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
Self-driving systems handle most driving scenarios well, but rare, unusual situations still trip them up in ways human drivers might handle intuitively. Closing this reliability gap remains essential before full autonomy becomes truly safe.
society-governance
global-unspecified
safe
human
yet
guarantee
autonomous
vehicles
will
make
same
decisions
systems
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Voice assistants often misinterpret complex or ambiguous requests, especially involving sarcasm, local dialects, or multi-step instructions. Bridging this understanding gap remains a persistent limitation of current systems.
society-governance
global-unspecified
voice
assistants
yet
make
understand
context
nuance
well
human
listener
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
systems
haven
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Manipulated or duplicated images occasionally slip through peer review, sometimes undermining trust in published research long after the fact. Better automated verification tools remain underdeveloped for scientific publishing.
local-regional
global-unspecified
scientific
images
don
have
dependable
way
verify
authenticity
data
publication
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A large enough solar storm could damage transformers and electronics across entire continents, and current models can't precisely predict which systems would fail. Better modeling could guide smarter infrastructure protection investment.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
infrastructure
haven
solved
accurately
model
long-term
effects
geomagnetic
storms
modern
systems
whether
technology-computing
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Precious samples brought back from the Moon or asteroids need to remain scientifically useful for generations of future researchers. Long-term sample preservation technology hasn't fully caught up with mission ambitions.
science-space
global-unspecified
samples
haven
found
way
store
scientific
space
missions
any
risk
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ocean currents regulate weather and temperature worldwide, and small changes could have outsized global effects. Current climate models still can't predict these shifts with the precision policymakers need.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
climate-change
predict
climate
ocean
currents
yet
exactly
change
will
alter
over
society-governance
governance
building
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Valuable datasets from completed research projects are sometimes lost entirely once funding and staff move on, wasting years of prior work. A shared system for preserving this data long-term remains underdeveloped.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
lost
research
funding
haven
found
way
prevent
important
scientific
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
technology-computing
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Public transit systems that depend heavily on fares often struggle financially, leading to service cuts that push more people toward driving. A more sustainable funding model remains unresolved in many cities.
local-regional
global-unspecified
sustainable
public
transit
cities
haven
found
way
fund
relying
entirely
society-governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Caregiving and household labor, disproportionately done by women, largely goes uncounted in standard economic measures like GDP. This makes an enormous amount of real economic contribution effectively invisible in policy decisions.
society-governance
global-unspecified
economic
labor
like
caregiving
don
have
consistent
way
value
unpaid
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Countries rich in oil, minerals, or gas sometimes see little of that wealth reach ordinary citizens due to corruption or unfair contracts. Ensuring resource wealth translates into broad public benefit remains a persistent unsolved problem.
society-governance
global-unspecified
wealth
resource
citizens
countries
yet
ensure
natural
benefits
resource-rich
but
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
determine
public
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Infrastructure projects are sometimes chosen more for political visibility than for genuine community need, leaving real problems unaddressed. Aligning spending with actual need remains a persistent governance challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
infrastructure
spending
actual
political
yet
ensure
public
decisions
reflect
needs
philosophy-ethics
whether
real
governance
haven
time
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Immigration policy varies enormously between countries, with no widely accepted standard for what fairness or humane treatment actually requires. This leaves migrants' treatment largely dependent on which country they happen to reach.
society-governance
global-unspecified
standard
humane
immigration
don
have
shared
counts
fair
system
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
agreed
health-biology
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Surveillance capabilities often grow quietly, justified by security concerns, with limited public awareness or debate about their true scope. Building lasting oversight mechanisms remains a persistent democratic challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
surveillance
public
oversight
don
have
reliable
way
prevent
government
programs
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Local elections often receive far less security attention than national ones, despite being just as vulnerable to disinformation campaigns. Extending stronger protections down to the local level remains incomplete.
society-governance
global-unspecified
local
elections
disinformation
haven
solved
protect
spread
foreign
domestic
actors
might
mathematics-logic
economics-resources
science-space
workers
turn
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
People with more money can typically afford far better legal defense than those without, creating uneven outcomes within the same justice system. Equalizing access to quality legal representation remains a persistent gap in many countries.
society-governance
global-unspecified
legal
access
representation
yet
ensure
equal
regardless
person
income
people
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
remains
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Human trafficking networks exploit gaps between countries' laws and enforcement capacity, moving victims across borders largely undetected. A stronger, coordinated international strategy remains incomplete.
society-governance
global-unspecified
strategy
human
trafficking
borders
don
have
effective
prevent
networks
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
way
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Private contractors sometimes operate in conflict zones with less oversight than official military forces, raising accountability concerns when abuses occur. International legal frameworks addressing this remain inconsistent and weak.
society-governance
global-unspecified
private
military
contractors
haven
found
consistent
way
hold
security
accountable
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
technology-computing
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Growing political division in many countries is making even routine governance decisions slower and more contentious than in the past. Rebuilding functional cooperation across political divides remains an unresolved societal challenge.
society-governance
global-unspecified
political
making
governance
stop
polarization
basic
compromise
increasingly
difficult
growing
philosophy-ethics
whether
public
haven
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Indigenous land rights are frequently overridden by governments or corporations pursuing resource extraction or development. Meaningful, enforceable control over ancestral land remains unresolved in many countries.
society-governance
global-unspecified
land
indigenous
meaningful
control
over
haven
solved
give
communities
decisions
philosophy-ethics
whether
climate-environment
mathematics-logic
economics-resources
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Wealthy interests can influence legislation through lobbying in ways ordinary citizens simply can't match, raising questions about whose interests policy actually serves. Balancing this influence remains a persistent unsolved governance issue.
society-governance
global-unspecified
lobbying
policy
don
have
reliable
way
prevent
money
disproportionately
shaping
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
