Category Archives: Futurist

Rafiah Ibrahim President of Ericsson Middle East and Africa

Together with AT&T Foundry and RocketSpace, Ericsson has released the third installment of The Futurist Report series. The report gives an inside look into the cutting-edge technologies and companies that are shaping the future for artificial intelligence, and what this means for consumers.

The report also explains how will artificial intelligence (AI) and automation affect the way we live our lives, and how will brands adapt and cater to changing consumer experiences.

To better understand developments in the AI space, over 50 successful entrepreneurs, executives and academics leading the charge on new technologies and applications were interviewed. In addition, five bold projections that showcase how AI will impact the consumer experience in coming years were developed.

AI will have an enormous impact on our daily lives. From enabling hyper-personalization to saving huge amounts of time on routine tasks, these new tools will fundamentally shift the way we interact with technology in our day-to-day lives.

According to our latest Mobility Report, Mobile broadband subscriptions in Middle East and Africa is expected to grow by almost 3 times between 2016 and 2022. This gives an indication that technology is becoming a basic part of our lives and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation are definitely part of this great evolution, said Rafiah Ibrahim, President of Ericsson Middle East and Africa

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AT&T Foundry, RocketSpace and Ericsson Release a New Series of ... - Al-Bawaba

The Futurism blog, which describes itself as reporting on the breakthrough technologies and scientific discoveries that will shape humanitys future, has published a post on basic income as a response to increasing automation of the workplace.

Although universal basic income (UBI) is neither a technology nor a scientific discovery, Futurisms FAQ page lists UBI as one of the topics that it is particularly interested in.

The article sets out the nature of basic income, explores arguments for and against it, lists a number of recent and upcoming experiments, and provides quotes from a number of supporters of UBI throughout history. It is written by Luke Kingma, Futurisms Head of Creative and a former copywriter for companies such as Hasbro, Toyota and Warner Brothers.

Futurism has appeared in a list of top futurist blogs on Quora, a popular question-and-answer site. It states that it has approximately 200,000 subscribers to its regular newsletter.

More information at:

Luke Kingma, Universal Basic Income: The Answer to Automation?, Futurism, 22th April 2016

Claire Bott has written 6 articles.

More here:
Universal Basic Income Examined by Futurism Blog - Basic Income News

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Adelaide Friday August 18, 2017

The futurist who predicted the 2008 financial crash will give a keynote address on the future of energy at this year's event to unveil South Australia's top 100 businesses.

InDailys South Australian Business Index an independent ranking of the top 100 South Australian companies will be announced at an Adelaide Oval lunch on September 28.

The event, which will be part of the Open State festival for the first time, will feature guest speaker Richard Watson a leading English futurist, author and lecturer who has worked with many leading companies to help them improve the quality of their thinking and plan for the far future.

He will speak about Future Energy a topic of close interest to all South Australians as we grapple with life on the sharp edge of the transition of the electricity market from the old to the new.

Watson has written five books, including Future Files, published in 2007, which warned about the inevitability of a systemic shock to the financial system. He warned this was not a debt mountain, but an avalanche waiting to descend. big banks, in particular, will come under increasing scrutiny about their lending practices, and there will be calls for salary and profit caps.

A year later, the prediction came to pass, almost in those exact terms, with a mountain of US bank debt cascading through the worlds financial system to create what we now call the Global Financial Crisis.

Watsons keynote address will be followed by a local expert panel discussing the issues affecting South Australian business, particularly energy.

To book your ticket to the South Australian Business Index lunch, click on the banner below.

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Renowned futurist to speak at SA top 100 event - InDaily

LOS ANGELES -- The Visual Effects Society, the industrys global professional honorary society, has announced acclaimed visual futurist and VES Visionary Award honoree Syd Mead as a keynote speaker at its ninth annual VES Summit, Inspiring Change: Building on 20 Years of VES Innovation. The 2017 VES Summit takes place on Saturday, October 28th at the Sofitel Hotel Beverly Hills.

Featured Speakers will include President of IMAX Home Entertainment Jason Brenek and renowned online security expert and founder of SSP Blue Hemanshu Nigam. The interactive forum on Saturday, October 28th celebrates the Societys milestone 20th Anniversary and will bring together top creatives, executives, thought leaders and visionaries from diverse disciplines to explore the dynamic evolution of visual imagery and the VFX industry landscape in a TED Talks-like atmosphere.

