After Dinner Speakers
Speaker, Start-up Founder, Bestselling Author, Radio Host, TV Commentator
The 21st century is going to be the most disruptive, contentious period humanity has ever lived through. It will challenge our most sacred ideologies around politics, economics and social constructs. It will force humanity to adapt in ways we can’t yet imagine.
There is much to be highly optimistic about, but it will require humanity to unite in respect to our collective goals and purpose. With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) we are on the verge of perhaps solving the biggest mysteries of the universe. AI will allow us to automate society to provide untold abundance and prosperity, but it brings with it vast disruption to our current working practices. We will soon have the technology to extend our lifespan, to make humanity a multi-planetary species, and to provide for the basic needs of every man, woman and child on the planet, but will this be widely distributed or only for the richest?
The future holds much promise, but today we have the global pandemic, the worst inequality in centuries, emerging large-scale techno-unemployment from AI, and the impact of climate change – creating the worst economic uncertainty the world has ever faced. How do we transition into an optimal future for humanity when we see growing chaos and uncertainty? Join us at this exclusive keynote for TransUnion as we explore together our possible futures and choices.
AUGMENTED: Life in the Smart Lane
The internet and smartphone are just the latest in a 250 year long cycle of disruption that has continuously changed the way we live, the way we work and the way we interact. The coming Augmented Age, however, promises a level of disruption, behavioral shifts and changes that are unparalleled. While consumers today are camping outside of an Apple store waiting to be one of the first to score an Apple Watch, the next generation of wearables will be able to predict if we’re likely to have a heart attack and recommend a course of action. We watch news of Google’s self-driving cars, but don’t likely realize this means progressive cities will have to ban human drives in the next decade because us humans are too risky.
Following on from the Industrial or Machine Age, the Space Age and the Digital Age, the Augmented Age is based on four disruptive themes – Artificial Intelligence, Experience Design, Health Tech and Smart Infrastructure. Historically the previous ‘ages’ bought significant disruption and changes, but on a net basis the jobs were created, wealth was enhanced, and the health and security of society improved. What will the Augmented Age bring? Will robots take our jobs, and AI’s subsume us as inferior intelligences, or will this usher in a new age of abundance? Augmented age is a book on future history, but more than that, it is a story about how you will live your life in a world that will change more in the next 20 years than it has in the last 250 years.
Bank 4.0 – Banking Everywhere, but not at a bank
Banks are in trouble. It’s not just the likes of HSBC, Deutsche and Citibank who have shrunk their branch and office footprint to a fraction of their previous glory. Every bank in the modern world that is dependent on branch revenue is in virtual survival mode, hoping for a miraculous reversal of emerging customer behavior. In countries like China, Kenya and 20 other countries in Africa alone, mobile payments far exceed those made using traditional bank accounts and artefacts. The most efficient credit risk models aren’t owned by banks anymore. The best investment advice is coming from algorithms and robo-advisors that can adapt your portfolio in real-time as markets shift. Assets, identities, and transactions are being transmitted on blockchains, tangles and hashes that make old payment networks look obsolete and unsafe. Banking has been blown apart.
The banking system of tomorrow is being built from first principles today – in the same way Elon Musk built SpaceX and Steve Jobs designed the iPhone. Just ask yourself, if we were building the banking system today, from scratch with all the technology and knowledge we have, would you end up with Bank branches that require a signature on a piece of paper before issuing you a passbook or a checkbook? No way. Bank 4.0 is about the banking system that we’re building today and why most banks won’t survive to see that day.
