TechXLR8 Futurist Summit – Advice from 2023 – 14 June, London

Copied from London Futurists main site. Copyright David Wood.I've been invited to contribute to the TechXLR8 event on June 14th, 2018 at Excel Centre. I'll be speaking as part of the London Futurists 'Advice from 2023' strand.

'Rediscovering our humanity'

I'm convinced that ordinary people have more power in their hands to create change than ever before. A lot of my work explores the relationships and patterns between technical and social trends. AND - Social science is broadly the study of unintended consequences, many of which arise from technological progress. Over the past five years, i've become absolutely convinced that the path to a positive future lies in better understanding WHAT WE ARE.

It’s clear that Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Biotech and any number of other innovations are set to impact society in ways we’re only beginning to comprehend. Alongside, there are significant opportunities and existential threats to us as a species. Effectively, we are playing the game of life with ever-higher stakes.

Together, we'll explore how since the Age of Enlightenment, science has diverged from mysticism and spirituality; yet trends – particularly in modern Neuroscience – are bringing these disciplines together again, with belief systems becoming endorsed by scientific rigour. Why are we seeing growth in spiritual (not religious) pursuits both in people’s personal and business lives? It's my contention that a better understanding of WHAT WE ARE, not WHO WE ARE, has the potential to wash away contemporary negatives like insecurity and stress to reveal that we’re already perfectly designed to handle whatever life throws at us.

The TechXLR8 Futurist Summit will feature a range of technologists and researchers who will share their best guesses at the advice our future selves might wish to transmit back to us, five years earlier. Which technological trends have the potential to deliver the most surprise? How might society react to these trends? What disruptive changes could take place in the attitudes of consumers, business partners, legislators, and political leaders? Which present-day buzzwords will prove to be the most exaggerated and distracting? Which emerging threats and opportunities deserve the most attention, as we set out on the journey from the present day towards 2023? And how should we prepare for these potential gales of transformation ahead?

At the Futurist Summit you’ll be able to witness a series of TED-style talks, “Advice from 2023”, interspersed with rapid Q&A that draws out the interplay and the contrasts between the different speakers. The speakers will highlight ways in which businesses and organisation in 2023 won’t simply be operating the same way as today (except faster and cheaper), but might feature radically different practices and goals.

The event is free - sign up here.

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