The future is evolving fast. Even as a full-time professional futurist, I can’t stay abreast of the profound technological, economic, political, and cultural transformation pulsating through society. As a strategy, I have made it a habit of following other outstanding futurists who view the world from a wider and more diverse perspective than my own. Here is a short–and admittedly incomplete–list of futurists from whom I constantly learn new things.
Amy Webb. Known as the “Quantitative Futurist,” Webb is the founder of The Future Today Institute. She is also a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business and a best-selling author. Her latest book is The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans & Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity. I love her stated goal of seeking to “democratize the skills of futurists.” Follow her @amywebb
Marina Gorbis. The Executive Director of the Institute of the Future, Gorbis is the author of The Nature of the Future: Dispatches from the Socialstructured World. One of my favorite quotes from her book is this: “We are all immigrants to the future.” Follow her @mgorbis
Maree Conway. Conway does not call herself a futurist, she prefers the title “foresight practitioner and researcher.” She is the founder of Thinking Futures and has excellent insights and observations on the future of the university. She is also the author of Foresight Infused Strategy: A How-to-Guide for Using Foresight in Practice. Follow her @MareeConway
Elsa Sotiriadis. Sotiriadis is a synthetic biologist turned venture capitalist turned futurist. She holds a PhD and is also an author of science fiction. Given the advances in everything from gene editing (CRISPR) technology to artificial meat, Sotiriadis’ background allows her to provide unique insights on tomorrow’s game-changing trends. Follow her @thebiofuturist
