On October 8, Grey Swan Guild hosted its First Great Debate that shone a light on discussions people are having about the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and which way the future will tilt. For the occasion, a group of 8 thought leaders were convened, with 3 topics and 1 goal: to sensemake around challengesContinueContinue reading “The Great Grey Swan Debate”
Category Archives: Futures Thinking
Museum of the Future – Pandemic artifacts
What if everyday objects from 2020 became museum objects for our future generations to reflect on? Imagine a collection of pandemic artifacts. Post your own pictures on social media using the hashtag #siliconhumanism. California, 2020. Collection of face masks during the 2020 global pandemic of coronavirus in a family of 5 during shelter-in-place. Kids agedContinueContinue reading “Museum of the Future – Pandemic artifacts”
2021: A Breath Odyssey
2020 had been a whirlwind of a journey through an oxygen-deprived world. A journey that kicked off with breath-taking hearings, indicators of the contaminated atmosphere. A journey during which we were blind-sighted by a novel virus, forcing us to hold our breaths for a prolonged apnea our species was not equipped for. A journey duringContinueContinue reading “2021: A Breath Odyssey”
Transhumanism: blurry boundaries between treatment and enhancement
“First of all, there is a very blurry boundary between human treatment and human enhancement. We have entered a field, where medical and technological achievements can both serve the persons in need and increase capacities of others. For example, we have found remedies for blind people to recover eyesight. But the same research enables toContinueContinue reading “Transhumanism: blurry boundaries between treatment and enhancement”
The Lone Leader
This text is a fiction piece addressing the topic “Emergent Leadership in the Wake of a Pandemic” and focusing on defining one’s identity as a leader in the new paradigm. The fiction illustrates what it is like to be an entitled leader and still feel lonely and useless, as remote work has overly exposed usContinueContinue reading “The Lone Leader”
Generation Zoom children learning about their roots
This text is an excerpt from the Chapter “The Generation Zoom Classroom” published in the book “Aftershocks & Opportunities: Scenarios for a Post-Pandemic Future” by Fast Future Publishing. If you enjoy the text, feel free to read the full chapter and the entire collection of chapters, available on Fast Future Publishing’s store and on Amazon.ContinueContinue reading “Generation Zoom children learning about their roots”
We (Will) Remain Social Animals
This text has been originally published on the Grey Swan Guild’s website. Read it in full. The COVID crisis has separated individuals in many ways, but even when distant, human beings are resourceful and inventive at connecting. All along the human life cycle, literally from cradle to grave, the pandemic has highlighted that we cravedContinueContinue reading “We (Will) Remain Social Animals”
How to develop a Futurist Mindset – and why it is even more important now!
https://youtu.be/SdK67X21Rhg Interview Sylvia Gallusser – How to develop a Futurist Mindset and Futures Thinking skills Sylvia Gallusser talks to Akanksha Kulkarni about transhumanism, the future of the mind and how to develop a futurist mindset. Watch the entire episode on peopleHum’s Leadership video series to know more. [Transcript] As futurists like to quote William Gibson:ContinueContinue reading “How to develop a Futurist Mindset – and why it is even more important now!”
The Job Market and the Future of Work after COVID
https://youtu.be/IzfEYDKX8oY Interview Sylvia Gallusser – The Job Market and the Future of Work after COVID Sylvia Gallusser talks to Akanksha Kulkarni about transhumanism, the future of the mind and how to develop a futurist mindset. Watch the entire episode on peopleHum’s Leadership video series to know more. [Transcript] We don’t have the full picture yet,ContinueContinue reading “The Job Market and the Future of Work after COVID”
Key Challenges during a Startup’s Rapid Growth (Futurists can help!)
https://youtu.be/rAk_TvzAwMA Interview Sylvia Gallusser – Key Challenges during a startup’s rapid growth Sylvia Gallusser talks to Akanksha Kulkarni about transhumanism, the future of the mind and how to develop a futurist mindset. Watch the entire episode on peopleHum’s Leadership video series to know more. [Transcript] If you want your business to flourish, you need roomContinueContinue reading “Key Challenges during a Startup’s Rapid Growth (Futurists can help!)”
