WHAT IS A TECHNOLOGY FUTURIST? TOP TECH KEYNOTE SPEAKER BREAKS IT DOWN

A technology futurist is someone who analyzes current technological trends and analyzes or sometimes makes predictions about how high-tech solutions will develop and impact society in the future. A few things that you might find helpful to know about them would be that their work often encompasses the following activities:

• Staying on top of current developments and breakthroughs as a technology futurist in areas like artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and quantum computing. A futurist consultant follows tech news, attends conferences, reads research papers, and talks to innovators to learn about emerging technologies.
• Considering the potential benefits, risks, and implications of new technologies. A technology futurist thinks critically about how technologies could be used for good or ill, and how they might disrupt industries, transform lifestyles, or raise ethical dilemmas.
• Making thoughtful projections about future technological capabilities and societal impacts. Drawing on their broad knowledge, technology futurists craft possible scenarios of how society might evolve as innovations like AI, brain-computer interfaces, autonomous vehicles, etc. advance and become widespread.
• Providing strategic advice to companies, governments and the public about future planning. Given their forward-looking expertise, futurists may advise clients on how to prepare for and adapt to the tech landscape of 5-30 years from now.
• Communicating ideas engagingly to various audiences. To share their visions of the future, technology futurists often speak at events, write books and articles, and appear in media interviews. Strong communication skills are vital.

In terms of what they’re hoping to accomplish, technology futurists work to promote more informed thinking about the meaning and direction of technological change. They aim to understand the potential impacts of emerging technologies, separating hype from reality.