Kevin Benedict Ponders the Future

I recently read an article written by four professors from large universities.  The purpose of the article was to convince the reader that GPT-4, and other large language models are not significant or worth our interest.  Were we testing the same LLM system?  I am giddy with the potential! I am also a veteran futurist with over three decades in the technology industry, and I can confidently say that GPT-4 is the most impressive technology I have seen in my career.  In fact, Bill Gates, calls it the biggest technology leap since 1980. I am not saying LLMs are perfect, but they are certainly incredible.  I can ask for a list of emerging technologies and trends in a particular industry and it will produce a comprehensive list comparable to my own manually researched list.  I can ask GPT-4 to find trends most analysts have missed.  It will competently generate a list of little known developments, and then describe their potential impact on an industry.  I am amazed.   I asked GPT-4 to cons

In my work as a futurist, everything I read lately seems to suggest a need to become more "media literate". What is media literacy?  ChatGPT describes it as follows, "Media literacy refers to the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media. It involves a set of critical thinking skills that enable individuals to navigate the complex and rapidly evolving media landscape , identify credible sources of information, and make informed decisions about what to consume and how to interpret media messages." Just this week, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, acknowledged under oath, that his news commentators endorsed many falsehoods knowingly to keep their audiences happy and agitated.  Tens of millions of people were influenced by these false accusations - a siren call for media literacy.   AI generated version of me Our future will include tsunamis of falsehoods from not only our own internal sources, but from our enemies'.  All of us are going to be exposed to inf

Digital Mindset This article was created in collaboration with ChatGPT, Dall-e, and myself. As organizations continue to undergo digital transformation, leaders must adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Here are some essential mindset attributes that leaders need today: Agility: In the rapidly changing digital landscape, leaders must be agile and able to pivot quickly to keep up with market demands and emerging technologies. Customer-centricity: A customer-centric mindset is crucial in today's digital world. Leaders must understand their customers' needs and preferences and use digital tools to create a seamless customer experience. Growth mindset: Leaders must have a growth mindset and be willing to learn and experiment. They must be open to new ideas and technologies and willing to take risks to drive innovation. Collaboration: Digital transformation requires collaboration across teams and departments. Leaders must foster a culture of collaboration and encourage cross-f

I have been having all kinds of fun with OpenAI's Dall-e for art, and ChatGPT for answers, research, testing and jokes.  Let's talk about ChatGPT and jokes.  It is not very good at writing funny jokes.  It has an academic understanding of what jokes are, but it finds it difficult to deliver them.  Out of hundreds of attempts, here are a few of the best jokes ChatGPT could come up with: Why did the Luddite start using social media? So he could complain about it.  Why did the bioengineer create a new species of bacteria that can glow in the dark? To shed some light on the subject. When asked what he was working on the bioengineer answered, “I could tell you, but then I'd have to genetically modify you." How many Luddite farmers does it take to change a light bulb? None, they prefer candles. What do you get when you cross a Luddite with a Time Machine?  A trip to the past no one wanted.  Here's the thing with the above jokes - they almost worked.  I had to tweak them

In this episode, author and TCS Strategic Foresight Consultant, Adam Boostrom, walks us through the role AI will soon play in finding M&A matches. We discuss the current process for finding quality M&A candidates and the challenges of making them successful.  We then explore how fast growing AI and machine learning technologies could make that process far more efficient and data-driven in the future. Download the full report here. ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Futurist at TCS View my profile on LinkedIn Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Join the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

The reality of information is entirely contained in the speed of its dissemination. ~ Paul Virilio Even the best data has a shelf life.  Its value diminishes quickly with the passing of time.  In a world of moving customers, employees, vehicles, subcontractors, materials, suppliers, etc., knowing what is happening at a precise time is critical for decision-making, scheduling and planning.  If some information is 90 minutes old, other information is 45 minutes old, and still other information is available in real-time - you are going to have a real challenge integrating that information and forming an accurate and clear picture of reality at a particular moment! Optimal efficiency and accuracy in the scenario above can only be achieved when the speed of information collection and dissemination is coordinated and in near real-time.  This means having networks and sensors in place to capture data, and integrating it to present an accurate digital twin of reality - in real-time. For many i

In this episode, we discuss the new book, “Doing Digital, The Guide to Digital for Non-Technical Leaders” with author and expert Ved Sen.  I have known Ved for many years and he is a powerful and compelling communicator and insightful advisor to leaders globally.  We take a deep dive into why smartphones are the remote control for the world, we learn why it is important for leaders to understand, “presence,” and why it is critical to consider rapidly evolving interfaces and the notion of living in a network. ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Futurist at TCS View my profile on LinkedIn Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Join the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

2022 has been a great year for insightful guests and interviews.  I have enjoyed every guest we interviewed for  FOBtv .  Some even took us deep into the future and left us hungry for more.  I hope you enjoy the following selections as much as I did. What Do You Believe about the Future with Futurist Gerd Leonhard How Humans Learned to See the Future with Futurist Byron Reese The Past, Present and Future of the Digital Workplace with Expert Ashok Krish 2020 Revisited with Cornell Tech’s Greg Morrisett  The Future of Income, Careers and Human Potential with Alex Whittington Winning the Right Game - Ecosystem Business Strategies with Dr. Ron Adner The Future of Climate Risk with Expert Steve Bennett The Future of Safety with Expert Christoffer Malm Understanding the Future and How to Prepare with David Espindola The Future of Eldercare with Expert Ved Sen ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Futurist at TCS View my profile on LinkedIn

To save you the time of reading through large numbers of good jokes about the future in order to find the bad ones, I have done it for you. However, after some more thought and depending on your sense of humor, the worst might also be the best.  Enjoy! I am working on a few jokes about the future of humans in the workforce, but none of them seem to work. Country music bands are already singing about how their autonomous self driving pickup trucks will leave them in the future. I recently advised a CEO to fire all employees who were mimes, and then to replace them with people who could think outside the box. The past, the present and the future walk into a bar - just not, of course, at the same time. Meanwhile in agriculture, the new trend is for farmers to feed cannabis to beef cows - it’s risky, but potentially lucrative and the steaks are high. How many futurist does it take to change a light bulb?  It depends on the scenario. This year’s report on the future of the textile industry

In the course of my work as a futurist I interview many authors, experts, leaders and other futurists, and in between I research, speak at events, record podcasts and publish articles.  I spent some time this week reviewing the articles I wrote in 2022, and selecting some of the better ones for your reference and pondering. Starting at the Finish Line Giving Our Own Moral Codes to Robots The Inevitable Minimization of Human Decision-Making Time Passes on a One-Way Street The Future of Speed, Time and Consequences The Loss of Distance and Justification to Worry The Cultural Trait that Changed the World The Future of Our Human Experience Preparing for the Future: Operating in Three Time Dimensions ************************************************************************ Kevin Benedict Futurist at TCS View my profile on LinkedIn Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict Join the Linkedin Group Digital Intelligence ***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly