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
Scammers can now use AI to generate convincing images of products that don't exist or don't match what's actually shipped, making it harder for shoppers to identify fraudulent listings. Detection tools on marketplaces remain inconsistently effective.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
don
images
have
scalable
way
detect
fake
ai-generated
product
online
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cookie consent banners have become a near-universal nuisance without necessarily giving users meaningful, easy-to-understand control over their data. Redesigning this system to be both genuinely protective and user-friendly remains unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
cookie
consent
protective
haven
found
way
prevent
website
systems
being
whether
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many apps still handle intermittent internet connectivity poorly, causing data loss or conflicts when switching between offline and online states. Truly seamless offline-first design remains inconsistently implemented across the software industry.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
offline-first
connectivity
yet
build
fully
reliable
applications
sync
seamlessly
once
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Attackers can sometimes convince phone carriers to transfer a victim's number to a new device, bypassing two-factor authentication tied to that number. Carriers have improved verification, but this attack method remains an ongoing security gap.
health-biology
global-unspecified
have
phone
don
reliable
way
prevent
sim-swapping
attacks
let
criminals
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Wireless carriers often prioritize dense urban areas for network upgrades because they're more profitable to build out, leaving rural regions with slower, less reliable coverage. Closing this rural connectivity gap remains a persistent infrastructure challenge.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
rural
wireless
areas
haven
solved
make
future
networks
reach
reliably
whether
philosophy-ethics
access
remains
african
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A huge share of global internet traffic between continents relies on a relatively small number of undersea cables, and damage to just one can disrupt connectivity for entire regions. Building enough redundancy to fully prevent this remains costly and incomplete.
health-biology
global-unspecified
fully
undersea
internet
cables
build
network
infrastructure
prevents
outages
damaged
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
yet
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fraudsters can use AI to generate entirely fake but convincing identities, complete with fabricated financial histories, to open accounts and commit fraud at scale. Detecting these synthetic identities before damage occurs remains a growing, unresolved challenge for financial institutions.
society-governance
global-unspecified
identities
financial
synthetic
commit
fraud
don
have
scalable
way
prevent
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ensuring software works well with assistive technologies is often treated as a lower priority than testing for basic functionality or security, leading to inconsistent accessibility even in otherwise well-built products. Making accessibility testing equally rigorous by default remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
testing
accessibility
software
security
haven
found
way
make
standardized
thorough
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Age verification systems designed to protect minors from inappropriate content often require handing over sensitive personal information, creating a tradeoff between child safety and privacy for all users. A method that achieves both effectively remains unresolved.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
age
users
privacy
yet
build
technology
reliably
verifies
online
compromising
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
haven
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Scammers increasingly use AI to generate convincing fake job postings and interview processes designed to steal personal information or money from desperate job seekers. Platforms are still catching up to detect and remove these scams effectively.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
job
fake
scams
seekers
don
have
reliable
way
prevent
ai-generated
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some of the internet's most widely used open-source components are maintained by very few volunteers, and serious vulnerabilities have been found lurking undetected for years in code millions of systems depend on. Better resourcing and review processes for open-source security remain inconsistently funded.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
open-source
vulnerabilities
widely
years
haven
solved
prevent
critical
software
libraries
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Content about topics like drug use, violence, or self-harm can be either genuinely educational or genuinely harmful depending on context and intent, and automated filters still struggle to reliably tell the difference. This creates ongoing tension between safety and access to legitimate information.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
content
filters
reliably
between
educational
harmful
topics
build
distinguish
material
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
resolved
technology-computing
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When companies discontinue software or online services, users often lose access to their data or functionality with little warning or support for migrating elsewhere. Standardized, consumer-friendly transition processes remain largely absent from the industry.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
software
users
don
have
widely
adopted
way
make
end-of-life
transitions
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Scammers increasingly use AI-cloned voices of family members to fake emergencies and pressure victims into sending money quickly, exploiting trust before people have time to verify. Reliable, fast verification methods to counter this remain underdeveloped.
health-biology
global-unspecified
family
members
haven
found
way
prevent
voice
cloning
scams
convincing
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
don
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Consumer-grade detection tools for hidden surveillance devices remain unreliable and often expensive, leaving many people vulnerable to covert monitoring in their own homes or workplaces. Making effective detection accessible to everyday consumers remains unresolved.
science-space
global-unspecified
hidden
devices
yet
build
affordable
reliable
technology
detect
cameras
listening
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
haven
technology-computing
health-biology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Insurance companies increasingly use AI to assess claims, but there's limited independent, scalable auditing to ensure these systems aren't unfairly denying or delaying valid claims. Building trustworthy oversight for this remains an unresolved regulatory and technical challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
claims
scalable
systems
insurance
don
have
way
verify
treating
customers
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Pirated or counterfeit software remains a common vector for malware distribution, and current detection and prevention methods haven't fully closed this persistent security gap. This continues to put both individual users and organizations at unnecessary risk.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
haven
counterfeit
software
pirated
malware
solved
prevent
licenses
applications
carrying
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Voice and text-based interfaces for controlling software are improving, but ensuring they interpret complex commands accurately and safely, without unintended consequences, remains unresolved. This limits how much control can be safely handed over to natural language alone.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
safely
natural
language
interfaces
control
complex
software
build
fully
reliable
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
systems
haven
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Insurers offering cybersecurity coverage often struggle to accurately assess a company's true risk level, leading to mispriced policies that either overcharge safe companies or undercharge vulnerable ones. Better, more accurate risk assessment tools remain underdeveloped.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
cybersecurity
risk
accurately
company
haven
found
way
make
insurance
pricing
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even after an AI model is retired, techniques exist that can sometimes extract fragments of its original training data, posing ongoing privacy risks. Fully preventing this kind of data leakage after decommissioning remains unresolved.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
model
don
have
way
guarantee
decommissioned
learned
reconstructed
attackers
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
