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What Do We Think Of The Future
Michael Rogers
Columnist, MSNBC's The Practical Futurist, & Futurist-in-Residence of The New York Times
- Award-winning journalist and novelist with over thirty years of professional speaking experience
- Former vice president of The Washington Post's new media division
- Co-founder of Outside magazine and former writer for Rolling Stone
- Dynamic speaker helping businesses think about the future and the effect of technology their organization
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Michael Rogers is a different kind of futurist: One who combines real business experience with a deep technology background. Add to that the keen eye of an award-winning journalist, the storytelling skills of a novelist, plus thirty years of professional speaking experience—and you have The Practical Futurist.
A dynamic speaker who delivers an entertaining and common-sense vision of change for business and individuals, Michael blends technology, economics, demographics, culture, and human nature. In addition to authoring five books about the future, Rogers recently completed two years as futurist-in-residence for The New York Times and is a columnist for MSNBC.com.
He has worked with companies ranging from FedEx, Boeing, and GE to Microsoft, Pfizer, and American Express, as well as both NASA and the Department of Defense. He addresses groups ranging from venture capitalists and corporate executives to educators, students and the general public and is also a regular guest on radio and television, including Good Morning America, the Today Show, PBS, CNN, and the History Channel.
Rogers began his career as a writer for Rolling Stone and went on to co-found Outside magazine. He then launched Newsweek’s technology column, winning numerous journalism awards, including a National Headliner Award for coverage of the Chernobyl meltdown.
For ten years he was vice president of The Washington Post Company's new media division, guiding both the newspaper and its sister publication Newsweek into the new century, as well as serving as editor and general manager of Newsweek.com where he won the Distinguished Online Service award from the National Press Club for coverage of 9/11.
His work in interactive media ranges from the first Lucasfilm computer game and interactive CD-ROMs to Prodigy, America Online and finally the Internet. He has received several patents for multimedia storytelling techniques, and is listed in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. In 2007, he was named to the MIN Digital Hall of Fame, and in 2009 he received the World Technology Network Award for Lifetime Achievement in Media and Journalism.
Rogers studied physics and creative writing at Stanford University with additional training in finance and management at the Stanford Business School Executive Program. He is also a best-selling novelist whose fiction explores the human impact of technology. He lives in New York City where he works on book and television projects.
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ChatGPT: Opening Bell for a New Era of AI
This year is a turning point in public understanding—and concern—about artificial intelligence. The rapid rise of ChatGPT and its clones has been nothing short of astonishing. And it’s been matched by an outpouring of dire predictions, from human extinction to massive unemployment. But well before we grapple with existential questions about AI, there will be more practical challenges for business and society.
ChatGPT is a breakthrough in public awareness, but it’s actually a subset of AI that has been in development for several decades. “Cognitive computing” was first publicly displayed in game-playing bots that beat human champions in Jeopardy and Go.
Cognitive AI can ingest vast amounts of information and quickly generate reports or decisions comparable to human effort. This speech will offer fresh examples of what the current technology can do, as well as a look ahead at how the next generation of conversant artificial intelligence will evolve.
Social, legal and political challenges are imminent, as well as new questions about fair business practices, ethics and liability. AI has already raised issues, such as inadvertent redlining by AI-powered mortgage software, or discriminatory behavior by credit rating technology. As advanced AI grows more common in law, finance, medicine and similar critical professions, additional potential liabilities will arise.
Government oversight and regulation are unlikely to keep pace. The first “rules of the road” for AI may come from industry groups seeking to self-regulate, often emphasizing disclosure and transparency. Those efforts will be driven by insurance and legal concerns—the insurance industry is already looking at the potential liabilities of AI in their portfolios, from autonomous vehicles to cybersecurity. Insurers may require evidence of sound AI practices before issuing liability coverage.
Professional services will change with the adoption of cognitive computing. White collar employment, including law and finance, will be impacted, especially among younger workers. The result will be new efficiencies and surprising intelligent services that will challenge us to identify what skills are uniquely human.
Artificial Intelligence Will Change....Everything!
Cognitive computing—such as the astonishing ChatGPT—is the latest and most potent expression of artificial intelligence. Software and robots can now learn from experience and then reason and act upon information--often coming up with insights that humans might not reach. Because they are “cloud-based”, these powerful thinking tools will be accessible even to small organizations and individuals. The result will be new efficiencies and surprising new intelligent services that will change the very nature of work and challenge us to identify what skills are uniquely human.
Your Business in 2030: A Customized Prediction
For this popular speech, Michael—who is also a best-selling science fiction writer— does an interview to learn more about your business, practice or discipline. He then creates a realistic scenario of what your profession or business may be like at the end of this decade. He’ll identify potential new products, new customers and new challenges. He’s done it for lawyers, health care professionals, transportation companies, retailers, educators, financial services companies and more—even a luxury goods manufacturer!
The “Virtualization” of America--and the World
Over the next decade, more and more of our work, what we care about and how we interact with others will involve the Internet, intelligent computers and the Internet of Things. If you think that’s already happened...just listen to what Michael predicts is next. Add to that the rise of a new generation of “digital natives” who are remarkably comfortable with virtual relationships. What will this mean for how our businesses and organizations must evolve in the years to come? Is life in the metaverse inevitable? How will products change to meet new needs and what will companies do to reach their customers?
Management Meets the Future: the Innovation Challenge
Never before has management’s life been so...interesting. Business, government and society are all creating a vast new digital infrastructure, from smart sensors and cognitive computing to wearable computers, extended social networks and virtual workplaces. That puts leaders in the midst of not just technical challenges but broader social quandaries such as the nature of privacy, white collar automation, reskilling workers, the rule of law in cyberspace--not to mention the strategic direction of the enterprise itself. How can successful managers discover and implement innovation while still meeting the daily challenges of business?
The Radical New World of Education
We’re all educators--either as professional teachers, or as managers, team leaders, mentors, or parents. In the future, we will be permanent students as well. The online world represents a powerful opportunity for education to reach a wider, more diverse audience. But it’s also a challenge to the future of both teachers and campuses. And there’s a second issue: what do we teach? Now that young people live with one foot in the virtual world, how does that impact education and employment? What skills will our students initially bring (or not bring) to campus, and what skills will they need to make their way in an increasingly automated world? Michael has spoken to educators worldwide ranging from K-12 to college, law and medicine.
The Healthcare Revolution
The future is bright for medicine: telemedicine, wellness monitors, personal genomics, electronic health records, and more. Plus: “big data” and smart computers will choose the best and most efficient treatment options based on actual outcomes. All this progress will come with caveats, of course: how do we keep the human element in healthcare? What are the privacy implications of personal genomic data? How do we fund the latest technologies while still making sure that basic healthcare is affordable? Michael has presented this topic to pharmaceutical companies, hospital networks, health insurers, medical educators and more.
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