Keynote speaker Syd Mead is an acclaimed visual futurist and conceptual artist whose storied career spans almost six decades. He was honored as the recipient of its VES Visionary Award at the 14th Annual VES Awards in 2016 for his unique ability to create unforgettable images and advance storytelling through his futuristic design aesthetic. Meads career began as he created characters and backgrounds for animated cinema intermission trailers just out of high school. After serving in the U.S. Army and receiving his education at the Art Center School in Los Angeles, Ford Motor Companys Advanced Styling Studio recruited Mead. After Ford, he took on high-profile design assignments for blue chip companies including U.S. Steel, Philips Electronics and Intercontinental Hotels.

In 1979, Meads projects expanded to designing for Hollywood as he began to work with most major studios. His cinema entre was legendary, starting with the creation of the Vger entity for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, followed by two cult classics -- Bladerunner and Tron. Meads designs for robots, vehicles and other-worldly environments have also been featured in films including 2010, Short Circuit, Aliens, Time Cop, Johnny Mnemonic, Mission Impossible 3 and Elysium.

Concept art for director Ridley Scotts 1982 classic feature Blade Runner by Syd Mead.

With transportation design as his first love, Mead seldom misses an opportunity to provide his unique blend of futurism and believability to designing vehicles -- from concept cars, cruise ships and hypervans to interplanetary cinematic spacecrafts that transport audiences to new worlds. In the 1980s, Mead established close working relationships with a number of major Japanese companies including Sony, Minolta, Dentsu, Dyflex, Tiger, Seibu, Mitsukoshi, Bandai, NHK and Honda as well as contributing to Japanese film projects, Yamato 2520 and Solar Crisis. In the 1990s, he supplied designs for all eight robot characters in the Turn A Gundam mobile suit series and TV show. Extensive collections of Meads work have been exhibited worldwide, drawing record crowds and he continues an active schedule of one-man shows and presentations.

Featured speaker Jason Brenek joined IMAX Corporation in 2015 as President, IMAX Home Entertainment, where he oversees a series of global initiatives designed collectively to translate elements of The IMAX Experience to the home setting, including the IMAX Private Theatres, an over-the-top movie service for delivering IMAX-enhanced Hollywood films into homes, and IMAX technology licensing into premium consumer electronics. He also oversees virtual reality content acquisitions and curation for the new IMAX location-based VR centers.

Prior to joining IMAX, Brenek spent more than a decade in senior management at The Walt Disney Studios. He led Disneys international teams and sub-distributors in the commercialization of Disney, Pixar, and Marvel movies in New Media/Digital, Television and Retail channels. His teams have led the industry in the launch of innovative and lucrative partnerships and products around the world. In his concurrent role of Head of Global Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Brenek was later responsible for sourcing new revenue opportunities, business models, investments, establishing strategic partnerships, and digital product strategy and incubation for the Studios multi-billion dollar Global In-Home Distribution segment.

Prior to these roles, Brenek worked in Disneys Global Theatrical Distribution division as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Digital Cinema and Cinema Programming where he was responsible for setting and executing Disneys global cinema strategy, overseeing Digital Cinema Operations, negotiating Digital Cinema deployment and digital 3D deals around the world, as well as developing and overseeing 3D and Cinema Programming. He was instrumental in Disneys emergence to the forefront of the Digital Cinema and Digital 3D world. In 2015, the International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society awarded Brenek with its first Founders Award.

Featured Speaker: Hemanshu (Hemu) Nigam has worked inside the largest prosecuting agencies, software companies, media and entertainment giants, and most influential trade associations in the world. Nigam served as the Chief Security Officer of News Corporation and Fox Interactive Medias digital properties, as CSO of MySpace, and as a security executive in Microsoft. He was also the Vice President of Worldwide Internet Enforcement at the Motion Picture Association of America. He began his career as Los Angeles County prosecutor specializing in sex crimes and child abuse before serving as a federal prosecutor against online crimes against children and computer crimes in the US DOJ. Today, he is the founder of SSP Blue, a cyber security advisory company that has helped companies like Participant Media, SnapChat, Microsoft/Xbox, Disney, AT&T, Microsoft, JustFab, and others deal with challenges in cyber security, privacy, and safety.

A veteran of online security, he brings over 20 years of experience in private industry, government, and law enforcement. Nigam has been a keynote speaker at the United Nations on stopping cyber hate, and has been a member of the White Houses cyber stalking task force and co-chair of President Obamas Online Safety Technology Working Group. Nigam has spent a career chasing bad guys online and offline bringing them to justice. He was one of U.S. DOJs first online crimes prosecutors who took down an international child sex trafficking ring as well as prosecuted online child predators and hackers. His insightful expert commentary on cyber security offers an insiders view of the dark online underworld. Nigams personable style coupled with his unique ability to simplify cyber security for viewers to understand makes him a frequent guest on U.S. and international media. He also has a video blog at http://www.InsideCyberCrime.com where he breaks down cyber security, privacy, and safety topics in accessible segments.

