Michael Rogers is a technology pioneer, author and journalist, who is also futurist-in-residence for The New York Times Company. His consultancy, Practical Futurist, has worked with organizations ranging from NBC Universal and FedEx to Boeing, GE and Microsoft.
Rogers 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. For ten years he was vice president of The Washington Post Company's new media division, leading both the newspaper and Newsweek into the new century and earning patents for multimedia technology. He is also a best-selling novelist whose books have been published worldwide, chosen for the Book-of-the-Month club and optioned for film.
Rogers studied physics and creative writing at Stanford University and his first job was at Rolling Stone. He went on to co-found Outside magazine and then launched Newsweek’s technology column. As vice-president of the Washington Post Company’s new media division, he earned several patents and won awards for his on-line coverage of September 11. He lives in New York City and is also a best-selling novelist whose fiction explores the human impact of technology.
<p><br></p><ul><li><strong>Insurance and Healthcare: The Decade Ahead</strong></li><li>The COVID lockdown pushed us several years into the future, in terms of both telehealth and virtual work. But that’s just the start: the remainder of the decade will see continuing improvement in new processes, software, and technology that could both lower costs and improve outcomes. How can management avoid pitfalls and make the best of these new challenges and opportunities? </li><li><strong>What Comes After COVID?</strong></li><li>The “virtualization” of our world has greatly accelerated. Work from home, telemedicine, virtual shopping, distance learning, socializing, exercise: this trend alone will impact every sector of the economy. But of course there is much more. Consumers will emerge with a new desire for security and control, yet lagging incomes will change what they can afford. The public will continue to seek authoritative information sources, with a new focus on wellness. Businesses will face questions about localization, automation, staffing and real estate. And these questions are just a start: the prognosis seems to change daily. But the discussion must begin now—and thinking about the future in useful ways has been Michael’s mission for over 20 years. </li><li>What Comes After COVID? is a highly customized presentation. Michael will work with you and your team in advance to pull out the specific topics relevant to your sector. He offers either a virtual keynote with a Q&A session, or else a full small-group interactive session.</li><li><strong>Artificial Intelligence Will Change....Everything!</strong></li><li>Cognitive computing—such as the astonishing ChatGPT—is the latest and most potent expression of artificial intelligence. Software and robots can now learn from experience and then reason and act upon information--often coming up with insights that humans might not reach. Because they are “cloud-based”, these powerful thinking tools will be accessible even to small organizations and individuals. The result will be new efficiencies and surprising new intelligent services that will change the very nature of work and challenge us to identify what skills are uniquely human. </li><li> <strong>Your Business in 2030: A Customized Prediction</strong></li><li>For this popular speech, Michael—who is also a best-selling science fiction writer— does an interview to learn more about your business, practice or discipline. He then creates a realistic scenario of what your profession or business may be like at the end of this decade. He’ll identify potential new products, new customers and new challenges. He’s done it for lawyers, health care professionals, transportation companies, retailers, educators, financial services companies and more—even a luxury goods manufacturer! </li><li><Strong>The “Virtualization” of America--and the World </Strong></li><li>Over the next decade, more and more of our work, what we care about and how we interact with others will involve the Internet, intelligent computers and the Internet of Things. If you think that’s already happened...just listen to what Michael predicts is next. Add to that the rise of a new generation of “digital natives” who are remarkably comfortable with virtual relationships. What will this mean for how our businesses and organizations must evolve in the years to come? How will products change to meet new needs and what will companies do to reach their customers?</li></ul>