Cybernetics has been an intellectual wellspring for the twentieth century. Scratch the surface, and somewhere, there will be a link to Cybernetics. Now for some, Cybernetics is likely a faintly familiar thing; this thing that you think you know, but you cannot quite place. It is a familiar stranger, or an echo of an earlier conversation. It starts in the aftermath of World War II, when the conversations were about what to do with all that computing power and data; and about what this would mean for how the world could – and should – be. Because of its proximity to World War II and the shared knowledge of how technology in general, and computers in particular, had been utilised, Cybernetics was built on the idea that systems would require deliberate and concerted ‘shaping and steering. It was more than just an approach to the future, it was also an inspiration for a multiplicity of different futures, and a toolkit to get you there. In this session, Genevieve Bell will explore how a systems approach, and more specifically cybernetics, could be a crucial tool for thinking about the future, And how looking to systems as the most useful unit of analysis, could offer powerful insights into how we can explore and unfold the opportunities and challenges of future of decision making.