Governments should use speculative fiction tools to predict the future

Law-makers must act like speculative fiction authors and try to foresee how technology will change our world, says writer Ray Nayler

By Ray Nayler

RECENTLY, something so dystopian occurred that it seems worthy of a cyberpunk novel. A woman who was blind was given an implant that allowed her to see again – and then, a few years later, the implant failed, so she became blind for a second time. Because the firm that invented the implant hit financial troubles and stopped supporting its products, there was no one to help. She still carries the dead implant in her eye, as surgery to remove it would be too risky.

How this happened is simple enough: tech companies sometimes stop supporting their products. Who is …