Nikola Danaylov is a Futurist Philosopher, Bestselling Author, and Keynote Speaker.

He translates complex technological trends into simple stories that help clients embrace rather than fear the future, deal with Accelerating Change – aka Future Shock, and give birth to their best ideas.

His Conversations with the Future is an International bestseller and his pioneering Singularity.FM podcast was the first in the world on topics such as AI, which is why Danaylov has been called the “Larry King of the Singularity.”

Source: Gerd Featured Colleagues

Future human behaviour, leadership & business strategy

Thimon de Jong (1977) founded WHETSTON, a strategic foresight think tank based in Amsterdam. WHETSTON explores the future of human behaviour, societal trends and generational change. These insights are then applied to leadership and business strategy. Thimon is an experienced (virtual) keynote speaker and leadership trainer and has worked for clients like Morgan Stanley, Vodafone, IKEA, Novartis, Nike, Microsoft, Warner, Tetra Pak and L’Oréal. Thimon also lectures at the social psychology department of Utrecht University. He is a former insights & strategy director at TrendsActive, a researcher at FreedomLab Future Studies and editor-in-chief of RELOAD Magazine. His first book, Future Human Behavior – Understanding What People Are Going To Do Next was published in 2023 by Routledge.

Source: Gerd Featured Colleagues

Dave Edwards is a Co-Founder of the Artificiality Institute.

He previously co-founded Intelligentsia.ai, an artificial intelligence market research firm that was acquired by Atlantic Media. Following the acquisition, he continued his work at Quartz, a subsidiary of Atlantic Media.

Before co-founding Intelligentsia.ai, Dave Edwards worked at companies such as Apple, CRV, Macromedia, Morgan Stanley, and ThinkEquity.

The Artificiality Institute, which Dave Edwards co-founded, is described as a non-profit research organization focused on shaping the human experience in a world increasingly influenced by synthetic intelligence. The institute aims to explore the co-evolution of humans and AI through research, design, and public storytelling.

Charles Ess is a distinguished Professor in Media Studies at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo.

He is known for his extensive work at the intersection of philosophy, computational technologies, applied ethics, comparative philosophy and religion, and media studies.

Tracey Follows is a professional futurist and works with clients on long-term strategies, including Telefonica, Google, Sky, Farfetch, Conde Nast, and Virgin. She writes and speaks on Futures, appearing in a global list of 50 female futurists in Forbes.

She has spoken at UN HQ, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and at events such as Think With Google. She has appeared on BBC Business Matters, is a go-to futurist for many national press titles, and is a contributor columnist in Forbes.

She was an Adage ‘Woman to Watch’ 2017, Women in Marketing Award Winner for Outstanding Contribution to Marketing 2016, and Inaugural Creative Strategy Jury President at Cannes Lions 2019. In 2018, she was listed by Business Cloud as a Trailblazing Woman in Tech. She is a member of the Association of Professional Futurists, World Futures Studies Federation, and a Fellow of the RSA.

Source: Google Books

Elizabeth Florescu is Director of Research of The Millennium Project. She has been with the Project since 1997.

Elizabeth is an economist and analyst-programmer with over 20 years of experience in futures research. She was also policy analyst at the European Commission (2016-2019) and has done extensive work in operational research (using fuzzy logic), foreign trade, diplomacy, and security-related domains.

Source: Millennium Project page

Mind Opener, Paradigm Shifter, Narrative therapist

Aline is a visionary thinker and innovator dedicated to fostering “Shifts in Minds for Shifts in Action.” With over 25 years of experience, she empowers individuals and organizations to rethink their mental maps and reshape their landscapes.

Aline’s unique approach equips people with the power and freedom to change how and what they think, thereby asserting their individual and collective agency over the Future. Her expertise lies in challenging commonly held beliefs and perceptions, encouraging the exploration of uncharted territories with imagination and vision.

Source: Gerd Featured Colleagues

Professor Jennifer Gidley, PhD
Author, Climate Educator, Psychologist, Futures Researcher.
Forbes “World’s Top 50 Female Futurists” List.

Jennifer is a global thought leader and advocate for human-centred futures in an era of hi-tech hype.

She is unique in the Futures world for her exceptional scholarship, mature wisdom, and grounded understanding of people as they face an increasingly uncertain world. Her inspiring human-centred insights speak to all audiences and enable hopeful, yet practical, strategies for creating better futures.

Jennifer’s most recent project is the founding of Global Futures Education, as a platform to provide high-level online education for professionals and executives. Over several years she has created a series of executive-level online courses on ‘Grand Global Futures Challenges and Solutions’.

Source: Website

A graduate in political science and a doctor of sociology, I am director of the center for study, research and consulting in prospective, SAS proGective , and an associate of Yonders .

My main activity is to support decision-makers, both public and private, in their thinking, strategies and forward-looking approaches, in France and abroad.

To achieve this, I conduct prospective research on major topics relevant to evolution. As part of this, I develop and deliver lectures on the topics to which I devote my work. I also write and publish articles, books, and posts.

My passion is exploring uncharted territory. For over a decade, I’ve been working on the Great Transition we’re currently experiencing, and the chaotic, VUCA world it’s creating. Since 2018, I’ve been devoting my last decade of research to the emerging X.0 development model.

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a tremendous springboard for the aspirations, creativity, and diverse awareness that have emerged. World X.0 has never seemed so close. I hope to make a significant contribution to its implementation.