Source: Visual Effects Society

Jennifer Wolfe is Director of News & Content at Animation World Network.

Continued here:
Acclaimed Visual Futurist Syd Mead to Deliver Keynote Address at 2017 VES Summit - Animation World Network (press release) (registration) (blog)

Robin Johansen on why CIOs should prepare for the impact of political and economic developments across the globe.

If you introduce a new technology, there can be a political blowback - global, national, or within the company.

Robin Johansen

Be prepared for anything, says Robin Johansen, as he sums up a critical mindset for todays CIOs.

Johansen was CIO at Beca for 13 years and now works with a range of organisations as an independent ICT strategist and consultant.

Now based in Nelson, Johansen sees the CIO role in the digital era as becoming very broad.

He says that with computing assets and services increasingly being delivered from geographically diverse locations, CIOs have to work through both a big picture and local perspective of the market, and how these will impact their role, their teams and their respective organisation and sector.

From a technology standpoint, we have got an absolute explosion going on. The development of new technologies is just breathtaking, says Johansen, who is currently looking at distributed ledgers or blockchain as a potentially massive technology.

Concurrent with this, there is enormous global turbulence, politically, economically and socially. There are some real issues emerging, which are partly to do with and will be exacerbated by technology.

He says one of these is inequality arising from the disappearance of jobs due to automation and other disruptive technologies.

How resilient will this system be if my world changes? How vulnerable to cyberattack is this system I am creating?

Robin Johansen

These new technologies are very radically and rapidly changing the nature of work, and what is coming out from various reports is we are destroying more jobs than we are creating, says Johansen.

In the past, he says, the jobs that disappeared due to technology were replaced by new jobs, so there was a balance.

That is no longer the case.

He believes this issue translates into politics in Europe and the United States, where discussions are heightened around tightening borders for migrants, slowing the movement of jobs offshore and the possible introduction of new tariffs or trade sanctions.

That is moving away from globalisation and yet, so many of the systems we have set up in the past 20 years, depend on globalisation, he states.

If you think just about cloud computing, a lot of people are dependent on cloud services that are not based in their own country.

He says cybersecurity is a particular concern as there is now a lot of sophistication around recent cyber incidents.

There seems to be strong evidence of state players messing with electronics systems, he says, referring to the the current discussion on the alleged meddling by Russia in the recent US elections.

If you can do that for an election, it is not a big step from there to start a completely different sort of warfare. What if you broke into the electrical transmission systems of a nation and just disrupted them without firing a shot, then you will have completely unsettled that environment?

Closer to home, in the Asia Pacific, he cites North Korea as a rogue state that is behaving very badly, while China is extending its reach through the South China sea. As well, both nations have been accused of participation in state sponsored cyber attacks.

There is a real danger in having a focus on the business outcomes and the technology without having an adequate focus on the people

Robin Johansen

It is easy to dismiss these cyber threats as applying only to national security, but recent ransomware attacks have shown just how vulnerable many organisations can be.

CIOs have got to be aware of these developments when they are conceiving their IT systems.

It is all very well having everything in the cloud but what if is the question modern CIOs need to think through, he says, as well as to have a fallback or a response, and to remain agile.

He sees CIOs having to make some big decisions in an incredibly turbulent period, both socially and politically.

If you introduce a new technology, there can be a political blowback - global, national, or within the company.

The government may act to slow down or stop adoption of a technology.

For example, he says, there is talk about introducing taxes for automation as conventional employment declines and reduces the government revenue from taxes. What if that led to the imposition of new taxes on cloud based services from a particular geography?

For New Zealand CIOs, there is the concern about how to respond in case of events such as earthquakes.

How resilient will this system be if my world changes? Can you shift quickly? How vulnerable to cyberattack is this system I am creating?

Thus, Johansen says CIOs also have to think like futurists, more than ever.

He notes another development is appointment of CIOs who do not necessarily come from a strong technology background.

They are good managers with a strong business sense and reliant on others to fill in the gaps from a technology.

That is fine provided you have a good technology team behind you, he says.

We are entering an era when a CIOs technical experience may be limited to updating their smartphone or tablet and think that an enterprise upgrade should be no more taxing. They do not necessarily understand the complexity and have little motivation to be better informed.

