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AGENDA
DAY 1 Sessions
DAY 1
SESSIONS
Tuesday
11th October 2022
Themes in Focus:
- Future: A Global Outlook
- Re-imagining Digital and Physical Boundaries
- Future Proofing Risks
- Technologies Powering the Future
Welcome to 2071
Speaker
HE Omar Sultan Al Olama
Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, UAE
Why Must Foresight Evolve?
Speaker
Amy Webb
Chief Executive Officer, Future Today Institute
How Can Governments Mitigate Challenges Through Foresight?
In the wake of various global shocks, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the international supply chain crisis, strategic foresight is clearly becoming a critical policymaking tool for governments around the world looking to assess uncertainty. This panel showcases the way foresight practitioners in government have used foresight to identify and respond to a broad range of risks.
Speaker
Sophie Howe
Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
Speaker
HE Abdulla Nasser Lootah
Director General, Prime Minister’s Office UAE
Speaker
Jeanette Kwek Huixian
Head, Centre for Strategic Futures, Prime Minister’s Office Singapore
Moderator
Eric Noël
Canada Towards 2030 Project
How Will We Live in a Digital Future?
Given the ubiquity of discussions around the metaverse, avatars, virtual land, and Web 3.0, it is clear that we may be close to inhabiting life, at least theoretically, in a truly digital sphere. What are the opportunities and risks of this digital future?
Speaker
James Maltby
Principal Scientist, Dstl (MOD) UK
Speaker
Toshi Hoo
Director, Emerging Media Lab, Institute for the Future
Speaker
Tea Danilov
Director, Foresight Centre
Speaker
Jerome Glenn
Chief Executive Officer, The Millennium Project
Moderator
Dr. Trish Lavery
OECD
Will Borders be Relevant in the Future?
Traditionally, citizenship was considered an important part of individual and social identity, whether national or regional. Nevertheless, the vast channels of immigration across countries, and across generations, are transforming the conventional models of citizenship. This panel will invite experts to discuss whether citizenship, diplomacy and geography can be unbundled to allow for truly global citizens in the future.
Speaker
Dubai Abulhoul
Chief Executive Officer, Fiker Institute
Speaker
Joshua Polchar
Strategic Foresight Lead, OECD
Speaker
Dr. Amy Hochadel
Director of Global Business, Connected Places Catapult
Moderator
Scott Smith
Changeist
Will the Space Industry Shape
the Coming Century?
Discussions around the potential for humans to become an interplanetary civilization and eventually inhabit long term space settlements have gained significant momentum in recent times. Critics of this ambition, however, believe that space research should take precedence over space ‘colonization’. This panel will invite experts to debate whether humans can and should strive to become an interplanetary civilization.
Speaker
Mark Beer
Minister of Justice, Asgardia
Speaker
Dr. Athena Coustenis
Director of Research, National Centre for Scientific Research, Paris-Meudon Observatory
Speaker
Diego Urbina
Team Lead, Future Projects and Exploration Space Applications Services
Speaker
Michal Ziso
Space Architect
Moderator
Saeed Al Gergawi
Dubai Future Foundation
Why Should We Focus on the Future?
Speaker
HE Mohammad Al Gergawi
Minister of Cabinet Affairs, UAE Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees and Managing Director, Dubai Future Foundation
Speaker
Dr. Michio Kaku
Theoretical Physicist and Futurist
What is the Biggest Existential Risk
that We are Facing Today?
In this session, panelists will explore the key existential ‘risks’ facing humans today. It will also explore how, if at all, these risks could perceivably be mitigated. Panelists will navigate through low-probability high-impact risks and estimate the potential capabilities of future technologies in enabling us to face these risks.
Speaker
Dr. Anders Sandberg
Senior Research Fellow, Future of Humanity Institute
Speaker
Josef Hargrave
Director and Global Foresight Leader, Arup
Moderator
Dr. Lucy Kimbell
Social Design Institute
Critical Risks:
How to Move from Insights to Action?
