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.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
4094Total
4094Open
0Solved
9Humans
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
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Today's most capable AI models are trained on vast datasets scraped from the internet, often including copyrighted works and personal information without clear consent. Finding effective training methods that avoid this legal and ethical gray area remains unsolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
don
training
methods
copyrighted
personal
have
require
enormous
amounts
data
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
way
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many smart home and industrial devices ship with weak security because manufacturers prioritize low cost over protection, creating easy targets for hackers. Fixing this at scale requires an industry-wide shift that hasn't happened yet.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
devices
haven
found
way
fully
secure
internet
things
cheap
mass-produced
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
make
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fast charging speeds up daily convenience but tends to accelerate battery wear, forcing a tradeoff between speed and battery lifespan. Solving this without expensive materials remains an unresolved engineering challenge.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
fast
build
batteries
charge
filling
gas
tank
degrading
quickly
battery
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
technology-computing
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Most software vulnerabilities trace back to common coding mistakes that better language design could prevent from the start. Despite decades of research, mainstream programming still makes these mistakes easy to make.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
programming
make
don
have
languages
writing
secure
bug-free
code
default
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI can now generate fake news articles, complete with realistic writing style and structure, faster than fact-checkers can identify and flag them. This growing speed gap threatens public trust in written information generally.
society-governance
global-unspecified
news
haven
solved
prevent
ai-written
misinformation
appearing
indistinguishable
real
now
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
technology-computing
fake
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Robots can now handle many industrial tasks well, but tasks requiring soft, adaptable touch, like handling fabric or fragile objects, remain surprisingly difficult. Closing this dexterity gap would open robotics to far more everyday uses.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
tasks
robots
dexterity
like
yet
build
fine
motor
needed
delicate
technology-computing
affordable
philosophy-ethics
whether
capable
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Zero-day flaws are unknown weaknesses in software that attackers can exploit before a fix exists, and current detection methods still miss many of them until after damage is done. Finding these flaws proactively remains one of cybersecurity's hardest problems.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
cybersecurity
zero-day
software
attackers
don
have
reliable
way
detect
vulnerabilities
find
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even advanced AI systems can lose track of important details from earlier in a long conversation or document, leading to inconsistent or contradictory answers. True long-term memory and context tracking remains an open technical challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
context
long
haven
found
way
make
large
models
understand
over
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
technology-computing
