"It is no longer a science fiction fantasy to imagine a world in which people routinely live to be 130 or robot s carry out the majority of housework. Such potentially revolutionary changes may soon become reality, with a huge impact on personal and professional relationships, the family, and society. In a unique global initiative, CNN International is launching CNN FUTURE SUMMIT , a forum that brings together some of the best minds of our time in an interactive process to explore how innovation and technology will shape our lives in years to come.

CNN FUTURE SUMMIT is a two-year multi-media program aims at stimulating global discussion on new developments in medicine and health, communications, the environment and new habitat, and the implications of these changes for the future of mankind.

CNN International's Senior Vice President Rena Golden says, "CNN FUTURE SUMMIT demonstrates our commitment to preparing viewers for the events of the future by providing insights into the issues that affect our world today. In addition, this initiative is set to engage our viewers in global dialogue and will p rove as significant in inspiring people's vision for the future . "

The centerpiece of CNN FUTURE SUMMIT will be four televised roundtable discussions to be held in Singapore , hosted by CNN anchor Michael Holmes. Each roundtable focuses on one area of technology that is shaping the future. A nominating committee of respected experts will select a panel of global leaders in a specific field to discuss the promises, challenges and controversies sparked by their innovations.

CNN FUTURE SUMMIT also provides a dedicated website, featuring interviews with the visionaries, profiles of the nominating committee, and details of the issues discussed. Viewers are encouraged to participate in the discussions through the website, offering their thoughts and insights, suggesting potential panelists and issues to be debated.

“CNN FUTURE SUMMIT is one of our major initiatives this year. We're excited it will be broadcast from Singapore , one of the world's foremost centers of excellence for science and research, which perfectly matches the theme of the show. It also demonstrates our continuous commitment to taking the shows on the road outside our global and regional headquarters ,"Golden added.

CNN FUTURE SUMMIT : OF MAN AND MACHINE

The first topic of this global dialogue is CNN FUTURE SUMMIT: OF MAN AND MACHINE . With genetic engineering, stem cell research, robotics and cybernetics offering the promise of dramatically reshaping the human machine, this program will explore the impact of these developments on societies around the world.

Through the dedicated website: http://cnn.com/futuresummit, viewers around the world will be able to explore the views of the remarkable list of leading scientists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, futurists, authors, and journalists. Among them: Dr. Alan Colman, one of the team that cloned Dolly the Sheep; astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and Ray Kurzweil, futurist/inventor/author. ( A complete list of the nominating committee and their profiles can be found on the attachment)

A final list of panelists will be named in mid-May. They will gather in Singapore for the roundtable to be air on CNN International on June 15 th .

CNN International is the world's leader in 24-hour global news and information. CNN's combined branded network and services are available to more than two billion people in more than 200 countries and territories in seven different languages. CNN International can be seen in more than 186 million television households and hotel rooms, including over 30 million in the Asia Pacific region.

CNN operates in the Asia Pacific region from its digital newsroom based in Hong Kong , where journalists produce 30 hours of international and regional news and business programming per week including CNN TODAY, WORLD NEWS ASIA, GLOBAL OFFICE and popular chat show TALK ASIA. The Hong Kong production facility is also the newsgathering headquarters for CNN's nine bureaus in the Asia Pacific region.