For the last 22 years, David Neilson has studied light. As Group Leader for Optical Transmission at Nokia Bell Labs, he’s seen the development of fiber optics transform communications and the internet. This unimaginable growth in speed and connectivity has given rise to the cloud, which today shapes our lives dramatically. But the cloud is just getting started. Thanks to innovation in optical transmission, the cloud will achieve – or even surpass – science fiction’s most elaborate scenarios.&nbsp;

Welcome to Future Human, where we explore the human potential of technology. Much of the technology we take for granted was conceived over decades, forged by an ongoing collaboration between researchers, artists and the keenest engineering minds in the world. As the science fiction of days past becomes everyday reality, where will the next great ideas come from? Listen in as today’s most adventurous and creative thinkers unleash their ideas for a more connected, productive and humane world.Future Human is a presentation of Nokia Bell Labs, produced by audiation.fm.