Kuala Lampur, Nov. 12 -- Every few years, governments publish a glossy report about the future. It will be full of impressive charts, expert quotes, and bold predictions about artificial intelligence, clean energy, and the industries of tomorrow.

Then it goes on a shelf, and very little changes.

This is the strange state of "technology foresighting". Countries know they need to do it. Technology changes constantly, and nobody wants to be the nation still building fax machines while everyone else moves to email. So governments hire experts, run workshops, and produce lots of reports.

After all that effort, are countries actually any better prepared for the future? Often, no.

The first problem is a basic misunderstanding of what foresig...