LARS TVEDE is a serial entrepreneur, financial investor and bestselling author. He is the co-founder of venture capital fund Nordic Eye, the think tank Futures Institute and the crowdsourcing company Supertrends, which generate an interactive consensus timeline for the future.

About Sources and Contributors xi

1. Feeler, Thinker, Hedgehog, Fox – On Predictions 1

Are you a feeler or a thinker? 2

Hedgehogs and foxes – which are best at seeing the future? 7

No! As in never! 7

Our knowledge at double speed 14

The creative design field 21

The world’s a much better place than people think 26

2. Demography and Prosperity 33

The West versus the rest 35

Population growth is actually decreasing rapidly 37

Huge growth in prosperity continues 41

A massive elderly boom 44

Depopulation of rural areas 45

Increased global equality and local inequality – but will this continue? 45

A more peaceful world 49

The lost billion people – the world’s biggest problem? 51

3. The Biotechnological Revolution – Life as Computer Technology 53

CRISPR – the new genetic word processing 56

New genetically engineered species 60

Recreation of extinct species – the real Jurassic Park 60

Tomorrow’s genetically modified humans 66

A healthier, safer world 69

Revolutions in the fight against cancer 70

New cells for old lives 74

Wearables, self-diagnoses, biohacking, and lifestyle medicine 77

The intelligent healthcare of the future 79

4. Computers, Software, and Electronic Networks 81

From exceptional to magical 83

Bell’s Law of new computer classes 86

Cloud computing and the as-a-service movement 88

AI – the career cul-de-sac that suddenly got hot 89

IoT – nerve fibres for the mechanical world 95

Big data = big deal 99

Smart robots – the new ecosystem 103

Smart remote control – the magic wands of reality 107

Quantum computers – billions of times faster 108

VR – dream worlds for real 111

AR – Pokémon GO on steroids 111

Ambient user experience – the frictionless total experiences 113

Cyberattack – crime-as-a-service and lots more besides 114

The new stalker economy 115

5. The Path to Infinite Energy 119

Fossil fuels – the culmination is approaching 120

Vast, constantly growing reserves 122

Nuclear power – a renaissance on the way? 128

Nuclear fusion – the ultimate energy solution 132

6. The Importance of Innovation for Resources and Environment 139

Innovation, dear friends. Innovation! 142

Ideas – the ultimate resource 146

Meat produced without animals 156

Greater prosperity, better environment 161

Global warming in perspective 163

The world is actually getting greener 172

The sixth mass extinction? 173

7. New Networks and Decentralised Technologies 177

Geosocialisation. Who – and where! – you are 178

The e-commerce revolution – far from over 179

Influencer marketing 182

The wild decentralised autonomous organisations 182

Blockchain – the Internet of Value 184

The rating economy – good for markets and culture 188

The global village and its new cyber rock stars 190

Share, care, and save (sharing economy) – hot, hot, hot 191

Exponential organisations: big money! 194

8. The Transport, Houses, and Cities of the Future 197

The transport of the future – faster and more flexible 198

Innovation in the construction sector 205

Tomorrow’s jet-set nomads 209

9. The New Lifestyles – Experiences and Self-realisation 213

The experience economy – all the world becomes a stage 214

The changeable idea of prestige 218

Self-realisation – the service in which you are the product 219

Innovation and entrepreneurship – self-realisation that gets cheaper 221

Do-it-yourself and maker movements – working for fun 221

The human cloud – total transformation of the labour market 224

More backsourcing 228

Bespoke media 229

Multi-identities are more acceptable 230

Intelligence amplification – better, more flexible education 231

10. Business Management in a More Dynamic World 235

Impulsive organisations 235

Conformist organisations 236

Achievement organisations 237

Pluralist organisations 238

Evolutionary organisations 238

New technologies create new forms of management 240

The new information paradigm: seek–sense–share 241

What should be kept permanent and what should be done flexibly? 242

Delegation – activate the staff 243

Involvement – make use of your meta-organisation 244

Inclusion: mobilise the whole world for your project 245

Algorithm-based management versus human management 246

11. The Political Implications of Tomorrow’s Technologies 249

Three social standard patterns that often undermine civilisations 250

The future welfare society – pyramid states or agile app stores? 256

The battle for top–down management and decentralisation 261

Openness or closedness? 263

The information problem in public management 264

Government as a platform: small government – big services 268

The growing attraction of basic income 269

Value-based public management – good or bad? 270

12. The Final Rule 273

Appendix: Sources and Inspiration 279

Bibliography 281

Index 283

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.