Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big Thinkers
Welcome to the Think Forward podcast where we have conversations with futurists, innovators and big thinkers about what lies ahead. We explore emerging trends on the horizon and what it means to be a futurist.
Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big Thinkers
Think Forward EP 124: In the Year 2525, I mean 2025
Join Steve Fisher on this exciting episode of the Think Forward Show as share new content coming and we explore the transformative trends shaping 2025 and beyond. From ambient AI becoming the invisible infrastructure of our lives to agentic systems taking on complex tasks with autonomy, this episode breaks down the forces reshaping industries, work, and daily life.
Steve also discusses sustainability’s integration into foundational technologies, advancements in quantum computing, and the evolving nature of education and skills in an AI-driven world. These aren’t just predictions—they’re the signals and patterns emerging right now.
And don’t miss the big announcement: Steve’s new book, SuperShifts, co-authored with Dr. Janae Duane, launches early this year! Dive into the frameworks and tools to navigate and leverage transformative changes before they reshape us.
Highlights:
• New content initatives for the year ahead.
•The convergence of technologies and societal shifts defining 2025.
•Insights on agentic AI, quantum breakthroughs, and sustainability.
•A look ahead with practical tools to stay future-ready.
📖 Preorder SuperShifts here: https://bit.ly/SuperShifts
Stay curious. Stay ahead. Always think forward.
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Think Forward Show: www.thinkforwardshow.com
🔗 Steve’s Site: www.stevenfisher.io
Thank you for joining me on this ongoing journey into the future. Until next time, stay curious, and always think forward.
Welcome to the Think Forward podcast, where we speak with futurists, innovators, and big thinkers. Come along with your host, Steve Fisher, and explore the future together. Welcome back, friends, fellow futurists, and big thinkers to the Think Forward show. I'm your host, Steve Fisher, and today we're going to talk about what's coming up in 2025 for the podcast. But first, let me tell you about that song reference in the title. In the year 2525, Byziger and Evans was a one hit wonder from 1969 that painted a pretty dystopian view of humanity's future. Like many future's predictions, it got a lot wrong. But that's not what matters. What matters is how it made people think about possible futures. And that's really what we're about here at Think Forward. Not predicting the future, but exploring possible futures, and helping you develop the tools to navigate them. Speaking of tools, I'm excited to announce some new content initiatives we're launching in 2025. But before I get to those, I have some exciting news to share. Many of you have been asking when we would put our frameworks and insights into book form and I'm thrilled to announce that my new book, Supershifts, will be launching in early 2025. Co authored with Dr. Janae Duane, who you might have listened to in episode 103, it's a deep dive into how we can identify and navigate transformative changes before they transform us. We'll be sharing more details in the coming months, but I can tell you it brings together many of the concepts and tools we've explored on this show, along with new frameworks we both developed and tested over the last few years. We will have a link to pre order in the show notes. For Think Forward, first up is our new Vintage Futures series. We'll be exploring the work of pioneering futurists who help shape how we think about tomorrow. From Herman Kahn's scenarios at RAND, To Alvin and Heidi Toffler's future shock, these thinkers laid the groundwork for modern futures work. We'll examine their methods, their hits and misses, and most importantly, what we can still learn from them today. We're also launching a futurist book review series. Now, this isn't just about reading the latest tech prophecies. We'll be covering everything from classic sci fi that shaped how we imagine the future, to academic works that revolutionize futures research methods. The goal is to build your future's literacy through the written word. But I'm most excited about our ambitious new project, Foundations of Futures Fluency. There are 100 episodes, each under 10 minutes, giving you the essential concepts and vocabulary of futures thinking. Think of it as your pocket guide to becoming futures fluent. Whether you're an innovation leader, a strategist, or just someone curious about what's next, these mini episodes will help you engage meaningfully in conversations about the future. We'll still have our regular interviews with leading futurists, innovators, and big thinkers. But these new initiatives reflect what I've learned from you, our listeners. You want more tools, more context, and more ways to develop your future's thinking skills. As we look ahead to 2025, I'm reminded that the future