The Future of Something Annoying..Passwords

In this episode, we deeply dive into something we all find annoying, passwords.  We explore the challenges surrounding passwords today, the cost of password-related fraud and theft, and then explore the future of human factor authentication with expert and AuthID.ai CEO Tom Thimot.  Join me as we pull back the curtains and learn about the next generation of authentication.



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Kevin Benedict
Partner | Futurist at TCS
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Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
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***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 Future of Sports and the Importance of Integrity

Our guest in this episode is Katie Simmonds, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of SIGA, the Sports Integrity Global Alliance.  We take a deep dive into the role integrity plays in the global sports industry which is projected to reach US $40.2 billion by 2026.  We discuss the importance of creating and defending a culture of honesty, transparency, fairness, accountability, and equality in sports.  We look ahead at the future of sports - developments in science, technology, medicine, and therapies that will likely change the world of sports in significant ways. We explore the impact of artificial intelligence, automation, content creation, and augmented realities on sports and athletes.  Sports is a BIG business today, and everyone involved will benefit by embracing standards of integrity.


To read more about the future of sports check out, The Future of Sports Integrity, Part 1.

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Kevin Benedict
Partner | 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.

What the Metaverse Could Mean for Retail

My wife and I are enthusiastic backpackers.  We buy gear that is ultralight and designed to take the abuse of rugged wilderness environments.  For many years we have frequented the outdoor equipment store REI to purchase our clothing, gear and supplies.  Recently, however, REI has stopped stocking their stores with a full range of products.  They only seem to stock a small selection of sizes and colors, and refer you to their website for all other options.  

As an example, on a recent trip to REI, I had a shopping list of four items. Each time I asked a customer service person about one of the products on my list, I was given the same answer, "Visit our website... we don't carry it in our stores."  

On the way home I felt disappointment. The trip seemed both a waste of time and fuel.  Is the disappointment I felt shared by tens of thousands of other customers?  If so, will this shared disappointment lead to the demise, or the transformation of physical stores?  

The Future of Ecosystems in Architecture, Engineering and Construction

A fascinating deep dive into the rapidly emerging world of ecosystems and digital transformation in architecture, engineering and construction. Our guest is acclaimed author, architect and Autodesk expert Olivier Lepinoy. 



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Kevin Benedict
Partner | 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 Future of Sports Integrity, Part 2

In Part 1 of this series we discussed the future of sports integrity, its meaning, and what makes sports entertaining and compelling to watch and participate in.  We covered the economics of integrity, and how a loss of integrity has a direct impact on the bottomline of sports' ecosystems.  We then identified some of the significant scientific and medical advances that will likely help humans improve their athletic performances, health, injury rehabilitations and prolong their athletic careers in the future.  Many of these advances will need to be studied, evaluated and ultimately absorbed into sports in a manner that preserves the integrity of the sport.

Growth and Innovation:

In Part 2, we explore technologies and innovations that will impact sports, sports integrity and sports ecosystems in the future.  The global sports technology market was valued at US $ 17.9 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach US $40.2 billion by 2026. Growth is forecasted in data-driven decision-making, operations, increased audience engagement, and an increase in online and offline sporting events.

A World Economic Forum report recently found that 76% of consumers today prefer to spend on experiences in the form of live sports or music concerts over material possessions.  These findings represent a positive signal for sports technology innovators that are working on improving the digital experiences for sports fans.

Investors are well aware of the emerging opportunities in the sports ecosystem, in fact, TechCrunch quoted Gayatri Sarkar, Managing Partner at Hype Capital as predicting, “The sports market has the opportunity to be a multi-trillion-dollar ecosystem with technological advances such as 5G, digital collectible trading and the rise of esports, which will fuel new market and social behavior."

The Current and Future State of Social Media and the C-Suite

In this FOBtv episode, I interview social media expert Paul Parmley about the current and future state of social media in the context of the C-Suite.  What has the C-Suite learned, how are today's leaders using social media and what are the trends.  It is a fascinating discussion!


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Kevin Benedict
Partner | 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 Future of Our Human Experience

The world is increasingly a place that is both unfamiliar and unfriendly to our brains.  Global networks, complex digital systems, massive volumes of data, digital speeds, automated decision-making and persistent communications have all emerged this century and they are challenging the quality of our human experience. Already nearing our mind's limits to absorb change, we must quickly find ways to adapt.

The relatively slow speed of our physical and mental evolution over thousands of years seems to have been left behind in an instant by the unimaginable speed of digital evolution.  How are today's humans to adapt in only a lifetime?

It appears likely that our brains will increasingly be fed on digital stimuli.  It doesn't take a futurist to look around and see that we are all being irresistibly drawn deeper into the digital world.  The results being our future will increasingly involve our brains, and those of our children and grandchildren, being formed, influenced and sustained on digital stimuli.  Is this stimuli good for us?  Will it make us healthier and happier?

The Pandemic Impact on Procurement and Spend with SAP Expert Etosha Thurman

How has the global pandemic impacted procurement?  How long will the impact last?  What have we learned from this experience?  All of these questions and more are discussed in this important interview with Etosha Thurman, SAP's Chief Marketing & Solution Officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP.


************************************************************************
Kevin Benedict
Partner | 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 Future of Sports Integrity, Part 1

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the SIGA (Sports Integrity Global Alliance) conference at the Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon, Portugal.  In preparation for speaking, I researched the business of sports and the critical role of integrity in it.

Sports are games.  People participate in and watch games to experience competitors struggling within a set of rules to overcome and succeed.  At its bare essentials, sports involves a relatable struggle.  A young man or women overcoming a traumatic childhood, poverty, violence, broken relationships, injuries, etc., to become a winner.  This can be highly entertaining, and audiences are willing to spend billions of dollars for the opportunity to watch this struggle unfold.

Chasing Future Meaning

The massive volume of new data surrounding us is growing at an extraordinary rate.  This data plus its meaning and the the value it offers will inform the winners and losers of tomorrow.

It's not that individual bits of data have such great value on their own, rather it's the combinations of data from different sources, and their combined meaning that is golden.  The challenge of course is finding and combining all the data sources and their meanings into something really useful, and trusted.  

Often we can find data, but we don't know its accuracy, source or trustworthiness.  We also don't often have a lot of time to find, combine and refine the data sources and their combined meaning.  We need blockchain like processes that can include the source of data, its meaning and how it can be combined with other sources to reveal new insights.

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Leadership Advice from a Futurist - A Reading

Leadership is hard.  So for all the leaders and want-to-be leaders out there, here is some advice that I hope you will find useful. ***...