Keynotes of Kai Gondlach

As a scientifically working futurologist, I primarily convey future competence. I transform scientifically sound theories and complex scenarios into entertaining and striking impulses with clear messages and decision-making aids for your practice.

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Keynote: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already an important part of everyday life for many people – often without realizing it. Some already have an inkling of the immense transformational power of AI technologies; this keynote covers the key areas that will become more relevant over the next 20 years.

It is important to me to first bring the audience up to speed. AI is neither the Terminator nor the ultimate savior; AI will not gain consciousness and act independently in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, AI is the glue that fuels the ongoing industrial revolution like electricity in the century before last. From projects and his own publications, with the aid of the most important literature, a comprehensive and striking picture emerges in the keynote speech of what AI really is: probably the most powerful tool of human civilization – and yet not intelligent even in the near future.

AI has the potential to help solve numerous challenges facing humanity; it also has the potential to bring unimaginable suffering to mankind.

For the first time since the beginning of digitalization, top economists expect an increase in productivity in developed countries; for companies and public institutions, this is primarily associated with bottlenecks in personnel recruitment and development.

 

Without AI applications, it will not be possible to overcome the shortage of skilled workers; without basic AI skills, managers and some companies will lose their raison d’être. Ultimately, however, the prognosis is a positive one: as a result of the automation of cognitive skills, the core competence of human intelligence is increasingly moving back into the focus of cross-industry value creation. In other words: humans remain irreplaceable.

Content on the topic of artificial intelligence:

 

  • What is Artificial Intelligence (AI), What is artificial intelligence, what can it do – and what not?
  • Which applications / use cases in your environment are interesting?
  • What does AI mean for the organization of companies and authorities?
  • What is the best way to start?
  • Where is the development taking place – is it Germany, Europe or rather the USA and China?
  • Which visions of the future are particularly plausible, which are more entertaining?
  • What do you need to consider when introducing AI in your organization?

Language: English, German

Keynote: Emerging Technologies

On the one hand, since the Facebook Group changed its name to Meta, no innovative company has been able to avoid VR, AR or XR (virtual, augmented or mixed reality). Alongside entertainment and training, the industrial metaverse is an important part of Industry 5.0.

But while Gucci, Adidas and Deutsche Bank have long been generating profits in the metaverse, various questions still remain:

  • What effects does an immersive, virtual reality have on our brains, on our work ethic, on society, on being human in general?
  • What other digital technologies from the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain (DLT) and quantum computing are relevant for your environment?

On the other hand, we need to reinvent industrial value creation.

Almost everything that mankind has used to secure prosperity in the global North in recent decades is no longer future-proof in view of the worsening climate crisis: concrete, steel, aluminum and other light metals will no longer be allowed to be used without great effort in the foreseeable future.

The path to a global circular economy is mapped out, but where are the “low hanging fruits” and what obstacles do you expect to encounter along the way? The history of mankind is characterized by technological quantum leaps.

This keynote is an invitation to an entertaining journey through the past and a turbulent outlook into plausible futures in which corporate profits must be generated in new ways.

Contents of the keynote on emerging technologies:

  • Which new technologies are relevant in your environment – is it digital, analog or both?
  • How do the current digital hype and trends around AI, VR, AR and metaverse affect your business model?
  • How can you and your employees successfully survive the decade of disruption?
  • How do you manage the multiple transformations of digitalization, decarbonization, skills shortages, generational change and (de)globalization?
  • Which findings of modern futurology were not yet on your radar?
  • Where will the energy for our industry come from in the future?
  • What does a sustainable growth model look like, and what hurdles do you have to overcome to achieve it?
  • How do you combine traditional with modern innovation systems?

Language: English, German

Keynote: Digitization

Do you know the original definition of Industry 5.0? No, not the one from the EU Commission, but the one that sounds less like an uncreative update of Industry 4.0 with a pinch of AI and instead focuses on the core idea of the circular economy?

This keynote is a provocative invitation to debate deindustrialization in times of regenerative futures, the better term for sustainability.

