The world faces extraordinary geopolitical challenges. Dr. Malmgren describes a Hot War in Cold Places (the Arctic, space and deep tech) and a Cold War in Hot Places (Africa, the Pacific), well beyond Ukraine. China and the US are racing to establish a presence on the moon and infrastructure in space, and space-based technology may deliver solutions to Earth-bound problems, from space-based solar power to asteroid mining and global connectivity.
Meanwhile technological innovation, especially in AI, is moving faster than our capacity to understand it. As a former manufacturer of robotics, automation and AI-led software, she explains why the future lies in "shardware", where hardware and software combine to create value, and why the reach for abundance could lead to either conflict or a peaceful resolution of geopolitics on Earth.
Key takeaways:
- Why the battlefields of today span the globe and extend into outer space
- How AI and emerging technology can create abundance
- Where the opportunities for international collaboration lie
Frontiers of the Future: The Soulful Approach to AI and Emerging Tech
As an economist, Dr. Malmgren chose to help build the world economy rather than only talk about it. She helped launch an award-winning firm that manufactured aerial, terrestrial and marine drones, which showed her how automation, robotics, AI, materials and supercomputing combine to create new possibilities.
She explores the new sectors opening up the world economy, from space infrastructure and manufacturing to life sciences and materials science, and the rise of immersive 3D content. The greater the technology, the greater the need for a soulful approach: AI optimises for efficiency and cost, while humans optimise for joy, love and novelty.
Key takeaways:
- Why technology has so far created more opportunities, including jobs, than it has disrupted
- How unprecedented computational power changes our ability to solve complex problems
- How immersive and 3D content will change communication across fields from healthcare to agriculture
Leadership Renaissance: Inspired Working, Shaping Worlds and Forging Collective Culture
In her award-winning books on leadership, The Leadership Lab and The Infinite Leader, Dr. Malmgren explains what lies behind many recent leadership failures. People now need to be motivated rather than told, and imaginal skills are as valuable as analytical ones.
She introduces the ideas of Cosmopoeisis, the act of world creation that visionary leaders use to create a space where others can become their best selves, and Conscious Capitalism, where awareness of consequences, supply chains and social costs is essential to brand and corporate success. She proposes situational fluency, the ability to move between spheres of expertise, as the basis for a fresh approach to leadership.
Key takeaways:
- How to build sharper situational awareness and greater diversity of thinking
- Why leadership itself has evolved, and how to lead from the heart as well as the head
- Why culture still beats strategy