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
Recommendation algorithms optimize for engagement, which can unintentionally narrow the range of content users are exposed to over time, reinforcing existing beliefs rather than broadening perspective. Designing systems that balance engagement with diversity of exposure remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
recommendation
systems
users
narrow
don
have
reliable
way
prevent
trapping
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI-generated contracts, court filings, or legal notices can appear authentic enough to deceive people unfamiliar with proper legal formatting, creating new fraud risks. Detecting these fakes reliably remains an emerging unresolved challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
legal
don
have
effective
way
prevent
systems
generating
convincing
fake
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cloud storage relies heavily on trusting individual companies to remain operational and reliable long-term, and if a provider fails or shuts down, users can lose access to their data. A truly provider-independent guarantee remains unbuilt.
society-governance
global-unspecified
cloud
storage
guarantee
data
remain
provider
build
systems
will
accessible
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Without standardized measurement, it's difficult to compare the true environmental cost of different AI systems or hold companies accountable for improving efficiency. A consistent, transparent measurement standard remains undeveloped.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
different
don
have
universally
accepted
way
measure
energy-efficient
models
actually
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Automated trading systems can execute manipulative strategies at speeds far beyond human traders, and regulators still struggle to detect this kind of abuse in real time. Closing this detection gap remains an urgent unresolved challenge for financial oversight.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
detect
systems
financial
don
have
reliable
way
being
manipulate
markets
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
society-governance
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
App permission systems exist, but many apps still collect more data than users realize or intend to allow, often through complex, hard-to-navigate settings. True granular control over personal data remains inconsistently implemented across platforms.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
data
users
control
personal
apps
collect
don
have
widely
trusted
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
systems
determine
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Terms of service and software licenses are often long, dense legal documents that almost no one actually reads before clicking agree. Making these terms genuinely understandable without losing their legal protection remains unresolved.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
terms
software
understandable
agree
haven
found
way
make
licensing
average
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Tools designed to detect AI-written assignments frequently produce false positives, wrongly flagging legitimate student work as AI-generated. This unreliability creates real consequences for students while genuine cheating sometimes slips through undetected.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
detect
ai-generated
cheating
genuine
student
work
don
have
scalable
way
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
prevent
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Search engines have improved at understanding context, but still frequently misinterpret nuanced or ambiguous queries, returning results that miss what the user actually wanted. True intent understanding remains an unresolved challenge in information retrieval.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
search
user
intent
build
algorithms
fully
understand
actual
rather
just
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
haven
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fake reviews generated at scale by AI can be nearly indistinguishable from genuine customer feedback, undermining trust in online shopping decisions. Detection tools are struggling to keep pace with how convincing these fakes have become.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
have
fake
reviews
online
shopping
don
reliable
way
prevent
ai-generated
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
It's often unclear exactly what data went into training a given AI model, making it difficult to audit for bias, copyright issues, or harmful content. Greater transparency into training data remains technically and legally unresolved.
society-governance
global-unspecified
training
data
don
have
reliable
affordable
way
verify
provenance
major
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Advanced spyware can be installed on phones without any visible sign, and even security experts sometimes struggle to detect its presence through standard tools. Better, more accessible detection methods remain an urgent unmet need.
health-biology
global-unspecified
detect
spyware
don
have
widely
available
way
smartphone
has
been
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Automated moderation systems still struggle to tell the difference between genuinely harmful content and similar-looking legitimate content, like educational or satirical material. This tradeoff between over- and under-moderation remains unresolved at scale.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
content
moderation
systems
harmful
legitimate
don
have
catch
also
flagging
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
mathematics-logic
way
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
While charging speeds have improved, most electric vehicle charging still takes significantly longer than refueling with gasoline, and charging infrastructure remains inconsistent in coverage. Closing this convenience gap remains a barrier to full adoption.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
charging
electric
vehicle
refueling
haven
found
way
make
fast
convenient
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
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
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
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
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
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