set of collaborators—about what it would take for the world not to. With Doha Debates, Wolf at the Door Studios, and Al Jazeera, we’re using the creative potential of audio storytelling to build the capacity for hope.”
Episodes of “Necessary Tomorrows” are written by renowned authors Christopher Brown, Deji Bryce Olukotun and Quelemia Sparrow. Brown is the Philip K Dick and World Fantasy Award-nominated author of the sci-fi novels “Tropic of Kansas,” “Rule of Capture”, and “Failed State.” Olukotun has written two novels, including the Afro-futurist thriller “Nigerians in Space” and “After the Flare,” which won the 2018 Philip K. Dick special citation. His fiction has appeared in five collections, including 2020’s “Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy.” Playwright, director and actor Sparrow has worked with many theatre and television companies, including PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Bard on the Beach, Arts Club Theatre, and Firehall Arts Centre. She is a member of the Musqueam Nation.
Executive producers for Doha Debates are managing director Amjad Atallah, deputy managing director Jigar Mehta, director of innovation Japhet Weeks, and executive producer of Digital Katrine Dermody. Executive producing for Wolf at the Door Studios is managing director Winnie Kemp.
Fiction episodes will air on Mondays and nonfiction narratives will air on Fridays. The podcast can be heard on all major podcast platforms and at http://aj.audio/nt1.
