Necessary Tomorrows
Al Jazeera Media Network
Show overview
Necessary Tomorrows launched in 2023 and has put out 7 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode in the time since. That works out to roughly 3 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 28 min and 34 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Fiction show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 2.3 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2024, with 6 episodes published. Published by Al Jazeera Media Network.
From the publisher
Ursula, an AI instructor from the future, encourages listeners to study the turbulent 2020s. Mixing speculative fiction and documentary, leading sci-fi authors bring us three futures that seem like fantasy: animals are people, capitalism is banned from outer space and humans and AI have become kin. We meet the writers who dream of these futures and the activists, scientists and thinkers who are turning fiction into fact. Show Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Latest Episodes
S1 Ep 6Episode 6: Indigenous AI
Musqueam author Quelemia Sparrow uses AI to meet the character of her story. She explores whether artificial intelligence and humans can become kin. We discover the program that the AI is currently running is at odds with the human and non-human world. Show Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
S1 Ep 5Episode 5: Almost Real
When the Musqueam Nation creates an artificial intelligence trained on their knowledge, she is stolen and forced to perform in a Canadian theme park. But agents from the Confederacy of Unceded Indigenous Nations hatch a plan to bring her home. Show Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
S1 Ep 4Episode 4: Sharing the Stars
Writer Deji Olukotun examines the connection between space exploration and colonialism while the US gets set to return to the moon. An Indigenous nation sets an example for protecting the stars with its framework for conserving the seas. Show Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
S1 Ep 3Episode 3: A Feast For Cobalt
An asteroid is discovered with enough minerals to transition Earth to green energy completely. When a corporate space company announces it will harvest the minerals, an ecoterrorist group destroys their rocket and demands the minerals be shared with all of humanity. A diverse group must negotiate how. Show Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
S1 Ep 2Episode 2: The Rights of Nature
Sci-fi author Christopher Brown discovers a legal movement known as the Rights of Nature while researching the causes of social injustice. Jack Fiander, attorney for the Sauk-Suiattle tribe, has sued the city of Seattle over hydro dams that threaten Salmon, the plaintiff in their case. Show Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
S1 Ep 1Episode 1: The Last Impala
Wanida Chao is a reluctant lawyer whose client is a climate refugee accused of murder. Chao must defend him—not for killing a human, but for killing an ecosystem. Wanida visits the refugee’s homestead in order to convince the AI-powered judge that her client is innocent. What she finds complicates things. Show Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Trailer
trailerUrsula, an AI instructor from the future, encourages listeners to study the turbulent 2020s. Necessary Tomorrows, an audio series by Doha Debates and Al Jazeera, starts January 8th, 2024. Episode Credits: The Necessary Tomorrows podcast is from Doha Debates and is presented by Al Jazeera Podcasts. It is produced by Imposter Media and Wolf at the Door Studios. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube