12 Geniuses Podcast

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create. In this episode, entrepreneur and futurist Elatia Abate paints a picture of life in 2073 with a focus on how and why we will work. Elatia talks about the transformative nature of AI and robotics, the influence aging populations will have on immigration, retirement, and social programs, and why having a “mosaic career” with a variety of gig jobs can be a good idea for people to protect themselves from uncertain economic situations. Elatia goes on to talk about the mental health challenges that rapid technological advancement will continue to create, the potential of taxing robots to pay for social programs, and she gives advice for how parents of young children should think about education and preparing their children for the workforce of tomorrow. The interview ends with a conversation about purpose, work, and why aligning our work with the purpose of our lives will become even more important. Elatia Abate is an entrepreneur whose mission is to revolutionize the way trailblazing leaders understand, train, and fuel their leadership. Named a Forbes leading female futurist, she is a globally recognized expert on the futures of work and strategy. Elatia is the founder of the Future of Now and is a sought-after keynote speaker on the topics of the future of work, leadership and resilience. She has a TEDx talk entitled, “Pioneering the Future of Work.”

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create. In this episode, futurist Dr. Markku Wilenius paints a picture of life in 2073 with a focus on how humans will reimagine our relationship with nature. Rather than just extracting resources from nature, we will address climate change through regenerative agriculture, reforestation, and even by leaning on algae as both a food source and building material. Dr. Wilenius ends the conversation by talking about how technologies like blockchain, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence will enable humans to become incredibly efficient with our resources in the future. Dr. Markku Wilenius is a Professor of Futures Studies and the UNESCO Chair in Learning Society and Futures of Education with more than 25 years of research and experience in future studies. He works with governments, businesses, and NGOs - like Dubai Future Academy, Finland Futures Research Centre, Allianz, The Club of Rome, and IPCC - to make critical decisions using strategic intelligence. In recent years his research interests include understanding socio-economic long-term waves, the future of the financial industry, the future of the forest industry, and the future of non-hierarchical organizations.

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create.In this episode, futurist Brian David Johnson (aka BDJ) paints a picture of life in 2053 with an emphasis on what he calls “the dirty little secret of the future” and that is that life then will look a lot like it does today, but with far more advanced technology. He also talks about how each of us would benefit from having a teenager as a mentor, why being fearful of novel technology is natural, and how we can overcome that fear. BDJ wraps up the interview by talking about how some of the things we are doing today – like the way we interact with our devices and living in homes that are not filled with smart devices - will be looked at in 50 years with a sense of disbelief.Brian David Johnson was Intel Corporation’s first-ever futurist. Currently, he is a professor at Arizona State University's Global Futures Laboratory and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. BDJ also works in a private practice with a broad range of groups, including governments, militaries, corporations, nonprofits and start-ups, to help them envision their future. BDJ holds over 40 patents and is the best-selling author of both science fiction and fact books: A Threatcasting Textbook, The Future You, WaR: Wizards and Robots, and 21st Century Robot. 

Futurist Rohit Bhargava envisions life in 2053, highlighting a growing preference for analog experiences that foster deeper connections to combat loneliness. He discusses innovative solutions like intergenerational living paired with virtual companionship, and the complexities of authentic selves in a multiversal online landscape. Rohit also critiques today’s reliance on single-use waste, predicting future generations will be bewildered by our practices. With a focus on optimism and small changes, he paints a vivid picture of the future that's both thought-provoking and entertaining.

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create.In this episode, Turkish futurist Ufuk Tarhan paints a picture of life in 2053. In this conversation, Ufuk talks about the transformative nature of fusion energy, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and how these technologies will make life better for humanity over the next three decades. Ufuk goes on to talk about how a social scoring system like what is currently being used in China could be adopted in other parts of the world. She ends the conversation by talking about some of the things that we are doing today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. Ufuk Tarhan is a futurist, economist, best-selling author, and a keynote speaker. She is a popular blogger who is the only Turkish woman to appear on Forbes Magazine's "50 Most Influential Female Futurists" and "World's Top 100 Female Futurists" lists. Ufuk is the author of "The Future You Dream Of," a book about future planning for high school students, "T-Human," a winner of the Most Successful Innovative Business Book Award, which describes the successful human model of the future for everyone, and "Don't Leave Tomorrow's Job for Tomorrow," a book about next level for future forecasting for adults.

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create. In this episode, futurist Kevin Kelly paints a picture of what life might look like in 2053. He discusses the implications to the world if Moore’s Law slows down, how AI will become a fundamental utility to how we work and live similar to how transformative electricity has been for humans, and what would happen if “crypto wins” and the internet, finance, and other elements of our economy become decentralized. Kevin believes generative AI tools like Chat GPT will function as “interns” that each of us will get to train and use as tools to help with work and manage our lives. Kevin wraps up the interview by talking about how some of our current behaviors – like eating the flesh of animals, having parents choose the names of their children at birth, and our ideas around intelligence and how the brain works - will be looked at in 50 years with a sense of disbelief.Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. His newest book is Excellent Advice for Living, a book of 450 modern proverbs for good living. He is co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking and acting as a good ancestor to future generations. And he is founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. From 1984-1990 Kevin was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a subscriber-supported journal of unorthodox conceptual news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers’ Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. Other books by Kevin include 1) The Inevitable, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, 2) Out of Control, his 1994 classic book on decentralized emergent systems, 3) The Silver Cord, a graphic novel about robots and angels, 4) What Technology Wants, a robust theory of technology, and 5) Vanishing Asia, his 50-year project to photograph the disappearing cultures of Asia.  He is best known for his radical optimism about the future.

