mtf.tv's mtf NOW: Tech NATO?... Can AI end poverty?... Kid discovers two asteroids

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🧠 HELLO FUTURE: THE FUTURE OF SPORTS GAMBLING — WHAT ARE WE BETTING ON NEXT? Sports gambling isn’t a sideshow anymore — it is the show. I sit down with Dustin Gouker, one of America’s top experts on sports betting and the former VP of Content for North America at Catena Media, to unpack how gambling has become a defining part of modern sports culture — and where the line’s starting to blur.

—> ⚡ THE SCANDAL: You already know… NBA figures — including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier — were arrested in alleged Mafia-linked betting and game-fixing schemes. Dustin and I dig into what this moment says about a multi-billion-dollar industry that’s gone from smoky backrooms to prime-time television.

—> 🌐 BIG PICTURE: From fantasy leagues to micro-bets on who scores next, mobile wagering has turned fans into participants — and every play into a potential payout. But as AI, analytics, and insider data collide, the question becomes: when does prediction turn into manipulation?

—> 🚀 WHY IT MATTERS: This is the future of fandom — high-stakes, high-speed, and one push notification away from chaos. Is this the new frontier of entertainment… or the moment the house finally wins?

Source: Hello Future | iHeart | iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | Pandora

hello, future. it’s me, kev.

…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. It’s time to meet the future NOW — with the latest on markets, tech, and freedom. The day is 301. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth.

The planet has complete 82.5 percent of its orbit around the Sun. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. iHeart | iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | Pandora. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.

Back to the future...

THINK BIG

🌏 MTF BRIEF: U.S. Strikes New Tech Deals with Korea & Japan — Why It Matters On the President’s trip to Asia, the White House rolled out Technology Prosperity Deals (TPDs) with Korea and Japan — formal alliances to shape the next era of AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, space, and 6G.

Here’s what it means:

• The U.S. is building a tech alliance. These deals link America’s innovation ecosystem with key Asian partners to counter China’s growing influence in advanced technology.

• AI standards get global. The U.S., Korea, and Japan will now coordinate on AI export controls and standards — helping set the rules before others do.

• Quantum and biotech security. The deals protect sensitive research and critical supply chains for next-generation drugs and quantum computing.

• 6G and space leadership. From lunar exploration to secure networks, the U.S. is teaming up to stay ahead in the race for the next frontier.

• Less bureaucracy, faster innovation. The framework cuts red tape for companies and startups working across borders.

—> QUOTABLE: “We’re redefining American tech leadership,” said OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, “by partnering with allies like Japan and Korea to drive a new era of innovation.”

—> 🚀 WHY YOU CARE: This could the quiet start of a tech NATO — a new kind of alliance built not around weapons, but data, chips, and code. The countries that write the rules for AI and quantum now will set the tone for global power in the 21st century.

QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

🧠 HELLO FUTURE: CAN AI END WORLD POVERTY? — While everyone debates Silicon Valley’s AI boom, I’m seeing the real story unfold in the Global South. I sat down with World Bank economist Gabriel Demombynes at the Fall meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to unpack how artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping work in low- and middle-income countries — where electricity, not algorithms, may be the biggest barrier.

—> ⚡ THE REALITY: From farmers with smartphones to teachers using AI in classrooms without Wi-Fi, I explored what the “AI revolution” actually looks like for 3.5 billion people.

—> 🌐 BIG PICTURE: In places where power outages outnumber algorithms, AI isn’t about chatbots — it’s about survival, productivity, and whether tech can finally deliver on its promise to lift billions out of poverty.

—> 🚀 WHY WE CARE: If AI is going to change the world, it has to work where the grid flickers and data is scarce — or it’s just another Silicon Valley mirage.

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SPACE // CITIZEN SCIENCE

🪐 KID DISCOVERS TWO NEW ASTEROIDS: A 12-year-old from Ontario just did something out of this world. Siddharth Patel spotted two possible new asteroids — 2024 RX69 and 2024 RH39 — while participating in a NASA-partnered citizen science program that lets students analyze telescope data from observatories in Hawaii and Arizona.

—> ⚡ THE DISCOVERY: Siddharth found the objects in images from the Pan-STARRS and Catalina Sky Survey projects. His finds are now logged with the Minor Planet Center, the official global tracker for asteroids. Confirming their orbits could take up to a decade — but if verified, he’ll join the ranks of the youngest asteroid discoverers on Earth.

—> 🌐 BIG PICTURE: Citizen science is reshaping who gets to explore space. Programs like this open up professional-grade tools to classrooms and kids, turning curiosity into real-world discovery.

—> 🚀 WHY WE CARE: While most 12-year-olds are gaming after school, Siddharth is literally mapping the solar system. It’s proof that the next generation of explorers might not just reach space — they’ll find it first.

Source: Space.com

ROBOTS

🤖 WOULD YOU TRUST A ROBOT TO TAKE CARE OF YOU? In north London, engineers at Shadow Robot are building machines designed not to replace us — but to care for us. Their goal: create robots that can clean, cook, exercise with you, and eventually help the elderly live independently. With 131,000 care vacancies in England and a rapidly aging population, the UK government has invested £34 million in developing robotic caregivers.

—> ⚡ THE EXPERIMENT: Japan has already been living this future — testing robots like HUG, which lifts patients from bed to chair, Paro, a baby seal robot that comforts dementia patients, and Pepper, a humanoid that leads exercise classes. The results? Mixed. Robots can assist, but they often require constant maintenance — and sometimes cause emotional distress when humans bond too deeply with them.

—> 🌐 THE CHALLENGE: Designers are now rethinking everything — from artificial muscles that mimic human touch to AI that can sense pressure like skin. The goal: build machines that feel less like tech and more like trusted companions. But skeptics warn that automation could dehumanize care, shifting compassion from people to processors.

—> 🚀 WHY WE CARE: By 2050, one in four people in the UK will be over 65. Robots might soon be the ones helping them eat, move, or even remember. It’s a glimpse of a world where empathy could be engineered — and the ultimate question isn’t can they care for us, but should they?

Source: BBC News

ONE MORE THING

With gratitude,

Kev

ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums. mtf.tv produces the daily HELLO FUTURE show on iHeart Media’s Premiere Network, which reaches 9 in 10 Americans. iHeart | iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | Pandora

mtf.tv’s meet the future founder Kevin Cirilli.