Topics and Session Formats for the 2b AHEAD Future Congress 2018

2028 – How much “human” can the future take?

People today often feel overwhelmed by the speed they experience, by all the automations and data that are now part of daily living. And the pace of technological development will continue to become faster and faster. But there is good news: We humans are world champions when it comes to adapting to a changing environment. We will use technological progress to our advantage. But how will this actually play out? Those in our companies who are especially innovative have already taken the first steps forward: They are founding startups and digital labs, partially as an intentional means of shaping their own futures, and partially reactively, because digital labs are now in fashion.

Most of our management staff and team members would actually prefer that nothing would change. Of course, change it will! Founding the next incubator won’t take us out of the dilemma. We need to pause for a moment and develop a picture of the future that is worth living for us human beings. This is why the 2b AHEAD Future Congress will look at the big questions for our futures: What would an accurate picture of tomorrow’s humanity look like? What role will we humans play as customers, experts, leaders, partners, and staff members? And how can we adapt our companies and our business models accordingly?

Human beings on center stage

In the year 2028 we will live – and remain healthy – considerably longer than today. We will be more productive, more intelligent. We will be in a position to hand off unwelcome tasks and duties so that we can better pursue what we are passionate about. We will have easier and easier access to knowledge and education. The possibilities for shaping our life journeys will become even more diverse and multifaceted.

The great technological visions for 2028 sound promising. And they are. But only if we welcome change and adapt ourselves. This may mean making room in our lives for the machines that will handle some tasks much better than we can. It will also mean letting AIs make some decisions of their own, even if this leaves us with a queasy feeling. And it will definitely demand that we constantly find ourselves in new situations and adapt accordingly. This means thinking of human evolution no longer in purely physical terms, but first and foremost in our mindset and attitudes.

In terms of the customers, this will mean changed demands on products and services – we will use our purchasing decisions to express who we are and what makes us special: Consumption will become identity management. As company leaders, we will have to learn to recognize the needs of our digital staff members as well, and to view human / digital teams as organic units. We will need to find answers to the question about our time: What will we do with our extended lifetimes? How will we make decisions in the future? What will our relationship to AIs actually look like?

The answers to all of these questions will converge in a picture of the future: How will we think and act ten years from now? Your participation at the Future Congress will give you this picture. You will need it if you hope to profit from technological evolution yourself.

Have the courage to confront the biggest questions about the future! Join us and be part of a real THINK tank. Discover what life in 2028 has to offer. Develop the strategies of the future together with us!

The 17th Future Congress of the 2b AHEAD ThinkTank will open up for you a new understanding of the world of tomorrow. Dive into new living and working environments, and join us as we actively develop the role of human beings in technological development. Get ready for two days of exceptional questions about the future, questions you have never thought about before!