Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI-generated voice calls soliciting charitable donations can convincingly target elderly individuals who may be less familiar with distinguishing genuine from fraudulent solicitations. Detection and protective measures for this vulnerable group remain underdeveloped.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
calls
elderly
vulnerable
haven
found
way
prevent
ai-driven
automated
fake
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Entirely fabricated conference proceedings, complete with fake papers and attendee lists, could potentially be used to pad academic resumes without detection. Verifying the legitimacy of claimed academic activities remains an unresolved challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
academic
fake
conference
proceedings
haven
solved
prevent
systems
generating
convincing
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Automated phone systems using AI can sometimes fail to correctly route urgent or unusual complaints, leaving customers stuck in unhelpful loops during time-sensitive situations. Improving reliability in these systems for edge cases remains an unresolved design challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
customer
phone
urgent
complaints
haven
found
way
prevent
ai-driven
fake
systems
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fabricated professional licenses generated to appear authentic could potentially deceive employers or clients who don't have direct access to official verification databases. Expanding accessible, reliable verification systems remains an unresolved challenge globally.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
verification
don
have
scalable
way
prevent
ai-generated
fake
academic
license
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Entirely AI-generated academic theses can be difficult for reviewers to distinguish from genuine student work without specialized detection tools, and these tools remain imperfect. Protecting the integrity of academic credentials remains an ongoing unresolved challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
academic
ai-generated
build
fully
reliable
systems
detect
fake
thesis
dissertation
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
prevent
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A small number of factories in a few countries currently produce the vast majority of the world's most advanced computer chips, creating serious supply chain risk if any single region faces disruption. Diversifying this manufacturing base remains a slow, capital-intensive challenge.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
supply-chain
manufacturing
few
haven
solved
build
semiconductor
isn
concentrated
just
vulnerable
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Certain rare minerals essential for chip production are concentrated in regions with political instability or poor labor practices, creating both ethical and supply chain risks. Finding viable alternatives or more responsible sourcing remains unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
supply-chain
regions
don
have
way
manufacture
computer
chips
relying
materials
mined
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
3D printing excels at prototyping and small-batch production but still can't match the speed, precision, and cost-efficiency of traditional mass manufacturing for complex electronics. Closing this gap could transform how and where products are made.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
printing
complex
electronics
yet
build
technology
precise
fast
enough
mass-produce
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
haven
technology-computing
fully
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Data centers placed in unconventional locations to save on cooling costs still face risks from environmental changes or accidents that traditional facilities don't. Making these systems fully resilient remains an unresolved engineering challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
data
cooling
systems
fully
environmental
haven
found
way
make
undersea
whether
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
mathematics-logic
resolved
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Phone batteries degrade noticeably after a couple of years of daily charging cycles, contributing to both consumer frustration and electronic waste from early device replacement. A more durable battery technology remains commercially elusive.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
battery
years
daily
don
have
reliable
affordable
way
extend
smartphone
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
health-biology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current exoskeleton technology can help people regain some mobility, but cost and bulkiness keep it out of reach for most who could benefit. Making this technology both affordable and comfortable for daily use remains unresolved.
health-biology
global-unspecified
affordable
comfortable
people
mobility
build
robotic
exoskeletons
enough
widespread
everyday
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Drone delivery has been tested in various cities, but noise, safety concerns, and airspace regulation have kept it from becoming a mainstream, everyday urban service. Solving these combined challenges remains an ongoing barrier.
science-space
global-unspecified
drone
delivery
urban
haven
solved
build
systems
operate
safely
quietly
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
society-governance
cities
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Defenses against these attacks, which flood a target with traffic to knock it offline, can sometimes inadvertently slow down real users as well while filtering out malicious requests. A cleaner separation between attack and legitimate traffic remains technically difficult.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
traffic
against
attacks
down
legitimate
don
have
network
protocols
fully
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cameras and sensors used in security or autonomous systems still perform noticeably worse in poor visibility conditions than in daylight, creating real safety and reliability gaps. Closing this performance gap affordably remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
systems
conditions
yet
build
affordable
computer
vision
work
reliably
extremely
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Developers still occasionally and accidentally commit sensitive credentials directly into shared code repositories, creating avoidable security exposure. More robust default protections against this common mistake remain inconsistently adopted.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
code
haven
found
way
make
software
development
tools
fully
prevent
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Laying physical fiber cable across mountains, deserts, or widely scattered rural populations is often prohibitively expensive relative to the number of people served. Finding cost-effective alternatives for these hard-to-reach areas remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
fiber
don
have
scalable
way
build
optic
internet
infrastructure
geographically
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
GPS doesn't work well inside buildings, and alternative indoor positioning technologies haven't achieved the same reliability and ease of deployment needed for widespread augmented reality navigation use. Solving indoor positioning at scale remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
augmented
reality
navigation
work
gps
build
systems
accurate
enough
reliably
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
climate-environment
economics-resources
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Recycling facilities still rely heavily on human sorters because robotic systems struggle to reliably distinguish between similar-looking but differently recyclable materials. Improving this accuracy could significantly increase recycling efficiency worldwide.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
recycling
haven
solved
build
robotics
capable
sorting
complex
mixed
streams
systems
waste
economics-resources
management
materials
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Aircraft safety relies heavily on scheduled inspections rather than continuous, real-time structural monitoring, since affordable sensors capable of this level of detail remain limited. Expanding this kind of predictive monitoring remains an unresolved aviation challenge.
health-biology
global-unspecified
affordable
structural
aircraft
don
have
widely
available
technology
detect
fatigue
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Computer memory still requires a tradeoff between speed, which loses data when powered off, and permanent storage, which is comparatively slower. A technology that fully combines both properties remains a long-sought but unresolved goal in computer engineering.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
computer
memory
technology
both
permanent
storage
yet
build
fast
current
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
haven
possible
resolved
