Author: Frank Diana

Possible Futures: Exploring Deepfake and Neuralink

Frank Diana Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Future Scenarios, The Third Tipping Point , , , , ,

Two recent articles highlight the dilemma faced in this era of rapid innovation: the potential to enhance humanity, and the opportunity to diminish it. This article on DeepFakes describes the challenge that society will face as Deepfake video and audio make it impossible to tell the difference between reality and fiction. Audio attacks using convincing forgeries can send stocks plummeting or soaring. How about mimicking a CEO’s voice to request a senior financial officer to transfer money? These are real examples provided by Symantec. This short Video describes the money transfer scenario.

In another recent article, Elon Musk is at it again. He wants to hook your brain directly to computers starting next year. In his quest to create symbiosis with artificial intelligence, Musk founded Neuralink Corp. in July 2016 to create “ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers.” The company said in 2017 that its initial goal was to devise brain interfaces to alleviate the symptoms of chronic medical conditions. Neuralink may someday help treat brain disorders – but much like other Musk initiatives, something else is in play. Given the existential risk that Musk believes AI represents, merging with it is his way of securing humanity’s future as a civilization relative to AI.

These two examples underscore the need to Balance the Opposing Forces of Innovation. They should also impress upon all of us the need to focus on possible futures. Understanding the implications of scenarios such as these is critical to mitigating risk and avoiding unintended consequences. We should all be investing cycles in educating ourselves and staying informed.

The Shifting Winds of Education and Artificial Intelligence

Frank Diana Artificial Intelligence, Education , , , , , ,

Nick Burnett, Futurist and Education and learning entrepreneur, recently published an Article on education and artificial intelligence. The article launches a series that explores exponential technologies and their impact on learning and teaching. The post was co-authored with Nick Kairinos and the Fountech team.  A focus on learners, teachers and leaders is critical, as education is the key to success in the 21st Century.  I recommend the article.

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The Story of Our Emerging Future

Frank Diana Our Emerging Future , , , ,

Story telling is the most effective way to communicate – and in times of complexity, uncertainty, and rapid pace, it becomes even more critical. Telling stories about the future requires a broad view of an increasing number of building blocks. The visual I use attempts to look at these building blocks and the various ways they combine to enable future scenarios. The scenarios themselves are combinatorial – converging on one and other in ways that transform how we think about the future. A deeper explanation of the visual can be found Here.

In the spirit of story telling, here is the visual brought to life via video. Select building blocks are chosen to describe this Future Thinking Canvas.

 

The Convergence of Science and Technology

Frank Diana Convergence, The Third Tipping Point , , , , , , ,

In looking at transformative periods throughout history, it is apparent that Convergence was a critical driver of change. While I am still hopeful of the ultimate convergence across societal, political, environmental, philosophic, economic, and business domains, it is clear that convergence is already occurring in the science and technology domains. This synergistic relationship where advances in one domain fuels rapid advances in the other is the force behind our rapid pace. As we saw in the Poll that looked at the catalysts that drive convergence, it is this rapid pace of innovation that many believe will ultimately drive it. This initial convergence is altering long-held Beliefs and Intuitions – eventually forcing convergence across the other domains.

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The Future of Cars: An Infographic

Frank Diana Autonomous Vehicles, Future Scenarios, Mobility , , , , , ,

I recently came across a very good Infographic that describes the future of cars. Here is the abstract from the Carsurance website:

The future of cars undoubtedly seems exciting. Up to this point, cars were viewed primarily as a convenient method of transportation. The main advancements were made in reliability, safety, performance, and overall comfort. Carsurance InfographicHowever, the advent of the internet and artificial intelligence unlocked a whole new field of progress in the auto industry.

An automobile of the future is not just a machine for driving to your desired destination. It’s a fully automated system that makes all the decisions for you while you enjoy the latest content on its premium audio-visual system.

Want to change the route? Just give a verbal command and the cars of the future will know what to do. Worrying about crashing or getting a citation? The vehicles of tomorrow will carry self-driving software that is so reliable, humans do not even come close.

Reducing carbon emission is another crucial challenge for the car industry. Electric and hybrid cars, with their replicable batteries, seem like a convenient solution. However, future cars could rely on even more advanced fuels.

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Ecosystems in the Context of Digital Transformation

Frank Diana Ecosystems , , , , ,

I recently authored an article on ecosystems and digital transformation along with leading platform strategist Simon Torrance. Here is a brief abstract of the article. You can read it Here on the TCS website – along with other perspectives on digital transformation.

ABSTRACT

As Frank Diana and Simon Torrance explain in “Defining Your Digital Ecosystem: The First Step in a Machine First™ Transformation,” many leaders are no longer looking at strategy and industry structure in the ways of a non-digital world. Business 4.0 and EcosystemsInstead, they’re analyzing how emerging ecosystems—networks of stakeholders, including business partners, suppliers, customers, and competitors that interact digitally to create value are supplanting traditional industries as the organizing construct. For example, in a mobility ecosystem, automakers no longer just make cars; they must redefine the very notion of automobile ownership and how people get around.