The problem is if you have got someone who is making decisions without any of that understanding, a salesperson can set him or her up a wonderful deal that will bite the organisation in three years.

On the day-to-day business, I see too often technology roaring ahead without taking the people with it, and these include customers and suppliers.

Johansen says he had done recent work assessing one such project with a company.

The business technology project was implemented, but the people were not adequately involved in the planning and deployment.

The project failed to deliver and cost the company a lot of money. The people also did not want to be bothered by the complexity of the new system, as they questioned, what is in it for me?

He says industry analysts have been highlighting how digital transformation is a journey "where you have to take the people with you".

"There is a real danger in having a focus on the business outcomes and the technology without having an adequate focus on the people," he says.

The other thing is agility, he says. This way, you can quickly adopt and adapt to whatever threats and opportunities come along.

Robin Johansen is one of the ICT leaders interviewed for the 2017 State of the CIO report, held in conjunction with the CIO Executive Council.

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The CIO's broadening role: Business strategist, futurist, change agent - CIO New Zealand

Global Futurist Jack Uldrich has been invited to address a group of senior leaders of an American multinational diversified hospitality company on Saturday, August 19, in Hawaii.

Honolulu, Hawaii - August 14, 2017 - (Newswire.com)

Prolifickeynote speaker and futurist, Jack Uldrich, will be traveling to Hawaii to share his insights on the future of the hotel and lodging industry with executives in a leading hospitality company.

As a futurist,Uldrich focuses on future-proofing businesses by preparing them to embrace future trends and technologies, including areas such as wearable technology, machine learning, augmented reality, 3D printing, nanotechnology, blockchain, and cryptocurrency, among others.

What are other trends on the horizon for the hospitality industry? Uldrich says one of the biggest trends to be looking at is the Internet of Things. "By 2020, it is estimated that 50 billion physical objects will connect to the Internet. What does this mean for hospitality?In a word, everything."

Continuing, Uldrich says, "The Internet of Things is poised to radically transform customer behavior, business models and the nature of business itself."

"Business leaders have got to be aware of these accelerating technological trends," says Uldrich. "They must possess humility regarding new, unconventional competitors, and take deep strategic action in the coming years."

Jack Uldrich speaks over 100 times a year to a wide variety of businesses and organizations, particularlyon the transformation of agriculture, health care, education, energy, finance, insurance, retail, and manufacturing.

Hisclients include the Retail Industry Leader Association, Cisco, United Healthcare, IBM, PepsiCo,WiPro, Verizon Wireless, FedEX, General Electric, and CenterPoint Energy.

Parties interested in learning more about Jack, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about interviewing Jack as a futurist or trend expert, contact him here.

Press Release Service by Newswire.com

Original Source: Popular Futurist to Discuss the Future of the Hospitality Industry

Original post:
Popular Futurist to Discuss the Future of the Hospitality Industry - Digital Journal

Daily operations, recruitment, and training will all look very different in the future thanks to the use of technology, says Keith Chor, head of human resources at The Hong Kong School of Motoring.

Technology has touched every industry, and human resources is no exception.

With the implementation of cloud technology and mobile applications, I believe the daily operation of the human resources departments, recruitment, and training will be very different from what we are currently experiencing.

The use of cloud technology means that the future human resource information system (HRIS) can be easily accessible to HR staff from anywhere through a mobile device with an internet connection.

HR practitioners should be on the lookout for the technology available for HR and the relevant suppliers of the technology.

With more and more information being stored in the HRIS in the cloud, big data can be analysed by using workforce analytics.

The process for talent acquisition and talent management will turn digital in the near future.

Millennials are technology savvy and active in social communities. I think recruitment through linking with social communities will become more popular.

Conducting recruitment through a mobile application will be a future trend. There will be less need for interviewing in person as it can be done online through a webcam on a computer or on a smartphone.

Things such as job applications and interview result-checking can also be done through mobile devices.

The screening function in the apps or computer programme with selection criteria can be used to process job applications faster and easier with a systematic record.

Information on a preferred candidate or those who do not suit the job description can be stored in the cloud with linkage to the job application apps or computer programme systematically for easy identification.

Like recruitment, training will also be digitalised. With cloud technology, knowledge-sharing has become easier than ever. Self-paced self-learning on mobile devices will become more popular.

Technology on virtual reality will be adopted widely in common commercial training

Making use of technology, trainers and trainees will be able to keep track of every individuals learning effectiveness and learning progress. By linking information on an individuals learning progress to the HRIS, the training record of individuals can be updated automatically.

