In the 1960s, people imagined living and working beneath the ocean. What happened to that ambition—and what would it take to bring it back?

Ulysses co-founder Will O’Brien joins me for a conversation about building underwater robots and making ocean work cheaper. Will traces the company’s beginnings to a surf trip and the painstaking work of restoring seagrass, then explains the engineering behind Mako, Ulysses’ modular underwater vehicle.

We discuss a deployment that went badly wrong, the consumer technologies making ocean robotics possible, and why a future full of robots will need its own charging stations. Audience questions cover navigating without GPS, mapping the seabed, ocean restoration, company red lines and the unexpected appeal of treasure hunting.

This conversation was recorded live at a World's Fair Co gathering in San Francisco on August 19, 2026. If you'd like to attend, please sign up for notifications at www.worldsfair.org.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome to World’s Fair
01:26 The forgotten ocean frontier
08:18 The ocean tax
10:36 A surf trip, seagrass and the start of Ulysses
13:44 A failed deployment and lessons learned
17:40 Meet Mako: modular underwater robots
22:38 Why underwater robotics is possible now
25:13 Ocean stewardship and mapping the seabed
30:05 Audience Q&A: climate, company values and San Francisco
34:52 Restoration, security and treasure hunting
38:12 Navigation, motherships and life at sea
42:25 What to build next—and the next 20 years

Links & references
The 1964–65 World’s Fair Futurama experience — A 7-minute General Motors promotional film follows a visitor through Futurama II, the experience discussed at the opening.
Cousteau’s underwater habitats — Background on the undersea living experiments discussed near the opening.
SEALAB: living and working beneath the sea — The U.S. Navy’s history of its underwater habitat experiments.
Ulysses’ seagrass restoration trial on the Great Barrier Reef — The Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s account of the robot trial, with field footage.
Seabed 2030 and Ulysses — The partnership behind the seabed mapping effort mentioned in the conversation.
Planet Labs and forest monitoring — Background on Will’s comparison with satellite monitoring of forests.
ARIA: Forecasting Tipping Points — Related reading for the audience question about ocean observations and climate models.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

Aryé Elfenbein is the co-founder of Wildtype -- a San Francisco startup growing real salmon directly from cells. They're pioneers of cellular agriculture and have become the first company in the world to bring cultivated seafood to market.

In this live conversation, we discuss how Wildtype grows salmon from cells. We explore the work behind its texture and flavor, including techniques borrowed from textile manufacturing and changes to the cells’ diet.

Aryé recalls the early failures, the first restaurant tastings, and the practical problems of scaling production. The conversation was recorded at a World’s Fair Co gathering in San Francisco, with questions from an audience that had just tasted their salmon.

EPISODE PAGE + TRANSCRIPT
https://www.worldsfair.org/programs/wildtype

WATCH ON YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmbhsUVr3sM

CHAPTERS
00:00 A personal connection to salmon
02:36 From cardiology to cultivated fish
06:24 Why salmon?
09:46 Growing the cells
13:32 Recreating salmon’s texture
16:26 The first years—and the first taste
20:42 What kept the team going
22:22 When it started to feel like food
23:08 The road through regulation
28:05 What’s stopping the next scale-up?
30:35 Seeing people enjoy the food
32:05 Audience Q&A: what still needs improving?
33:22 Solving the practical problems
36:38 Learning from outside your field
37:30 The search for better flavor
41:58 A ten-year view of food
44:32 How to support Wildtype

CONNECT
Wildtype
Website: https://www.wildtypefoods.com/
X: https://twitter.com/wildtypefoods

World’s Fair Co.
X: https://x.com/WorldsFairCo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldsfairco

If you want to learn more about our in-person events, please visit worldsfair.org.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

Rajat Bhageria is an entrepreneur, investor, and the CEO of Chef Robotics.

What does it actually take to build and deploy generally intelligent robots? Rajat's company is actively scaling robotics in the food industry and is here to tell us all about it.

In this conversation, we talk about what the current food manufacturing process looks like, the challenges and opportunities in robotics, what the coolest AI and robotics companies are on the market today, why the future might look like WALL-E, and much more.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:11 Introducing Chef Robotics
05:07 Automating Food Assembly
09:47 Technical Backend
17:50 Robotics Complexity
24:01 Deployment & Scaling
35:50 The Future of Robotics
46:49 Startups & Self-Actualization
50:38 Positive Vision of the future

Links

• Chef Robotics

• Rajat Bhageria

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Don Davis, an artist and illustrator who has spent his career helping us imagine the wonders of space. His work with NASA, Carl Sagan, and the U. S. Geological Survey's branch of Astrogeologic Studies has been seen by millions and helps us bridge the gap between imagination and reality.

