Gerd Leonhard is one of the world’s leading futurists, focusing on predictions in the field of business, society, media, technology and communications. On 2 October, he will be in Zagreb to speak at the Future Tense conference. The Wall Street Journal has named Leonhard one of the leading media futurists in the world.
Gerd points out that humanity will change more over the next 20 years than it has changed over the past 300 years. This renowned futurologist notes that the current key issue for the development of humanity is how to guide and direct the development of science and technology to ultimately fulfill its primary function – serving humanity and its progress. Leonhard’s believes the greatest change in the direction of human development comes with the emergence of artificial intelligence and the change of the human genome, and emphasizes that we must equally invest in humanity as much as in technology.
We are at the turning point of merging technology and humanity
Gerd Leonhard argues that we are at a turning point in many areas of science and technology. The development we are witnessing is twice as fast as ever. Science fiction is becoming our reality. Machines can already do things that were once possible only for a human being, and in the future they will be able to do even more – from understanding language, recognizing complex images, to using the human body in a very flexible and customizable way. Gerd will talk about what expects in the next 10 years when it comes to the impact of technology on humanity at the Future Tense conference in Zagreb. Leonhard believes that we will be fully dependent on machines in every aspect of our lives in the future. He envisions the merger of man and machine through augmented reality, virtual reality, holograms, implants and interfaces designed through nanotechnology and synthetic biology.
As an example, he says that in five years you won’t have to google where the best sushi restaurant is, or what to eat, since the system will already know where we are, what we need and want to eat, who are we with, and how much money we have at our disposal.
He emphasizes that we must be aware that we are creating the future that comes, and that we will be responsible for it. He is optimistic about the future, but notes that we must practice holistic approach to technology to protect the essence of what it means to be a human. We must not give up humanity in exchange for achieving unlimited intelligence that is not biological. Human technology should be a means of achieving a goal, not a goal and a purpose in itself.
Gerd Leonhard is the author of six books with more than 1,500 engagements in 50 countries in the field of futurology. He also founded TheFuturesAgency, which brings together more than 30 futurists. There are more than 300 companies listed in their portfolio of clients – from financial, media and technology companies to public administration.
Along with Leonhard, Future Tense conference will also host Aric Dromi who will speak about smart cities, David Birch, with support from Addiko Bank, will speak about the future of payments, and food futurologist Morgaine Gaye will talk about the future of food.
For more information about the conference, visit www.futuretense.eu