How can we ensure that our focus on emergent risks catalyzes effective responses? In this session, panelists will explore the challenge not only of identifying critical risks, but also share lessons on how future thinkers help move the decision makers they support from insight to action.
Speaker
Shermon Cruz
Chair, Association of Professional Futurists
Speaker
Alisha Bhagat
Futures Lead, Forum for the Future
Speaker
Michael Costigan
VP Salesforce Futures, Salesforce
How Much Will Your Data
Be Worth in the Future?
This session will explore alternate forms of digital currencies. Could personal data effectively be monetized by businesses? It also explores the possibility of it being used as a medium of exchange to pay for digital services. The session will highlight a potential role for individuals in the data ecosystem. Should individuals control their data and earn revenue from it?
Speaker
Prof. Sylvie Delacroix
Co-Chair, Data Trusts Initiative
Speaker
Astha Kapoor
Co-Founder, Aapti Institute
Moderator
Melanie Subin
Future Today Institute
Is Digital Poverty the New Global Crisis?
The widespread use and adoption of digital technologies is increasing access to knowledge and economic opportunities across most countries. Critics, however argue that increased technological development is also widening the gap between the connected, unconnected and underconnected. Panelists will discuss the impact of the digital transformation on social and economic equity.
Speaker
Dr. Eva-Marie Muller-Stuler
Partner Data & AI, Ernst & Young
Speaker
Vilas Dhar
President, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Speaker
‘Gbenga Sesan
Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative
Speaker
Anca Bogdana Rusu
Head of Public Sector, cLabs
Moderator
Dr. Max Di Luca
University of Birmingham
Can We Depend on
a Sustainable Energy Future?
The ongoing energy transition has been identified as a key policy priority globally. However, given that some countries may be better prepared to transition to more sustainable energy alternatives, others may have more difficult choices to make and forgo development. This debate will invite experts to weigh the energy transition against the argument for economic growth and prosperity.
Speaker
Dr. Nisreen Lahham
Head of Boards of Trustees, Futures Studies Forum for Africa and the Middle East
Speaker
Lourdes Vega
Director, Research and Innovation Center on CO2 and Hydrogen, Khalifa University
Speaker
Geraldine Wessing
Chief Political Analyst, Shell plc
Speaker
Angeliki Kapoglou
Strategy and Innovation, European Space Agency
Moderator
Dr. Jonathan Radcliffe
University of Birmingham
Why Experiencing the Future will Save Humanity?
Once the frontiers of foresight practice, the outcome becomes an essential part of hundreds of companies and consulting toolkits. Where does it come from? What are its goals? And how is it currently practiced, theorized, and delivered? Panelists in this session will discuss the shift from theory to practice in creating real experiential futures through the Museum of the Future.
Speaker
Dr. Stuart Candy
Director, Situation Lab at Carnegie Mellon
Speaker
Dr. Jake Dunagan
Research Director, Institute for the Future
Speaker
Brendan McGetrick
Creative Director, Museum of the Future
Moderator
Dr. Kristin Alford
Director, MOD, University of South Australia
Day 2 Sessions
DAY 2
SESSIONS
Wednesday
12th October 2022
Themes in Focus:
- Law and Regulations of Tomorrow
- People, Planet and Future Prosperity
- Next Generation Talent and Wealth
- Future Trends 2023 and Beyond
Can We Predict the Future of Our Species?
Speaker
Dr. Jamie Metzl
Founder and Chair, OneShared.World
How Can Governments Regulate Future
Trends and Technologies?
What does the future look like, and how might we develop new frameworks, systems, and policies to regulate these potential futures?
Speaker
HE Ohood Al Roumi
Minister of State for Government Development
and the Future, UAE
Moderator
Jane Witherspoon
Euronews
Do You Really Want to Live Forever?
Scientific advances and breakthroughs are making human longevity an increasingly feasible endeavor. Researchers assert that slowing or even reversing the aging process will help counter diseases and degeneration. Nevertheless, such assertions are being met with significant debate on the societal impact of human longevity. This session will invite experts to explore the potential impacts of increasing human longevity.