In this conversation, we talk about Don's childhood fascination with space, the influence of science fiction on his work, and how the ideas around space colonization evolved.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
02:09 Reflecting on historical parallels between Apollo 11.
05:52 Fascination with space exploration during childhood.
08:14 Joining the USGS
12:04 Moon Paintings
15:41 Meeting Carl Sagan
19:35 Relationship between knowledge and art
22:36 Dinosaur reconstruction
28:49 Mars visions and von Braun
31:39 Painting Space Settlements
37:04 Future of rocketry
42:33 2001: A Space Odyssey
44:24 Willie Lay and,"Engineer's Dreams"
52:23 What's next for Don
52:51 Quote from "Shape of Things to Come"

Links

• Don Davis — Space Art

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Isaiah Taylor the founder of Valar Atomics — a new energy startup using nuclear fission to create oil & gas from thin air. At Valar, their goal is to bring the cost of energy down 10-100x and unlock a new era of superabundance.

Enjoy!

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Build the Future
01:11 Introducing Isaiah Taylor and Valar Atomics
01:53 Nuclear energy and the regulatory environment
04:38 Why use more energy?
08:53 Energy efficiency, cars and incentives
10:40 The Kardashev scale and planetary ambition
12:45 Recovering the confidence to build
18:29 Valar’s nuclear-to-fuel proposal
22:49 Moving energy through existing fuel infrastructure
29:12 Rethinking the starting assumptions
30:16 Hydrocarbon synthesis, explained
33:28 Comparing approaches to fuel production
35:44 What cheaper energy could enable
40:53 Beauty, energy and the frontier
45:21 Intelligence, energy and dexterity
48:11 Sources of conviction and inspiration
50:43 Where to find Isaiah and Valar

Links

• Valar Atomics

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Rick Guidice, an artist and illustrator renowned for his visionary depictions of space habitats and futuristic concepts, which have significantly contributed to NASA's Ames Research Center's visual explorations. His iconic work has played a pivotal role in shaping public perception of space exploration and human settlement beyond Earth.

In this conversation, we talk about the impact of Rick's space-themed artwork on envisioning future possibilities; his artistic process, inspirations, and the cultural influence; and the evolution of space exploration imagery and its role in shaping public perception and enthusiasm for space endeavors.

Enjoy!

Mentioned in this conversation

• The Mandalorian
• Space Settlements: A Design Study
• Emerging Ecologies Exhibit
• "Megastructures" by Neil Blevins

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Build the Future
01:10 Introducing Rick Guidice
01:53 Why art makes future ideas tangible
03:07 From architecture to NASA illustration
08:33 Digital tools and the changing illustration industry
12:01 The space-settlement design study
17:49 Designing places people would want to live
21:32 Perspective, color and the painting process
24:56 Painting at home and raising a creative family
26:52 The artists and stories that inspired Rick
30:55 Growing up with Silicon Valley
34:17 Ambitious projects and unrealized concepts
39:06 Exhibitions and preserving the NASA art archive
44:20 Space art’s influence on a new generation
49:12 Film imagery and advice for aspiring artists
53:37 Closing

Links

• Rick Guidice
• The Mandalorian
• Space Settlements: A Design Study
• Emerging Ecologies — exhibition archive (2023–24)
• Megastructures by Neil Blevins — original book project

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Jim Pethokoukis, the author of "The Conservative Futurist" and the newsletter "Faster, Please!" where he writes about innovation, economics, and the potential of future technologies.

In this conversation, we talk about the optimistic cultural zeitgeist of the 1960s space race, the unfulfilled promises of that era, such as nuclear-powered space exploration, the role media plays in shaping societal attitudes towards the future, and much more!

Enjoy!

Mentioned in this conversation

• "Faster, Please!" on Substack
• The Conservative Futurist: How We Get the Science Fiction Future We Were Promised
• "For All Mankind" TV series
• SpaceX Mars colonization video
• "The Peripheral" by William Gibson
• "The High Frontier" by Gerard K. O'Neill

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Build the Future
01:10 Introducing Jim Pethokoukis
01:52 The science-fiction future we were promised
05:10 The optimism of the 1990s
08:25 A new cluster of technologies and old constraints
12:37 Energy, growth and zero-sum thinking
16:43 What up-wing and down-wing mean
19:47 Ambition, politics and looking forward
23:08 Policy that supports innovation
26:00 The High Frontier and visions after Apollo
28:52 For All Mankind and the stories we tell
31:12 Energy, planetary defense and concrete goals
32:57 What dystopian stories leave us with
34:49 Fiction that inspires people to build
38:07 Creating compelling stories of progress
41:46 Interstellar and the cost of lost ambition
43:12 World’s fairs and the spectacle of progress
48:36 Where to find Jim and a closing challenge
50:16 Closing

Links

• Faster, Please!
• The Conservative Futurist
• For All Mankind
• Starship Mission to Mars — original video
• The Peripheral by William Gibson
• The High Frontier by Gerard K. O’Neill

• Jim Pethokoukis

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

Isaac Arthur is a physicist turned YouTuber and science educator.