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create. In this episode, Mike Bechtel paints a picture of life in 2053 with a focus on information technology. Mike describes how digital information will stream directly over our eyeballs, why artificial intelligence will be a fundamentally transformative technology – like the wheel or electricity - that we can’t imagine living without, and the reasons that blockchain will be essential for establishing trustworthy information. Mike wraps up the interview by talking about how some of our current behaviors – like our approaches to education and aging – will be looked at in 50 years with a sense of disbelief. Mike Bechtel is a managing director and the chief futurist with Deloitte Consulting LLP. Mike helps clients develop strategies to thrive in the face of discontinuity and disruption. His team researches the novel and exponential technologies most likely to impact the future of business, and builds relationships with the startups, incumbents, and academic institutions creating them.Prior to joining Deloitte, Mike led Ringleader Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm he co-founded in 2013. Before Ringleader, he served as CTO of Start Early, a national not-for-profit focused on early childhood education for at-risk youth. Mike began his career in technology R&D at a global professional services firm where his dozen US patents helped result in him being named that firm’s global innovation director. He currently serves as professor of corporate innovation at the University of Notre Dame.

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create. In this episode, Gerd Leonhard paints a picture life in 2053 with a focus on how humans have the power to create lives enhanced by food, water, and energy abundance. He calls this “The Good Future.” He reminds us that the future is not about what is possible…it is about what we want. Among the topics Gerd discusses are uploading our brains to the internet, quantum computing, nuclear fusion, climate change and the technologies that will be created to manage it, and how movements will drive politicians to make the changes necessary to enable this good future to happen. Gerd finishes the interview with a discussion about what humans are doing today, including our use of fossil fuels, the way work is currently structured, and the importance of nation states, that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, Gerd is one of the world’s leading futurists and the author of Technology vs Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man and Machine. With the motto “People, Planet, Purpose, and Prosperity,” Gerd is an outspoken critic of unregulated exponential technologies. He uses his influence and platform to help people “imagine and create a better tomorrow” and was named one of Wired UK’s 100 Most Influential Europeans in 2015.

For the Summer of 2023, a dozen futurists talk about what life will be like for humans in 30 to 50 years. Each guest is asked to paint a picture of the changes that we will experience between now and 2053 or 2073. Then they are asked what mistakes we are making today that the people of 2073 will look back at in disbelief. The goal of these episodes is to spark the imagination of listeners about the future we have the ability to create. In this episode, futurist Glen Hiemstra paints a picture of life in 2073 with an emphasis on the continued growth of cities around the world, the near-complete electrification of transportation, the augmentation of labor through intelligent machines, and the growth of the global middle class. Glen also shares three potential scenarios for the evolution of global governance and how the space exploration happening today will it will set the stage for a space economy in the decades to come. Glen Hiemstra started his career as a college professor at Whitworth University, the University of Washington, and Antioch University, Seattle. For the last 40 years he has been working as a professional futurist. He is also an author, keynote speaker, and consultant to business, professional and government organizations. The founder of Futurist.com, he serves as Futurist Emeritus on the Futurist.com Think Tank. The site is regularly visited by people from over 120 nations. Glen has also served as a Technical Advisor to future-oriented television programs and he still advises and appears in documentaries. He is the author of Turning the Future into Revenue and co-author of Strategic Leadership, and of Millennial City.

When Michael Maddaus came home from school as a boy, he never knew what would be on the inside of his apartment door. It could have been his intoxicated mother, his abusive stepfather, or any degree of chaos in between. As he got older, he avoided being at home. Instead, he broke into homes, stole cars, experimented with drugs and alcohol, and escaped his home life in any way he could. After 24 arrests as a juvenile, his options were becoming clearer - prison or worse. Maddaus joined the US Navy for a reprieve. When he got out a few years later, a fortuitous encounter with a mentor changed his life forever. With the mentor’s guidance, Michael Maddaus, the juvenile delinquent, transformed into Dr. Michael Maddaus, the world-class surgeon. In this interview, Dr. Maddaus talks about his difficult youth, how it helped him develop his resilience, and how that resilience prepared him for life as a surgeon. Dr. Maddaus also talks about how to create a Resilience Bank Account™ and he gives some very emotional advice for young people who may be struggling to find their way in life.After Dr. Michael Maddaus completed seven years of clinical surgical residency and three years of research, he joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota medical school. Over a 20-year career, Dr. Maddaus developed a robust clinical practice in complex and advanced minimally invasive surgery of the lungs and esophagus. He also became a full-time professor and vice chair of the Department of Surgery where he held the Garamella-Lynch endowed chair. Then, he stepped into his role as program director of the Department of Surgery’s general surgical training program. Now Dr. Maddaus coaches physicians to turn their demanding schedules into fulfilled lives.