Speaker
Dr. Jose Cordeiro
Vice Chair, Humanity Plus
Speaker
Dr. Hanan Al Suwaidi
Chief Business Officer, Dubai Academic Health Corporation
Speaker
Dr. James Kirkland
Noaber Foundation Professor of Aging Research, Mayo Clinic
Speaker
Dr. Alex Zhavoronko
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Insilico Medicine
Moderator
Bronwyn Williams
Metanomic
Will the Future of Regulation
be Private Sector Driven?
While it is critical for regulators to safeguard societies and economies by regulating innovation, it is still critical to balance heavy regulation with supporting and driving innovation. This session will invite panelists to discuss whether the private sector entities could eventually become self-regulating, and if so, what it will mean for the role of government.
Speaker
Dr. Clem Bezold
Co-Founder, Public Sector Foresight Network
Speaker
HE Ahmad Al Bedwawi
Assistant Secretary General, General Secretariat of the Cabinet, UAE
Speaker
Dr. Blaž Golob
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GoForesight Institute and Heliot Europe Country Manager
Speaker
Lin Kayser
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hyperganic Group
Moderator
Jacob Ellis
Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
How Good Are Governments
at Forecasting the Future?
In the wake of various global shocks, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the international supply chain crisis, strategic foresight is clearly becoming a critical policymaking tool for governments around the world to assess uncertainty. This panel showcases the way foresight practitioners in government have used foresight to identify and respond to a broad range of risks.
Speaker
Maria Langan-Riekhof
Director, Strategic Futures Group, National Intelligence Council
Speaker
Tiina Neuvonen
Strategic Foresight Lead, UN Global Pulse
Speaker
Imran Arshad
Director, Policy Horizons Canada
Moderator
Paul Salem
President and Chief Executive Officer, Middle East Institute
How Do We Define Wealth in the Future?
It is increasingly argued that the global monetary system is seeing a complete transformation due to the advent of new technologies that are replacing standard mechanisms for exchange and creating new forms of wealth and value. This discussion will explore the potential shift away from traditional monetary forms of value and the role emerging technologies will play in creating alternative forms of wealth.
Speaker
Duncan Cass-Beggs
Counsellor for Strategic Foresight, OECD
Speaker
Dr. Susann Roth
Chief of Knowledge Management, Asian Development Bank
Speaker
Joseph Raczynski
Technologist and Futurist, Thomson Reuters
Moderator
Vilas Dhar
Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Can We Decolonize the Future?
Foresight and futures practitioners around the world are widely acknowledging the importance of developing an inclusive view of the future that challenges existing cultural definitions and allows us to unlearn pervasive cultural norms. Panelists in this session will discuss how foresight and futures practitioners can ‘decolonize the future’.
Speaker
Dr. Nnedi Okorafor
Writer, Africanfuturism Productions
Speaker
Alisha Bhagat
Futures Lead, Forum for the Future
Is This the Demise of Law as We Know It?
In a future filled with new realities, decentralisation, global citizens, and the exploration of alternative environments like space and the metaverse, the traditional concepts of law no longer make sense. New “jurisdictions” and global economies have and will continue to emerge. But how will law, as a sector and profession, innovate to meet the demands of this new world? This session brings together legal futurists and experts from diverse backgrounds to discuss the new frontier of law.
Speaker
Prof. Steven Freeland
Emeritus Professor, Western Sydney University
Speaker
Sahia Ahmad
Chief Executive Officer, Regulatory & Governance, Dubai Economy & Tourism
Moderator
Mark Beer
Minister of Justice, Asgardia
Can We Befriend Artificial Intelligence?
In this session, the speaker discusses whether machines may still be distinguishable from those in the future, and explores the point at which machines are considered living, albeit technological, beings.
Speaker
Prof. Youngsook Park
Chair, UN Future Forum
Can Foresight Extend to Multiple Generations?