Source: Website

For 40+ years, I taught at California State University, Dominguez Hills—on Global Futures, Peace/Nonviolence, and Intercultural/Interfaith topics, with about 90 articles published in these areas, books forthcoming, and participation in global-local professional and community organizations active in these areas. I also taught at other universities in the U.S., Canada, Japan, & Europe.

Mission Statement

To me the only “game in town” is how we human beings are going to learn to live together on this planet, in a way that not only lets us survive, but increasingly meets the needs of people on this planet, so that human creativity and spirit can be unleashed and humanity as a whole and in its wonderful diversity can evolve, using technology to improve our lives, while also living in harmony with, and as caretakers of, our natural environment, planet earth.  I am committed to do my small part to see that these goals are achieved. The human journey is also one of pushing back ever more boundaries to explore the infinity of our outer and inner lives and realities. This is the ultimate human journey and future of human evolution.

Patrick Dixon is Chairman of Global Change Ltd, author of 16 books on global trends including The Future of Almost Everything, and has been ranked as one of the 20 most influential business thinkers alive today (Thinkers 50).

Dr. Patrick Dixon has been ranked as one of the 20 most influential business thinkers alive today *. He has worked with or advised over 400 of the world’s largest corporations on strategy, global trends, innovation, and risk management.  More than 500,000 pages on tens of thousands of websites refer to his work. He is Chairman of Global Change Ltd, a growth strategy and forecasting company, and a physician by first training.

Source: Gerd Featured Colleagues

Ross Dawson is globally recognized as a leading futurist, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, strategy advisor, and bestselling author.

Strong demand for Ross’s expertise has seen him deliver keynote speeches and executive workshops in over 30 countries across six continents. Ross also consults leading organizations worldwide such as American Express, Citibank, Coca-Cola, Dubai Ministry of Finance, EY, Gartner, Google, Macquarie Bank, News Limited, Procter & Gamble, PwC, Star Alliance, Visa, and many other leading organizations.

Source: Gerd Featured Colleagues

Jerome C. Glenn co-founded and directs The Millennium Project, a leading global participatory think tank supported by international organizations, governments, corporations, and NGOs, which produces the internationally recognized State of the Future annual reports for the past 16 years.

Jerome Glenn invented the “Futures Wheel”, a futures assessment technique; Futuristic Curriculum Development, and concepts such as conscious-technology, transinstitutions, tele-nations, management by understanding, feminine brain drain, just-in-time knowledge, feelysis, nodes as a management concept for interconnecting global and local views and actions, and definitions of environmental security, Collective Intelligence, and scenarios.

Peter H. Diamandis (/ˌdiːəˈmændɪs/ DEE-ə-MAN-diss; born May 20, 1961) is an American engineer, physician,and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder and chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, and the cofounder and executive chairman of Singularity University.

He is also cofounder and former CEO of the Zero Gravity Corporation, cofounder and vice chairman of Space Adventures Ltd., founder and chairman of the Rocket Racing League, cofounder of the International Space University, cofounder of Planetary Resources, cofounder of Celularity, founder of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, and vice chairman and cofounder of Human Longevity, Inc.

Source: Wikipedia

Lex Fridman (born 15 August 1983) is an American computer scientist and podcaster. Since 2018, he has hosted the Lex Fridman Podcast, where he interviews notable figures from various fields such as science, technology, sports, and politics.

Fridman rose to prominence in 2019 after Elon Musk praised a study Fridman authored at MIT, which concluded that drivers remained focused while using Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system. The study was criticized by AI experts and was not peer-reviewed. That year Fridman transitioned to an unpaid role at MIT AgeLab, and since 2022 has worked as a research scientist at the MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS).] As of February 2024, Fridman lives in Texas but is still paid by MIT and is on campus “regularly”.

What happened in tech that mattered, and what did it mean? Once a week, I send an email newsletter to close to 200,000 people – I pick out the changes and ideas you don’t want to miss in all the noise, and give them context and analysis.

What matters in tech? What’s going on, what might it mean, and what will happen next?

I’ve spent 20 years analysing mobile, media and technology, and worked in equity research, strategy, consulting and venture capital. I’m now an independent analyst. Mostly, that means trying to work out what questions to ask.

I write essays about things I’m trying to understand, and a weekly newsletter with 175,000 subscribers, and give presentations pulling together these ideas.

What happened in tech that mattered, and what did it mean? Once a week, I send an email newsletter to close to 200,000 people – I pick out the changes and ideas you don’t want to miss in all the noise, and give them context and analysis.

Source: Website

Ina Fried (born December 17, 1974), formerly Ian Fried, is an American journalist for Axios. Prior to that, she was senior editor for All Things Digital and a senior staff writer for CNET Network’s News.com, and worked for Re/code.

She is a frequent commenter on technology news on National Public Radio and local television news, and for other print and broadcast outlets.

Source: Wikipedia

James Allen Dator is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, Department of Political Science, and Adjunct Professor in the College of Architecture, of the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Co-Chair and Core Lecturer, Space Humanities, International Space University, Strasbourg, France; Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Futures Strategy, Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon, Korea, and former President, World Futures Studies Federation.  He is editor-in-chief of the World Futures Review. He also taught at Rikkyo University (Tokyo, for six years), the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, the University of Toronto, and the InterUniversity Consortium for Postgraduate Studies in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia.

He received a BA in Ancient and Medieval History and Philosophy from Stetson University, an MA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Political Science from The American University. He did post-graduate work at Virginia Theological Seminary (Ethics and Church History), Yale University (Japanese Language), The University of Michigan (Linguistics and Quantitative Methods), Southern Methodist University (Mathematical Applications in Political Science).