Visionary futurist and speculative designer, Monika Bielskyte is the founder of Protopia Futures, pioneering inclusive and culturally expansive future visions. With expertise in immersive media including AI, XR, and spatial computing, she served as futurist consultant for Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A nomadic explorer who has lived in over 100 countries, Monika’s work spans consulting for major tech companies, media industry, and governments. Her unique approach to future literacy challenges dystopian narratives, advocating for protopian futurism that centers marginalized perspectives including disability, neurodivergence, and indigenous wisdom. Featured speaker at prestigious institutions from CERN to World Economic Forum.
Monika Bielskyte is a globally recognized futurist, speculative designer, and founder of Protopia Futures. Born in the Soviet Union and raised in Lithuania, she has spent over a decade traveling through more than 100 countries, learning from diverse cultures and perspectives. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, her work in Hollywood includes futurist consulting for Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She has lectured at prestigious institutions including CERN, Rockefeller University, Royal Society, and the Royal College of Art. With expertise in immersive media (XR/AI/UX) and edutainment, Monika has worked with leading organizations including BBC, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Nike, World Economic Forum, UNESCO, and various governments. Her protopian futurism challenges deterministic narratives by centering Queer, Indigenous, Disability Justice, and previously marginalized cultural perspectives in the context of futurism and foresight work.
The Questions That Drive Their Work
01
How can we design futures that are truly inclusive?
02
What role does culture play in shaping technology?
03
How do we move beyond dystopian narratives?
THEIR CHOSEN OBJECT
The skull of Sophia The Robot
"Technology should bring humanity closer together, not drive us apart."
What it represents
Monika advocates for culturally informed technology that supports human ingenuity, societal infrastructures, and biosphere regeneration.
Her protopian futurism uniquely centers previously marginalized perspectives, emphasizing a life-centric approach beyond conventional human-centric focus.