Because the idea of sustainability has failed, if you look at its 300-year tradition from the realization and invention of the term to the climate crisis in the 21st century. Instead, the transition to a regenerative economy has already begun, in which business processes and models have to adapt to two megatrends at once: Digitalization and regenerativity. How? This will only succeed with AI.

Contents on the topic of digitization:

  • How does a company organize itself in times of regenerative futures?
  • Which role models (best cases) have successfully combined sustainability and digitalization?
  • Which strategic approaches are promising?How can the transformation of decarbonization and defossilization succeed?
  • How do AI-driven business processes work?
  • What does the vision of Industry 5.0 or Digitalization 5.0 look like, based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and environmental and social governance (ESG)?

Language: English, German

Keynote: New Work

Will your job survive this decade? In other words, which parts of it will become more important and which will lose importance? In this impulse, I will convey the most important framework conditions for a successful HR strategy based on international studies and my own publications.

The audience will learn about the most important capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence today and in the coming years, the most important HR (mega) trends, fundamental innovation logics and likely emerging job profiles in the industry, for example:

  • From consultant to source of inspiration
  • From strategist to foresight expert
  • From department head to strategic leadership
  • From mechanical engineer to machine expert
  • From welder to AM professional
  • From educator to enabler

Finally, a revolution in the organizational structure of companies is imminent in this context: holocratic models, as developed by Frederic Laloux and others, are not a question of inclination, but a logical consequence of the combination of all labour market trends. In this keynote, you will learn what this can look like.

Ultimately, however, the forecast is a positive one: as a result of the automation of cognitive skills, the core competence of human intelligence is increasingly moving back into the focus of cross-industry value creation. In other words: humans remain irreplaceable.

Based on current studies, our own publications and probable scenarios, this keynote will address the following questions:

  • Which professions have a future, which activities should be left to machines? What parts of human intelligence will AI not replace?
  • What can artificial intelligence do today and in the near future? What can’t it do? What will ChatGPT, Luminous, YouChat, DALL-E, Elai and co. change?
  • How should education be designed when computers often (apparently) deliver better results?
  • What will follow the shortage of skilled workers when baby boomers retire? When will the demographic big bang come?
  • What must personnel development pay attention to, how are training programs changing?
  • Why are HR departments dying out and why is employer branding becoming the most important function in HR?
  • What about the metaverse hype – how do you benefit from it?
  • How do you motivate your employees to reorient themselves towards uncertain futures?

Language: English, German

Vortragsthema Resilienz

Wurde Ihr Unternehmen oder Ihre Behörde durch die Corona-Pandemie oder den Ukraine-Krieg überrascht? Dann war Ihre Organisation buchstäblich nicht resilient.

In 2019, I warned of a pandemic in several companies – a year later, it was here. In 2021, I publicly pondered (e.g. in the podcast, episode #051) when the Russian army would cross the border into Ukraine; before or after New Year’s Eve? I then thought through the potential consequences with some customers and lo and behold: they proved to be considerably more resilient after the disruption, i.e. better prepared to maintain their business activities despite adverse circumstances.

What prevents us in modern organizations from being resilient in the 21st century? On the one hand, the answer to this question is as individual as questions about innovative strength, corporate culture or organizational agility. On the other hand, there are general corporate areas and business processes that are worth taking a closer look at.

This keynote comprises a comprehensive yet pointed collection of the central questions that an organization must ask itself in the 21st century if it wants to increase its resilience.

Content on the topic of resilience:

  • Is our organizational structure up to date and if not, what could a target image look like?
  • Do we have intertemporal intelligence and the ability to filter the relevant change trends from complex, ambivalent futures?
  • How do we make our employees more resilient to change?
  • How do we increase the willingness to change and motivate agility in the organization without having to sacrifice the stability of processes?
  • Which trends are important for our organization now and in the coming years?

Language: English, German

Vortragsthema Bildung

Warum wir eine Systemrevolution brauchen und wie es weitergeht? Machen Sie sich bereit für eine unterhaltsame, abwechslungsreiche und dynamische Keynote mit konstruktiven Vorschlägen für die Rebellion.

