Michael Rogers

Futurist, Author & Keynote Speaker

Michael Rogers

Futurist, Author & Keynote Speaker

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Biography

"We're all practical futurists now. The future happens so quickly that we need to make plans here and now for what will happen next." These are the words of technology pioneer Michael Rogers, a best-selling author, technology pioneer and futurist, who most recently served as futurist-in-residence for The New York Times. He is a columnist for MSNBC.com, and his consultancy, Practical Futurist, helps businesses and organizations worldwide think about the future.

He has worked with companies ranging from FedEx, Boeing and GE to Microsoft, Pfizer and American Express, as well as both NASA and the Department of Defense. He addresses groups ranging from venture capitalists and corporate executives to educators, students and the general public and is also a regular guest on radio and television, including Good Morning America, the Today Show, PBS, CNN and the History Channel.

Michael began his career as a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. He co-founded Outside magazine and then launched Newsweek’s technology column, winning numerous journalism awards including the National Press Club award for his coverage of September 11.

For ten years he was vice president of The Washington Post Company's new media division, leading both the newspaper and Newsweek in the digital world and earning patents for multimedia technology.

Michael is also a best-selling novelist whose books have been published worldwide, such as Business and the Environment and Finding Henrietta Lacks, fiction which explores the human impact of technology and science. They were chosen for the Book-of the-Month club and optioned for film. His latest book is Email from the Future: Notes from 2084.

Rogers’ work in interactive media ranges from the first Lucasfilm computer game and interactive CD-ROMs to Prodigy, America Online and finally, the Internet. He has received several patents for multimedia storytelling techniques, and is listed in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. In 2007, he was named to the magazine industry Digital Hall of Fame, and in 2009, he received the World Technology Network Award for Lifetime Achievement in Media and Journalism.

He studied physics and creative writing at Stanford University, with additional studies in finance and management at the Stanford Business School Executive Program. He lives in New York City and is currently working on book and television projects.

Speaker Videos

Virtualization of the Future

Management Challenges

Smart Everything

Speech Topics

AI: Management’s Biggest Challenge….Ever

Never before has management’s role been so challenging: disruption is everywhere. AI is now integrating the existing digital infrastructure, from smart sensors and wearable computers to extended social networks and virtual workplaces. Leaders must deal with not only difficult strategic decisions but broader quandaries such as the nature of privacy, white collar automation, reskilling workers, and the rule of law in cyberspace. How can successful managers discover and implement innovation while still meeting the daily challenges of business?

Artificial Intelligence: The Next Chapter

Michael has written about AI since the early days of primitive neural networks. Now the rise of generative AI programs (such as ChatGPT) has focused corporate and public attention on the technology. AI automates many white collar tasks. AI gives robots better vision and precise control. AI-generated video and audio challenges the search for accurate information. Emotional relationships with AI companions are growing more common. And this is only the early days. AI will still continue to disrupt our lives and businesses with new intelligence. It should also lead us to embrace more strongly the traits and skills are uniquely human.

AI & Work: Rough Waters Ahead

Michael will create a realistic scenario of the workforce challenges your profession or business will face due to the rise of AI. What positions are most vulnerable in both the white collar and blue collar world?. How can entry-level workers—often replaced by AI—be trained and integrated into the workforce? What skills will remain valuable? What must management do to keep the workforce productive?

AI Goes to School

Online teaching already challenges both educators and their institutions and the addition of AI creates even larger new quandaries. Ultimately, of course, AI tools must be integrated into the curriculum. The challenge now is how we use them—and what do we teach? What skills will our students initially bring (or not bring) to campus? What skills will they need to make their way in an increasingly automated world? AI has enormous potential to improve education. Individual customized tutoring is an expense that many families can’t afford, but AI could provide that experience for all students.

AI & Healthcare: A Promising Prescription

The future is bright for medical technology: telemedicine, wellness monitors, personal genomics, electronic health records, and more. Now add AI, and the results could range from AI assistants in the examining room to “digital twins” that will compare your health records with thousands of similar individuals, warning of potential new problems as well as suggesting the best treatment options. But how do we keep the human element in healthcare? What are the privacy implications of personal genomic data? How do we fund the latest technologies while still making sure that basic healthcare is affordable?

Testimonials

"Some futurists are good storytellers with plenty of charisma, but no wisdom or experience; and others have loads of experience but no charisma. You demonstrated both!"

- Pitney Bowes

"Michael presents as though he is talking with you, versus at you. He’s someone you would love to be seated next to at any event!"

- General Electric

"You hit a home run with this group. Longtime bar association executives who can be somewhat jaded were particularly enthusiastic about your presentation."

- American Bar Association

"Thank you for the excellent talk you gave to our audience yesterday. The range of topics you addressed was thought-provoking and exactly on target with the theme of Building Bridges to the Future."

- Federal Reserve Bank of New York

"Many of the delegates mentioned that your session was the most informative of the program; they especially appreciated your warmth and wit. We were very pleased that your remarks were so carefully tailored for our audience, and that you delivered exactly the message we had planned."

- National Association of Federal Credit Unions

"We were absolutely delighted with your presentation and have received very positive feedback from management and customers alike"

- Boeing

"I’m very happy with our decision to have you back for an encore performance. I appreciated how you referenced your earlier presentation and weaved it in throughout this one. I was also impressed with the integration of our industry’s top issues into the presentation."

- National Association of Convenience Stores