In this session speakers will discuss the unique prospects and challenges faced by different generations and the importance for policymakers to ensure ‘intergenerational fairness’.
Speaker
Catarina Tully
Managing Director, School of International Futures
Moderator
Joana Lenkova
The LEGO Group
Can We Predict 2023?
In this session, panelists and experts explore what lies ahead in 2023 by noting key trends we should be paying attention to, and how smart governments, companies and societies should be responding.
Led by
Dr. Patrick Noack
Dubai Future Foundation
Will We Have Museums in the Future?
With an increasing emphasis on experiential value, museums, and arguably a significant share of arts and culture institutions, panelists in this session explore existing trends in the roles museums play in identity building and contributing to soft education.
Speaker
Dr. Stefan Brandt
Director, Futurium
Speaker
Majed Almansoori
Deputy Executive Director, Museum of the Future
Moderator
Nico Daswani
The Imaginarium
Can The Future Be Taught?
How do we educate the next generation of futurists? Join this esteemed panel of foresight educators and practitioners as they share their lessons and insights from decades of foresight education; what works, what doesn’t, what is changing, and what is coming next.
Speaker
HE Aisha Miran
Assistant Secretary-General, Strategy Management and Governance, Dubai Executive Council
Speaker
Dr. Peter Bishop
Executive Director, Teach the Future, Inc.
Speaker
Dr. Erik Øverland
President, World Futures Studies Federation
Speaker
Dr. Ozcan Saritas
Head of Laboratory for Science & Technology Studies, University of Manchester & HSE University
Moderator
Susan Cox-Smith
Changeist
Can We Make Other Planets Livable in our Lifetime?
Terraformation – the process of modifying the atmosphere of a planet to make it habitable – may have been widely viewed as science fiction. Nevertheless, scientific advances are suggesting that terraforming Mars, the Moon or even potentially the Earth may eventually become possible. In this session, panelists will explore the potential of terraformation.
Speaker
Dr. Nnedi Okorafor
Writer, Africanfuturism Productions
Speaker
HE Salem Al Marri
Director General, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre
Speaker
Dr. Chuanfei Dong
Staff Scientist, Princeton University
Speaker
Dr. Nidhal Guessoum
Professor of Physics, American University of Sharjah
Moderator
Dr. John Sweeney
Westminster International University in Tashkent
The Way Forward
Speaker
HE Khalfan Belhoul
Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Future Foundation
FORUM THEMES
Dubai
Future
Forum
Designing the Future of the World
What will the world look like in the future? The future is typically viewed as an evolving paradigm of our present world and how we imagine our challenges and inspiration are transforming it. The forum will discuss the most significant transformations we are seeing as individuals, society and governments and what they mean for our future 20, 30, 40 years from now. The forum discusses space migration and the potential for the human civilization to become an interplanetary civilization, the potential digital divide between the connected, unconnected and underconnected and whether it may be possible in the near future to inhabit a truly digital reality.
What Does it Mean to
be Human in the Future?
The impact of ongoing transformations and advancements on companies and countries is widely studied, discussed and debated. The impact of these shifts on humans and societies need to be seen as a priority in order to create human centric growth. The forum takes a deeper look at the impact of ongoing shifts and currents on humans, and in particular, the increasing integration of technology in our daily lives and across societies and the ethical implications of such.
Hedging Our Bets
Through the process of creative destruction, many technological and societal advances create new opportunities. These advances simultaneously render certain industries obsolete. The forum explores the impact of technological advances and trends on specific sectors, including energy, trade and materials manufacturing to discuss what they may look like in the future and the impact of these advances on traditional industrial practices.
Mitigating Existential Risk
Through Foresight
Existential risks may be one of the primary motivations behind foresight and futures practices across the world. However, whether this is and should be possible is a critical debate within and beyond foresight practice. The forum explores how foresight as a discipline and practice is evolving and how it can help us address the opportunities and risks facing us. If futures and scenarios are the way forward, how do we develop them in ways that are meaningful and impactful?