World Solve

Despite decades of robotics research, folding laundry or loading a dishwasher remains far harder for robots than tasks like chess or driving. Everyday physical tasks turn out to be a much harder problem than expected.

Early brain-computer interfaces show promise for people with paralysis, but they remain expensive, invasive, or unreliable outside controlled lab settings. Making them practical for everyday use is still unsolved.

If pi is what mathematicians call 'normal,' every string of digits, including your birthday or an entire book encoded in numbers, would appear infinitely often. No proof exists either way, despite pi's digits being computed to trillions of places.

Modern cryptography largely depends on problems assumed, but not proven, to be computationally hard, leaving a theoretical gap in fully guaranteed security. This unresolved foundation underlies much of digital security today.

Rare catastrophic events can cause immense damage despite low probability, while everyday risks accumulate steadily but attract far less attention or resources. This unresolved tension complicates how societies and individuals should rationally allocate concern and resources.

Ethical frameworks that count future potential people equally can lead to counterintuitive conclusions about how we should prioritize resources today. This unresolved tension remains central to debates in population ethics and long-term policy planning.

As digital platforms increasingly influence what people see, believe, and desire, it's unclear how much this shapes authentic identity versus manufactured preference. This unresolved question grows more urgent as algorithmic influence deepens in everyday life.

Unsolicited help is often given with good intentions, but it's unclear whether the recipient owes any gratitude if the assistance wasn't specifically requested or wanted. This unresolved tension complicates everyday interactions around generosity and obligation.

Concern about how one will be remembered can shape real decisions in ways that may or may not align with genuinely ethical reasoning. This unresolved tension raises questions about the proper role of legacy in moral motivation.

Avoiding conflict often protects short-term comfort, but it can also mean neglecting necessary accountability or truth-telling that genuinely matters. This unresolved tension shapes everyday decisions in both personal relationships and public life.

Concern about lasting impact or how one will be remembered can sometimes come at the expense of enjoying and prioritizing present-day happiness. This unresolved tension shapes how people balance long-term purpose with everyday contentment.

Decisions about climate change, resource use, and debt all require some answer to how much weight future, non-existent people deserve compared to those who exist now. Philosophers disagree sharply on this tradeoff.

If advanced artificial systems could one day be conscious, we'd face serious ethical obligations toward them, but we lack any reliable test for detecting genuine inner experience. This uncertainty already complicates debates about AI rights and welfare.

Judging historical figures by modern values can feel necessary for moral clarity, but it also risks ignoring the very different context they lived in. This unresolved tension continues to shape debates over monuments, legacies, and historical memory.

Decisions made today, like saving money or maintaining health, assume some obligation to a future self who may have very different preferences and values. This unresolved question touches on both personal identity and long-term ethical responsibility.

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.

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.

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.

Battery life claims often assume light use, and demanding tasks like video editing or gaming can drain a laptop's battery in just a few hours. Meaningfully extending battery life under heavy real-world use remains an unresolved hardware challenge.

Despite decades of incremental improvement, printers remain a notoriously unreliable piece of everyday technology prone to jams, connectivity issues, and wasted ink. A truly hassle-free printing experience remains surprisingly elusive.