Future Trends

All plants extract minerals and nutrients from the soil they're growing in, but some appear to be able to extract metals as well, or at least metal ions that we can in turn extract from the plants. If we can do this at scale, we can use phytomining to get the metals...

As we watch elections in 2024 spanning nearly 70 countries and 4.2 billion people, one thing is clear: the current systems are not working. Voters are not happy and have little enthusiasm for the politicians they can choose between (if they have any real choices at...

ChatGPT, CoPilot, Llama, Bard, Grok, and all the other Generative AI Large Language Models have demonstrated that we can engage with our technology using natural language. Now we need to get our devices to understand the heuristics of requests and actions we ask them...

Water scarcity is becoming a critical issue globally. As the world gets more and more water stressed, those who control water supplies in rivers, lakes, and dams, will exercise more power and restrict access to water to those downstream. This could lead to conflict -...

In our lifetimes we must find a way to end the use of plastic as we use it now so that we stop adding more toxins and pollution to our planet. From innovative cleanup projects to eco-friendly solutions, there are lots of ways that we can make a difference....

Imagine a world in which Rogue Waves made the oceans too dangerous for ships to sail, and we had to stop cruise liners and container ships from sailing. It would change our world as we know it. It is an extreme and alarmist scenario, with one of the worst cases for...

Spider-like robots clambering around the outside of buildings? It looks like something from a sci-fi horror movie, but actually this is the future of the $40 billion window cleaning industry. Robotic window washers. They can do more than clean, though - they do...

A company is suing its own AI chatbot for providing misleading information to a client. I wish I could make up a headline from the future that was better than this - it's actually a real story from February 2024 involving Air Canada. The practical lesson is that we...

Would you trust an AI-driven algorithm to help choose your life partner? If people were honest about the data they entered into these systems, and genuine in their desire to find a true life-partner match, this would definitely be an improvement on the basically...

In the future, we will use smart devices and even implants to monitor our every move, maybe even our thoughts too. How will we use this data? It could be for Big Brother style management of our lives, or it could be for our benefit and wellbeing. That will be up to...

Imagine arriving at the office, and the lighting and aircon are just perfect, there's exactly the right ambient noise, the desk is set up perfectly, the food and drinks easily available are precisely what you need... everything is set up just right to ensure you can...

Imagine we voted for the managers of our teams at work. Imagine our workplaces worked as democracies should. Today's episode has a bit of an activist and culture war tone about it, as I suggest that one possible future for corporations is being more democratic. You...

Come with me to January 2026, when a major company announces a new reward system for the senior Executives: part of your bonus depends on how well you sleep each night. That's right: we are going to measure your sleep and reward you if you do it well. The science is...

Welcome to the first "full on" week of the year and welcome to another year of significant shifts in the world of work. In this video, we look at the ten trends we believe will have the most impact on the workplace and the workforce in the year ahead. For more...

In the first episode of ThrowFordward Thursday in the new year, we apply our "Grey Elephants" framework to give you some scenarios for what might happen in the year ahead. The biggest question is not "what might happen", but rather "are you set up to take advantage of...

This is our final ThrowForward Thursday for 2023, and I look back at the work I have done with 154 different client engagements. There are five big themes that have emerged during the year, and I am sure will continue into 2024: Generative AI Future Trends - TIDES -...

A Texas based company, Cemvita, has proposed using microbes that eat oil and excrete Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide as a solution for both cleaning out oil wells and generating clean energy. This is the final episode of our future energy mini-series.TRANSCRIPT If you...

A different version of ThrowForward Thursday today, as I demonstrate an amazing tool at Oman’s Royal Academy of Management. This is a lesson in how to use data and turn it into something practical. Your organisation needs a Chief Data Analytics Officer, for...

We need new ways to generate energy - methods that don't damage and deplete the resources of our planet. In this episode, we look at two very interesting ideas: ocean thermal and space farm energy sources.TRANSCRIPT One of the defining problems of our age is energy....