FOREXSCIFI - Foresight meets Science Fiction

Foresight Extraction from Science Fiction Literature

Companies and organizations need a high degree of resilience and vigilance in the face of dynamic change. Forward-looking decisions must be made in an era of constant change. Will we one day live in space? Fly to the office in air taxis every day? Hold our meetings using holograms? What will customers need in 2, 5, or 50 years? How can companies prepare for this unknown future and remain competitive?

The interdisciplinary project FOREXSCIFI aims to harness science fiction literature to foster innovation and future-readiness. Narratives have always been part of society’s construction of reality and simultaneously serve as a source of new ideas. Research shows that literature both reflects current trends and serves as a source for new ones, which is why it can be used to develop future scenarios. In the past, technological or social developments have often become reality after first appearing in science fiction narratives, such as the “Communicator” from the Star Trek series. 

Science fiction literature is based on cause-and-effect relationships and draws on the fundamental assumptions of real-world science and the principles of physics. It also covers a wide range of topics, from mobility and communication to society and politics. These characteristics make it an excellent, though yet underutilized, resource for future-readiness and futures studies.

The goal of the FOREXSCIFI project is to make 43,000 German-language science fiction books available as a source for innovation. Using methods from the digital humanities, the formal and narrative characteristics are analyzed, key ideas are extracted, categorized and then transferred into a user interface that can be used by stakeholders in politics, business, and society as a source of inspiration for trends and scenarios. 

The project is funded by the Federal Office of Technology, Research, and Space and is a collaboration between the Bavarian Foresight Institute at the TH Ingolstadt, LMU Munich, JGU Mainz, and the German National Library.

More information on the project can be found at May, Markus und Schwarz, Jan Oliver. FOREXSCIFI: Foresight auf der Basis von Science Fiction. In: Seyferth, Peter und Blumenthal, Falko (Hg.). Science Fiction und Labour Fiction. 2025. Bielefeld.