Michael was both engaged and engaging . . . His skills as a journalist were well-employed as he summarized the remarks of other presenters, listened-in on tabletop discussions, then quickly prepared meaningful and effective closing remarks.
Michael Rogers is a best-selling author, technology pioneer and futurist, who most recently served as futurist-in-residence for The New York Times. His most recent book is Email from the Future: Notes from 2084.
He has worked with companies ranging from FedEx, Boeing and NBC Universal to Microsoft, Pfizer and Siemens, focusing on how companies can think about the future in useful ways. He speaks to audiences worldwide and is a regular guest on radio and television.
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 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.
Rogers is also a best-selling novelist whose books have been published worldwide, chosen for the Book-of-the-Month club and optioned for film. 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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
Michael has spoken to educators worldwide ranging from K-12 to college, law and medicine.