Everyone complains about the German education system: teachers, parents, children and young people anyway, but even educational scientists and politicians are dissatisfied. And what is changing? Very little. Based on hundreds of studies, current statistics and my own publications such as the white paper “Zukunftsfähige Bildungssysteme” (ISSN 2939-9033), I will outline the cornerstones of a successful education system of the future in this keynote speech.

The fact that the role of teachers has already changed is just as much a part of the keynote as the advantages and disadvantages of digital media in the classroom and the private lives of learners and teachers.

Ultimately, I will address an uncomfortable truth in the keynote: without a true system revolution, education will only change a few centimeters in the coming years. Why is there actually no “Fridays for Future” movement calling for sensible education based on the latest findings in pedagogy and didactics? Why is it that educational staff still not respected by society in terms of salary scales when they have to lay the foundations for the success of our economy and innovation?

Get ready for an entertaining, varied and dynamic keynote with constructive suggestions for the uprising.

Contents on the topic of education:

  • Concept instead of plan
  • Peer learning instead of frontal teaching
  • E-learning as the standard, not the exception
  • Values instead of dogmas
  • Yesterday’s soft skills are tomorrow’s hard skills
  • Futures instead of stories
  • Promoting maturity
  • Networking instead of determinism
  • Factfulness and probabilism
  • Computer science instead of math
  • Inclusion instead of division

Language: English, German

Keynote: Decarbonization

Many countries strive to become carbon neutral by 2045 – which also means that your organization must be. Without certificates. The path to Industry 5.0 in the 21st century is emission-free – at least on balance. In this keynote, I will explain the background and strategies.

Decarbonization and defossilization are not a matter of inclination, but are already required by law; the requirements for ESG (ecological and social governance), EU taxonomy and yes, even the prices for CO2 certificates will rise in the foreseeable future.

If you have already started the process of decarbonization, let’s look together at the milestones of the coming years and decades: Why is it worthwhile for everyone to take these steps?

In many companies, it is certainly also a communication challenge for the workforce – some sectors have long been feeling the effects of a lack of orders, increased prices and, not least, growing documentation and administrative obligations.

But decarbonization is just one link in the complex chain of transformation. Without digitalization at the neuralgic points of the processes, it will not succeed; without adapting the organizational structure, many companies will no longer be able to meet the ever-increasing demands for change. In this respect, decarbonization is only the symptom, while other trends such as the climate and skills shortage are adding fuel to the fire as reinforcing framework conditions.

Content on the topic of decarbonization:

  • What do decarbonization and defossilization mean and why is the pressure to act so high?
  • What regulatory requirements are already on the horizon for the coming years – here and globally?
  • How do you motivate your employees to radically restructure the organization in the service of decarbonization?
  • What role models can be derived from first movers, what can you learn?
  • What are the biggest levers for sustainable transformation?
  • Where are companies that are already successfully implementing decarbonization heading?
  • Mobility, energy, chemistry, biology – which areas will change the most in the coming decade(s)?
  • Circular economy, donut economy, cradle-to-cradle and holacracy – which target vision suits your organization?

Language: English, German

Keynote: Sustainability

This keynote invites you and your audience on an entertaining journey through time from the beginning of sustainability to the regenerative futures of distant futures. It is based on my scientific publications, expert interviews and consulting mandates.

Is sustainability a trend – and if not, what is it actually about?

The concept of “sustainable management” is over 300 years old and originates from forestry – Hans Carl von Carlowitz developed it before the start of the industrial revolution. More than three centuries later, many organizations are finding that neither their products or services nor their processes and supply chains are up to the seemingly new demands of their customers, who suddenly want to consume or process more sustainably. How did this happen?

Sustainability is very complex in itself. Take the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Only one of the goals deals explicitly with climate protection; the others relate more directly to specific environmental or social and ultimately economic challenges.

Nevertheless, they are all interrelated; poverty and inadequate education correlate with ecological and economic problems, to name just one example. This means that promoting sustainability around the world ultimately pays dividends both for conditions in less prosperous regions and for global sustainability.

This keynote invites you and your audience on an entertaining journey through time from the beginning of sustainability to the regenerative futures of distant futures. It is based on my scientific publications, expert interviews and consulting mandates. Dialectically prepared and yet guaranteed to be entertaining, so that the desire for positive climate futures is strengthened rather than the fear of climate catastrophe is stirred up.