The June 2017 issue of Human Resources magazine is a special edition, bringing you interviews with 12 HR leaders, with their predictions on the future of HR.

ReadThe Futuristor subscribe here.

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The Futurist: Technology as the key to HR - Human Resources Online

The next step is coming in the process of demolishing Scarborough's Futurist Theatre.

A planning application is to be considered for the stabilisation of of the cliffs behind the venue. It's as the borough council presses forward with plans by Flamingo Land to build a new attraction in its place.

The application will be considered in October, with the council stressing that it does NOT mean there will be any further debate about whether or not the venue will be demolished, because that's already been decided.

Councillor Mike Cockerill is the member for Project Leadership at the borough council, he said:

"Planning application has been submitted for the method statement for the demolition of the Futurist and the cliff stabilisation.

That's scheduled to go to a planning committeein October. This doesn't re-open the debate as to whether the Futurist is to be demolished or not.

That decision has been taken.

This isn't scary, it's a controlled process. yes, some of the nearby residents are concerned about their properties, and they have every right to be say

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Yorkshire Coast Radio - News - Next Step In Futurist Demolition - Yorkshire Coast Radio

Speaker Simon J. Anderson will present a session on the future of trucking on the opening day of the in.sight User Conference + Expo in Nashville today. Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec will give the closing keynote on Wednesday.

Nashville, TN - August 14, 2017 - (Newswire.com)

Thought-provoking keynote speaker, award-winning author, and energy and transportation futurist Simon J. Andersonwill be speaking today at the in.sight User Conference + Expo in Nashville.

Andersons presentationwill be partially based on insights from the latest edition ofhis award-winning book Foresight 20/20: A Futurist Explores the Trends Transforming Tomorrow [Updated & Expanded] (co-authored with globally acclaimed futurist Jack Uldrich). In this session, he will provide aneye-opening look into the near future of trucking and transportation and helptransportation leaders recognize important trends and technologies that are reshaping the industry, and providenew approaches to anticipating the opportunities and challenges that they could create.

Topics to be covered include trends and technologies that are transforming the future of trucking, including advancements in automation, artificial intelligence, the impact of retail trends,the internet of things, and disruptive new technologies such as theblockchain.

As a transportation futurist and founder of Venture Foresight, LLC, Anderson's work has been featured in a variety of transportation-related publications including Fleet Maintenance Magazine, Car Wash Magazine, and FleetOwner.com

In the past year, Anderson has spoken to clientsincluding the Institute for Supply Management - Twin Cities, the Georgia Telecommunications Association, the Michigan Bankers Association, and the Florida Educational Facilities Planners Association. Otherclients include MN DOT, ND DOT, the American Heart Association, AT&T, andFlorida Tax Collectors, Inc.

Parties interested in learning more about Futurist Simon J. Anderson, his book Foresight 20/20 (ISBN: 978-1592988945), his blog, or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website at http://www.ventureforesight.com.

For availability, contact info@simonspeaks.com.

Press Release Service by Newswire.com

Original Source: Transportation Futurist Simon J. Anderson to Speak Today on the Future of Trucking

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Transportation Futurist Simon J. Anderson to Speak Today on the Future of Trucking - Digital Journal

Cliff-top home owners in Scarborough say their homes could fall down - if plans to demolish a theatre go ahead. Roger Pickford says his home - along with up to 100 others could be at risk, if the Futurist theatre is knocked down.

The Borough Council's plans for how to tackle demolishing it go on public display this week. It says it's aware the cliff above it could collapse, and that it's looking at spending around 4 million on preventative work.

The Futurist closed in 2014, after being deemed unsustainable as a theatrical venue.

In its heyday, the Futurist drew in thousands of visitors for its summer seasons. Roger Pickering lives directly above the theatre and is part of a campaign group against the plan.

''They were talking about the risks to the demolition, which included what they term a catastrophic cliff collapse, which would impact on all residents, and all businesses in and around the Futurist theatre.''

Scarborough Council says that it's set aside 4 million for work to stabilise the cliff, and that if any unforeseen costs came up it might have to reconsider the demolition. A few weeks ago the campaign group's bid for a judicial review failed.

Diana Tasker says it would cost less than 4 million to refurbish the 1920s buidling - which once played host to Ken Dodd and the Beatles.

''It just does not make economic sense. Why do something that people don't want - and spend a lot of money on it?''

The council argues that peoples' tastes have changed and summer entertainment that the Futurist used to host is no longer sustainable.

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Cliff-top Scarborough residents say theatre demolition could destroy their homes - ITV News