Because the input for Futures Studies is to a very high degree formulated as written words and texts, methods which automate the processing of texts can substantially help Futures Studies. At Shaping Tomorrow, we have developed a software system using Natural Language Processing (NLP), a subfield of Artificial Intelligence, which automatically analyzes publicly available texts and extracts future-relevant data from theses texts. This process can be used to study the futures. This article discusses this software system, explains how it works with a detailed example, and shows real-life applications and visualizations of the resulting data. The current state of this method is just the first step; a number of technological improvements and their possible benefits are explained. The implications of using this software system for the field of Futures Studies are mostly positive, but there are also a number of caveats.