isn't something that just happens to us. It's something we actively shape through our choices and actions today. These new series are my way of helping you become better shapers of tomorrow. Now, let's talk about some signals we're tracking for 2025. If you recently went to CES, you know it is all AI, robots, quantum, and more robots. I used Go for many years, and it is a magical wonderland for techies. But it is also a place to witness signals and patterns that might have impact and find its way into our lives. What we're seeing emerge is what we call, in our book, super shifts. They are multiple transformative technologies. Biological or societal changes maturing and converging simultaneously. This isn't about any single breakthrough, but rather how different advances are amplifying each other. One clear pattern is what Deloitte describes as AI becoming ambient infrastructure. Like electricity, becoming invisible yet powering everything. We're seeing this manifest in fascinating ways, from AI powered household organizers to smart laundry systems. The key here isn't AI replacing humans, but rather augmenting our capabilities in subtle but powerful ways. We're also seeing strong signals around what's being called agentic AI, artificial intelligence systems that can independently pursue goals and complete complex tasks without constant human oversight. This isn't about AI becoming sentient. It's about AI becoming more autonomous in handling workflows and processes. The implications for business processes and organizational systems could be profound. Speaking of AI, we're seeing signals that the return to office debate might finally resolve. Not because companies or employees won, but because the very nature of work is transforming under our feet. Between generative AI augmenting knowledge work and the rise of asynchronous collaboration tools, the question might shift from where we work to how we work. We're also tracking interesting patterns in education. The traditional four year degree model is showing cracks, while microcredentials and continuous learning models are gaining momentum. What I find particularly interesting is how AI literacy is becoming as crucial as digital literacy was in the early 2000s. Not everyone needs to be a prompt engineer, but understanding how to work alongside AI systems might become a fundamental skill. On the technology front, we're seeing fascinating developments in quantum computing. While we've heard about quantum supremacy for years, several major players are signaling breakthroughs in error correction and qubit stability. The key pattern isn't just about raw computing power. It's about quantum technology moving from the lab to real world problem solving. Similarly, on the blockchain front, We're seeing a shift from speculation to production. The interesting signal here isn't about cryptocurrency prices. It's about blockchain technology quietly becoming infrastructure for supply chain management, digital identity and decentralized systems. But perhaps the most compelling patterns emerge. When we look at how humans are responding to all this change, we're seeing what trend hunter identifies as a growing digital detox movement alongside rapid technology adoption from E ink phones to minimalist tech. There's a clear signal that people want technology that fits more naturally into their lives. This extends to sustainability, which isn't just a trend anymore, but becoming fundamental infrastructure. From CES's focus on green technology to carbon negative initiatives, we're seeing sustainability considerations built into technology from the ground up. But here's what's fascinating. It's not these individual patterns that matter most. It's how they might intersect and amplify each other. Imagine agenic AI systems leveraging quantum computing power or blockchain systems secured by quantum cryptography. The possibilities get interesting when we look at these convergences. These are exactly the kinds of things we go over and deeply into in our new book, Super Shifts. So what are you seeing? We would love to hear from you and share in a future episode. There is a link to the page where you can add questions to answer on the show. As we look ahead to 2025, remember that the future isn't something that just happens to us. It's something we actively shape through our choices and actions today. These patterns we've discussed aren't predictions. Their patterns we're observing. Some might accelerate, some might fizzle out, and something completely unexpected might emerge. That's why we keep scanning the horizon, looking for those subtle shifts that might shape tomorrow. Remember, the future isn't something that just happens to us. It's something we actively shape through our choices and actions today. Until next time, always think forward. Thanks for listening to the Think Forward podcast. You can find us on all the major podcast platforms and at www. thinkforwardpodcast. com. Think forward show.com as well as on YouTube under Think Forward Show. See you next time.
