The science-fiction sub-genre “cli-fi” (climate fiction) goes back at least to Jules Verne’s Purchase of the North Pole (1889), but one of its modern masters is author Stanley Chan (Chen Qiufan), author of The Waste Tide, who will join the SOSV Climate Tech Summit (Oct 20-21) for a discussion with Jason Pontin, DCVC partner and former MIT Tech Review editor.
Register today for this free, virtual event. (Not persuaded? Check out the full agenda!)
Chan and Pontin will delve into ways that climate tech fiction might shed light on how to avoid a dystopian future. The SOSV Climate tech Summit is virtual and free to attend. Register today.
Growing up on Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Chan started writing as a hobby and published his first story when he was in high school. He joined the tech industry after graduating from Peking University at the dawn of the internet boom, first at Baidu (China’s Google), then at Google, then at a virtual reality startup.
While some of his early stories touch upon the intersection of nature, climate, and technology—like in The Fish of Lijiang (2006) where the natural beauty in the picturesque city has been digitized and perfected with climate control—it is his first novel, The Waste Tide, that depicts a hellish society built around electronic waste. His works can be found on his personal website. Chan is also president of the World Chinese Science Fiction Association.
Chan’s latest work, A.I. 2041, contains visions of an A.I.-dominated future. Chan wrote it with Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures and The New York Times bestselling author of AI Superpowers.
Chan will be interviewed by Jason Pontin, Partner at DCVC and Former Editor-in-Chief of the MIT Technology Review, where he initiated the Twelve Tomorrows, an annual anthology of science fiction short stories published in partnership with Technology Review. Each volume includes original stories that explore the role and potential impact of developing technologies in the near, and not-so-near future.
Don’t forget to register today for this free, virtual event.
SPEAKERS
Stanley Chan (Chen Qiufan), Cli-Fi Author, The Waste Tide, A.I. 2041
Moderator Jason Pontin, DCVC; Former Editor-in-Chief, MIT Technology Review
The SOSV Climate Tech Summit is taking place online on October 20-21. It is a gathering to support Climate Tech innovators and investors across all sectors.
