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
Documents with rich formatting, fonts, or embedded content can still look different or break entirely when opened in different software or on different devices. A truly universal, faithful format remains elusive despite decades of digital document use.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
truly
universal
format
documents
software
devices
different
build
file
preserves
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Researchers have shown that inaudible or disguised audio signals can sometimes trigger voice assistants to take unintended actions without the user's knowledge. Fully closing this security gap remains unresolved.
health-biology
global-unspecified
have
voice
assistants
audio
don
reliable
way
prevent
being
manipulated
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cybersecurity threats evolve quickly, but training programs for both professionals and everyday users often lag years behind the tactics attackers are actually using. Closing this education gap remains an ongoing structural challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
cybersecurity
training
haven
solved
make
keep
pace
constantly
evolving
attack
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many data centers rely on significant volumes of water to keep servers cool, straining local water supplies especially in drought-prone regions. Alternative cooling methods that don't compete with community water needs remain underdeveloped at scale.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
water
data
centers
don
cooling
yet
build
require
massive
amounts
whether
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI health tools can sometimes provide advice that sounds plausible but is subtly wrong or dangerous, and there's no consistent, scalable system for catching these errors before they reach real patients. This gap grows more urgent as AI health tools become more widely used.
health-biology
global-unspecified
scalable
advice
patients
don
have
way
verify
accuracy
ai-generated
medical
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI coding assistants can speed up development significantly, but they sometimes generate code with subtle security flaws that even experienced developers can miss. Ensuring AI-assisted coding is as secure as it is fast remains an unresolved challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
code
security
haven
found
way
prevent
ai-generated
silently
introducing
vulnerabilities
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Smart home products from different brands frequently fail to communicate properly with each other, forcing consumers to juggle multiple apps and hubs. A universal, trusted communication standard remains incompletely adopted across the industry.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
standard
smart
home
different
build
interoperable
devices
manufacturers
work
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
don
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Current augmented reality devices are either too bulky and heavy for comfortable daily use, or too limited in capability to be genuinely useful. Achieving both comfort and power in the same device remains unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
augmented
reality
haven
solved
make
glasses
lightweight
powerful
enough
all-day
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Search results are increasingly cluttered with content engineered to game ranking algorithms rather than genuinely help users, and search engines are struggling to keep pace with these tactics. This has made finding trustworthy information online noticeably harder over time.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
search
engines
genuinely
information
content
yet
build
reliably
separate
useful
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fake or substandard electronic parts sometimes slip into supply chains for critical equipment, including medical devices and vehicles, and current detection methods are neither fast nor cheap enough to catch every case. This creates hidden safety risks across many industries.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
supply-chain
electronic
supply
chains
don
have
reliable
low-cost
way
detect
counterfeit
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Updating software running power grids or medical devices carries real risk of unexpected downtime, but delaying updates leaves known security gaps open longer. Balancing update speed with operational safety remains an unresolved tradeoff.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
software
updates
haven
found
way
make
critical
infrastructure
both
fast
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Humans can learn a new task from a handful of examples, while most AI systems still need massive amounts of training data to perform reliably. Closing this efficiency gap remains one of AI research's central unsolved challenges.
society-governance
global-unspecified
systems
new
humans
examples
build
generalize
skills
way
just
few
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Solar panels contain valuable and sometimes hazardous materials that current recycling processes struggle to recover efficiently and cheaply. As the first generation of panels ages out, this waste problem is becoming more urgent.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
panels
materials
solar
don
have
efficient
way
recycle
rare
inside
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
recycling
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Early brain-computer interfaces show promise for helping paralyzed patients control devices with thought alone, but long-term safety, reliability, and signal accuracy remain unresolved. Wider medical adoption depends on solving these fundamental issues first.
health-biology
global-unspecified
brain-computer
interfaces
medical
haven
solved
make
safe
reliable
enough
widespread
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
way
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many users experience nausea, eye strain, or disorientation after even moderate use of virtual reality headsets, a problem that hasn't been fully solved despite years of hardware improvements. This limits how widely VR can be adopted for work or daily use.
health-biology
global-unspecified
virtual
reality
yet
make
comfortable
enough
people
extended
periods
discomfort
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
technology-computing
solved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Once a photo or video is edited or generated, there's often no reliable way to trace it back to prove whether the original was authentic. Building this verification into cameras and platforms from the start remains an unsolved industry challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
way
don
have
widely
adopted
verify
authenticity
digital
photos
videos
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Content that provokes strong emotional reactions tends to get algorithmically boosted because it keeps people engaged longer, regardless of whether it's accurate or healthy. Redesigning these systems without destroying platform business models remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
content
haven
found
way
prevent
social
media
algorithms
disproportionately
amplifying
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI models often can't accurately tell when a question falls outside what they actually know, leading them to guess confidently rather than admit uncertainty. Teaching AI to recognize its own limits remains an unresolved research problem.
society-governance
global-unspecified
know
limits
own
build
systems
reliably
knowledge
models
often
accurately
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The way solid-state drives store data internally makes secure, complete deletion technically harder than with traditional spinning hard drives. This creates lingering privacy and security risks when these drives are discarded or resold.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
drives
way
data
solid-state
hard
don
have
reliable
permanently
erase
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI systems can generate false information with the same fluent, confident tone as accurate information, making it hard for users to tell the difference without independently verifying every claim. Reducing this so-called hallucination problem remains a central AI research challenge.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
false
yet
reliably
detect
chatbot
confidently
stating
something
completely
information
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
systems