Contents on the topic of sustainability:

  • Why is sustainability not a trend, but old wine in new bottles?
  • How do sustainable business models work?
  • Which sectors benefit and which suffer from the sustainable transformation?
  • How does sustainable transformation succeed in the organization, including ESG?
  • What is behind the concept of regenerative futures?
  • What are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)?
  • What is behind the 3-pillar model of sustainability (triple bottom line)?

Language: English, German

Keynote: Climate Change

Is your organization in the midst of introducing environmental and social governance (ESG) or serious about CSR (corporate social responsibility)? Nevertheless, do your stakeholders need an entertaining overview of current and future climate trends?

Over 50 years ago, the Club of Rome published a report on the state of humanity called “The Limits to Growth”. Futurology still breathes the spirit of this outstanding study of the future, which has literally left a lasting mark on my profession. Using computer-aided modeling, the state of knowledge of global climate research was compiled and projected several decades into the future; a true masterpiece with the means of global networking and computing power available at the time.

The realization at the time was that mankind was manipulating the world’s climate. A groundbreaking insight that could only be measured a good two decades later. In this respect, it follows the tradition of Einstein’s theory of relativity and is similarly disruptive in the extent of its impact.

Today, even in the Global North, we can sense that something is wrong with the climate. The “Last Generation” are not sticking themselves to streets and monuments for fun – the form of protest is debatable, but they are factually correct with their statements about the future of the climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has now classified the limitation to 1.5°C by the end of the century compared to the beginning of industrialization as extremely unlikely; the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) warns of the collapse of global food chains in view of the threat to a quarter of known species. And we humans are also increasingly suffering from climate change-induced suffering due to more frequent extreme weather events, health problems (especially for the elderly and chronically ill), invasive species and the increase in infectious diseases and viruses that are becoming pandemics. What to do?

This keynote is intended to educate, shake things up and yet convey positive images of the future. After all, most of us are familiar with dystopias about climate futures; although we also talk about the worrying status quo, we also show desirable target images.

Contents on the topic of climate change

  • Where exactly do we stand on climate change – can the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement still be saved?
  • Which scientific findings of the last 50 years have been ignored – and why?
  • Why are we talking about regenerative futures instead of sustainability and how can we take a critical and confident look into the future?
  • Which is worse: species extinction, climate crisis or deindustrialization?
  • What is behind the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN SDGs)?
  • What is the 3-pillar model of sustainability (triple bottom line)?
  • What mindset change or paradigm shift will (have to) take place in the coming years?

Language: English, German

Keynote: Future Mobility

When will air cabs finally arrive? The traffic turnaround is coming… when? Hardly any other industry is affected by so many external stressors at the same time as mobility. Energy transition on the one hand – will we only be driving electrically in the future or will we be using hydrogen?

What about e-fuels and is there a future for other drive systems? Will there be an induction coil in every meter of road in the future or will roads be abolished to make room for hyperloops and bicycle traffic?

This contrasts with the frighteningly slow pace of change in complex systems such as rail transport or the automotive industry. Certainly innovative in many places, the large corporations have remained profitable for too long in what is actually a long anachronistic business model – and are now disoriented in the shortest possible time, searching for a magic compass to navigate them through the current decade.

Even an economist has publicly expressed the thesis that one of the major car manufacturers might not survive the decade, with expected shockwaves for the supplier industry, which tends to be dominated by medium-sized companies.

And what about free public transport? When will there be an Audi or BMW train? Why would that even make sense? What will we do with the dilapidated bridges and small airports and will there still be transport associations in the future? In other words, what foundations should be laid now with horrendous investments and diametric leaps in change to enable the mobility of the future?

This keynote is a turbulent reckoning of encrusted structures, an inventory of technologically and systemically sensible alternatives and an outlook on regenerative mobility systems.

