Tuesday's Keynote: Gerd Leonhard Says, "The Future is Here, We Just Have to Pay Attention"

Futurist Gerd Leonhard has an optimistic view of the future. Leonhard – CEO of The Futures Agency and Founder of The Good Future Project – is a leading voice on the future of technology. His opening statement, “The future is here, we just have to pay attention,” set the tone for a talk on the future of supply chain and technology in general.

Recent innovations in AI and technology have been overwhelming. The result? 72 percent of Americans think AI is the end of the world. Between AI, rapidly changing technology and climate change, there’s a feeling that the future will not be positive, but Leonhard doesn't agree. According to him, while we have problems, we also have an increasingly higher capacity to solve those problems, and if past trends continue, increased innovation will lead to more jobs.

According to Leonhard, the one thing AI will never do is to act like a human, with mistakes and emotion. But with AI, our capacity to work better – and differently – is increasing exponentially. 

Leonhard says there are three revolutions currently taking place – the digital revolution, the sustainability revolution and the purpose revolution – and the next 10 years will bring more change than the previous 100. Of the technology that will be introduced, which include technology in information, bio, energy & climate and AI, supply chain touches them all.

Other game-changing breakthroughs happening now include synthetic biology (including synthetic meat), 3D printing and bio fuel, as well as Apple Vision Pro, a new product which will reinvent television.

But back to AI – some interesting takeaways Leonhard talked about included:

• AI is useful as a way to turn information and data into knowledge.
• AI is good at replacing routine – so if you work like a robot, a robot will take your job. 
• AI is frequently wrong but never in doubt. It’s a power tool – and it can be dangerous.
• If you don’t understand what AI does and what it could do for you, that’s a problem.
• With generative and conversational AI, the less accomplished worker can do more with AI tools, but the really accomplished worker can make exponential leaps using the same tools.

Leonhard ended with, once again, an optimistic statement – “The future is better than you think.”