About Transhumanism and Monitoring the Future of the Mind
https://youtu.be/qGiUhA92CAo June 18, Interview with Sylvia Gallusser, Futurist, Researcher & Author @Silicon Humanism Sylvia Gallusser talks to Akanksha Kulkarni about transhumanism, the future of the mind and how to develop a futurist mindset. Watch the entire episode on peopleHum’s Leadership video series to know more. [Transcript] I wouldn’t say I believe in transhumanism, but IContinueContinue reading “About Transhumanism and Monitoring the Future of the Mind”
How Do You Listen To Signals From The Future? Here’s How I Do It…
Scanning our current environment in search for signals is a large part of a futurist’s everyday job. Once you have identified a signal from the future, you interpret what kind of change it represents, what driving force is at work in the background, and finally what it would mean if this signal were to beContinueContinue reading “How Do You Listen To Signals From The Future? Here’s How I Do It…”
Live longer, but live longer in good health!
As we are facing the “Caregiving cliff” (in a near future, the number of seniors needing care will greatly exceed the supply of available caregivers), our society is facing major issues as to how to care for the elderly: Seniors are often considered as a cost to society, more or less visible – direct costContinueContinue reading “Live longer, but live longer in good health!”
Happy Future Day!
It is now the seventh year that The Future has an annual celebration day – not everybody is as lucky as us futurists to celebrate the Future every morning! (And I am not talking about Back to the Future Day which occurred October 21, 2015). Future Day is March 1 and exhibits its goal, inContinueContinue reading “Happy Future Day!”
The Future of Dating: Redefining Chemistry
This one is a small Future Fiction piece. Enjoy! Paris May 23rd 2023 She put the phone to her ear, called out “Hello?” louder than she had originally intended, paused, followed up with a “Yes, this is she…” with a slightly lower pitch – hoping it was the volume expected from someone taking a realContinueContinue reading “The Future of Dating: Redefining Chemistry”
The Future of Caregiving (2/2): Let’s start acting today!
Family caregivers have become the backbone of long-term care services. But as the average life expectancy in developed countries rises by 2-3 years every ten calendar years, whereas the Total Fertility Rate has been halved in 60 years, we won’t have the capacity to meet the demand for caregivers. We are heading toward the caregivingContinueContinue reading “The Future of Caregiving (2/2): Let’s start acting today!”
The Future of Caregiving (1/2): The Caregiving Cliff
Family caregivers have become the backbone of long-term care services. But as the average life expectancy in developed countries rises by 2-3 years every ten calendar years, whereas the Total Fertility Rate has been halved in 60 years, we won’t have the capacity to meet the demand for caregivers. We are heading toward the “caregivingContinueContinue reading “The Future of Caregiving (1/2): The Caregiving Cliff”
The Human Brain is the Best Time Travel Machine!
I never stop being fascinated by the human brain and how it thinks about time. I am particularly fond of understanding the place of the future in our thoughts and in our brain circuits! 30 years ago, brain scientists made a surprising discovery. Randy Bruckner, graduate student at Washington University in Saint Louis, found outContinueContinue reading “The Human Brain is the Best Time Travel Machine!”
What is Product-Zeitgeist Fit?
I have witnessed startups launch new products or launch existing products in new markets for the past 15 years. One thing I can say for sure is that success mostly depends on the Product-Market Fit. Or so we’ve been told. According to leading VC fund Andreessen Horowitz, “Product/market fit means being in a good marketContinueContinue reading “What is Product-Zeitgeist Fit?”
Top Resources for Futures Thinkers
So there it is! I’ve put down on paper my list of favorite resources as a futurist living in Silicon Valley. The list is non-exhaustive and evolving. Please feel free to share your own – I’d be happy to consider additions! Noticeable companies Google X, the moonshot factory (American semi-secret research and development facility andContinueContinue reading “Top Resources for Futures Thinkers”
Silicon Humanism 