Contents on the topic of mobility:

  • What are the long-term effects of the mobility and transportation transition?
  • What will prevail? Electric cars, hydrogen or something completely different?
  • Does the rail network still have a future – and if so, what could it look like?
  • What practical transformation steps are part of any mobility strategy?
  • Hyperloop, air cabs and beaming – how realistic are these means of transportation for us?
  • How do the transport and energy transition, sector coupling and new space fit into current megatrends?

Language: English, German

Keynote: Urban Development

Municipalities are under pressure from all megatrends. How do we ensure the comfortable survival of our citizens, make administrative processes more efficient and what opportunities can we use to promote climate protection?

Municipalities can already achieve a lot on their own, but it works even better in decentralized networks. This applies to all areas:

  • IT and digitalization through to the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Shortage of skilled workers
  • Sustainability and climate protection
  • Attractiveness of rural regions in particular and marketing

The fact is that in order to achieve climate neutrality in Germany by 2045, all local authorities must participate. At the moment, however, crisis mode often prevails – and employees or even the population must be sensitized to the upcoming and ongoing transformation processes, managers need planning security and scientifically sound justification for their decisions.

Whether city administration, energy supply or city marketing – in this keynote speech, we will create a pointed, far-reaching outlook for your audience on the future of liveable cities and municipalities.

Contents of the lecture on urban development

  • What will the networked municipality of the future look like?
  • Which applications / use cases and role models could help you – regionally to globally?
  • How will the current challenges develop in the coming years and decades?
  • Democracy and federalism vs. digitalization and acceleration – how can synergy be achieved?
  • Which crisis do we tackle first? Skills shortage, climate change, migration, structural change?
  • How can municipalities benefit from the methods and content of modern futurology?

Language: English, German

Keynote: Future Energy

What characterizes the post-fossil economy – and what does the path to it look like? We all know that sooner rather than later fossil fuels will no longer be profitably extracted, traded or converted into electricity or heat. But what will happen then?

The path to the post-fossil world looks different for every organization; some can simply switch energy suppliers, others need a new business model. Some will switch to electromobility, others will have to redirect their R&D capacities to fundamental innovations – and give some employees the bitter news that there is no longer a need for them. Few changes divide the world more than the energy transition.

This keynote nevertheless takes a positive look at the opportunities of the regenerative future and asks:

  • Where will the energy of the future come from?
  • Will nuclear fusion provide energy in Germany?
  • Will we still need PV systems on roofs when solar panels in space generate large amounts of electricity for everyone?
  • How will electricity be distributed globally?
  • Is (green) hydrogen more of an issue for large-scale industry or also in the mobility sector?
  • How do we heat living space, how do we cool it in a climate-neutral way?
  • What new professions will be created by excess energy?
  • What leap innovations will be possible with endless energy?

This keynote is a sweeping look at the future of energy and outlines the potential social impact of a world in which energy could become virtually free.

Contents on the topic of energy

  • (When) Will nuclear fusion become commercially viable – and will it really solve the energy problem?
  • What other potentially disruptive energy sources will emerge in the future – and why won’t this work without AI?
  • How can the energy and heating transition succeed despite problems with bureaucracy and skilled workers?
  • What does the path to a post-fossil, digitally networked energy industry look like – locally, regionally, nationally, globally?
  • What innovations are still missing for a world with endless energy – and what will happen then?
  • Which of today’s problems will seem trivial in the future?

Language: English, German

For me, articles, interviews or webinars before or after the events are part of a well-rounded event; in my view, the performance on stage is only one component of many if you want to infect your customers, employees or members holistically with the future.

I teach science pragmatically

I inspire change and open futures

I sustainably entertain people

Come with me on an extraordinary journey into your own possible future. I invite you to change your perspective so that you can face the challenges of the future with the necessary knowledge, strength and positivity.

What makes me and my keynotes special

Clients from business, society and politics book me for small groups of 10 board members up to full halls with 3000 spectators. In 30 to 120 minutes, I take my audience on a journey into the world of the future. I always develop the topics individually for each performance based on my research activities.

Scientific futurology & practical relevance

As one of the first futurologists in Germany to study the future, my greatest strength is recognizing the connections between social transformation that remain hidden to others – my audience receives hundreds of cutting-edge insights from research and development and is guaranteed to leave the event with new ideas and solutions.

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