Join us as we discuss the roots of progress and its potential into post-scarcity futures, the challenges of building in practice, Isaac's favorite science fiction media and his vision for his channel, his personal journey studying physics to becoming a YouTuber, and what innovation and future utopian scenarios may be possible, including space colonization and virtual reality.

Isaac's story is proof that passion and optimism can blossom into a lasting career. We hope you find inspiration in his story to go build your own visions for a positive future!

Chapters

00:00 Long-form conversation and the changing media landscape
02:25 Fiction we enjoy and worlds we would choose
03:35 Progress, recurring ideas and everyday needs
07:01 The everyday benefits of progress
10:48 What post-scarcity means
12:31 Information abundance and trust
14:53 Science fiction and the complexity of governing
19:05 Communities, housing and different preferences
22:32 Space habitats and movable communities
25:14 Social needs, entertainment and abundance
29:33 Favorite science fiction and guilty pleasures
32:09 A playful idea for a manufacturing parody
34:40 From physics and the Army to YouTube
38:14 Choosing topics and telling science stories
39:35 Colonizing the Sun and challenging intuitions
43:44 How art, science and fiction reinforce each other
50:02 Different visions of utopia and virtual worlds
54:04 Turning future ideas into immersive experiences
57:46 Space progress and what to build next
01:00:44 Patience and long-term progress
01:02:19 Where to find Isaac’s work

Links

• Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur
• Isaac Arthur on YouTube

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Don Clark, the incredible artist behind Invisible Creature.

Mentioned in this conversation

• David Klein Art
• Stan Galli
• Syd Mead
• Phantom City Creative

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Don Clark and Invisible Creature
00:49 Family, music and the path into illustration
03:19 The gig-poster resurgence
04:59 Choosing illustration and discovering visual development
07:46 The unseen work behind a film
10:03 Creative feedback and leadership
12:41 Shipping work and accepting constraints
14:17 Creative companies and independent opportunities
19:39 Art, shared culture and creative financing
22:22 What drew Don to the World’s Fair
25:01 Modernism, color and optimism
29:10 Designing an appealing future
32:55 Imagining bigger creative projects
34:49 How the World’s Fair posters developed
38:50 Composition and the power of travel posters
43:33 Contemporary poster artists and developing taste
47:18 Tangible things and an authentic future
50:43 Where to find Don and Invisible Creature

Links

• Invisible Creature
• David Klein posters
• Stan Galli posters
• Phantom City Creative

• Syd Mead

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Eliot Peper the novelist behind great science fiction books like Reap3r, Veil, Cumulus, and Bandwidth.

Mentioned in this conversation

• Our World in Data
• Nadia Asparouhova's tweet
• Man in Space
• Oliver Morton's The Moon

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Eliot Peper
01:05 Curiosity about the present
04:32 Writing an absorbing story
07:22 Reap3r and the reader’s experience
10:55 Questions instead of a message
13:41 Ambition across different lives
16:21 Speculative technology in Reap3r
18:17 Progress, gratitude and dissatisfaction
24:05 Agency in a complicated world
28:26 How fiction influences builders
31:18 Borges and the imagination of the internet
33:10 Spaceflight and its cultural prehistory
37:16 Institutions, technology and scrutiny
40:03 Finding a bias toward action
42:28 Data, culture and patronage
44:39 Eliot’s books and where to find him

Links

• Eliot Peper — books and newsletter
• Our World in Data
• The Moon — Oliver Morton

• twitter
• Nadia Asparouhova's tweet
• Man in Space

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.

In this conversation, we talk with Jason Green, the CEO and Cofounder of Upward Farms. At Upward Farms they're helping shape the future of food by growing organic, leafy greens and fish in a complete vertical farming ecosystem. In this conversation we cover the future of food, the work they're doing at Upward and how the tide is turning, how business as usual is over, and how we now have the opportunity to step up and build the future that we want to live in.

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Jason Green and Upward Farms
01:05 Livable cities and the scale of food production
04:00 Urban agriculture and regional supply chains
06:30 Energy, automation and regional production
08:24 Growing greens and fish in one ecosystem
09:26 The changing economics of agriculture
11:28 Energy abundance and automation
13:29 An abundance agenda for food
17:04 Who does the food system serve?
17:59 Consumer choices and affordable quality
21:25 The full cost of food
23:08 Trust, brands and simple ingredients
27:21 Transparency, standards and ecosystems
30:15 Freshness and supply-chain trade-offs
32:47 The tools and will to build
35:11 Capital, disruption and business as usual
38:11 Where Upward was headed in 2021

Links

• Upward Farms — March 2023 cofounder update

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Build the Future Podcast. This is a project by World's Fair Co. You can learn more at worldsfair.org.