Angela Thornton | Our Futures in Mind Uploading: Public Perceptions and Narratives
Foresight Institute’s Neurotech Group
Our Futures in Mind Uploading: Public Perceptions and Narratives
Angela Thornton is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society with over 30 years’ experience, including senior roles at Ipsos MORI and Research International (South Africa). In 2014, she set up her own consultancy, which gave her the opportunity to fulfill a long-held ambition to gain a postgraduate qualification. She achieved a Distinction in her MSc in Psychological Research Methods from the University of Nottingham and was subsequently accepted onto the Horizon Centre’s Doctoral Training Programme, which focuses on the digital economy and digital innovation. She graduated without corrections in March 2024 and is currently exploring further avenues for public engagement. In 2023, she was one of only seven Award Lecturers at The British Science Festival, speaking on Digital Innovation. Her work has had considerable impact with over 60,000 readers for her article in The Conversation and 1.76 million for the article in Dazed.
Abstract: My research explores mind uploading using a bespoke storytelling website – Afterlives. Here participants can experience a future world where both utopian and dystopian futures are possible. This website is easily accessible on a PC, smartphone, or tablet, and is easy to use and has proved engaging and thought-provoking. Data and testimonials from my participants (n=128) confirm the impact my research is having on awareness, understanding, and engagement.
This seminar is part of Foresight's Neurotech Seminar Series. To join future seminars in this program please apply here.
A group of neuroscience researchers, entrepreneurs, and allies advancing beneficial short-term and long-term neurotechnology applications.
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