Invited by the organisers of GITEX Technology Week, one of the world's largest future focused expos, to keynote its 2018 edition at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
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The organisers of GITEX invited Matthew to keynote GITEX Technology Week 2018 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the 38th event in the series and one of the world's largest future focused expos, with over 150,000 visitors from 120 countries and more than 4,500 companies. He headlined the main stage alongside Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
Opened on 15 October by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, the event filled 1.3 million square feet of halls with exhibitors from China and the US to Nigeria and South Korea, showing the latest advances in AI, blockchain, robotics, cloud and digitisation.
"In the next two decades the transportation industry will change more than it has in the past thousand years."Matthew Griffin, Dubai, October 2018
Matthew was asked to take the audience on a journey through time and space and shine a light on the future of transportation up to 2040. The topic was especially pertinent as the UAE works to diversify its economy away from oil and prepares to welcome upwards of 50 million tourists a year as part of its Vision 2030 programme.
He covered the death of the car, the rise of flying taxis, and autonomous battery-less pods and vehicles that design and then 3D and 4D print themselves. He also discussed the electrification of the industry, trains that travel at 2,500 miles per hour, and travelling from one side of the planet to the other in just 30 minutes, leaving the audience with a picture of a transport system that will change more in the next two decades than in the past thousand years.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Transport change is a strategy issue.
Matthew's view is that transport will change more in two decades than in the past thousand years. That reaches beyond the car industry. Any organisation that depends on moving people, goods or staff should test its plans against it.
Driverless and airborne services are arriving.
Our data shows robotaxis scaling from pilots to paid city services, with wide use around 2032. Electric air taxis are moving from test flights to first passenger services in China and Dubai, with wide use around 2040. Leaders should decide now which of these they will explore and which they will only watch.
Vehicles that print themselves change supply chains.
The keynote described vehicles that design and then 3D and 4D print themselves. 3D printing builds a solid object layer by layer from a digital design. 4D printed objects change shape after printing. Together they could shift where and how transport equipment is made.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which of our journeys or deliveries depend on a human driver today?
What would we change if the car stopped being the default?
Who in our team owns the watch on air and driverless transport?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
It means transport should be treated as a long term planning topic, not a fleet purchase. Matthew expects more change in two decades than in the past thousand years. Organisations should map which parts of their operations depend on today's transport and test those against 2040.
How do autonomous vehicles relate to this keynote?
The keynote covered the death of the car and autonomous pods and vehicles. In our data, robotaxis scale from pilots to paid city services, with driverless trucks and private cars following. We rate it Explore, with wide use around 2032.
How do flying taxi services relate to this keynote?
Flying taxis were one of the three headline themes of the session. Our data shows electric air taxis edging from test flights to first passenger services in China and Dubai. We rate it Watch, with wide use around 2040.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
We offer a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. We work in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Emerging technologies have implications for culture, industry and society.
The Future of Exponential Technology Codex explores hundreds of emerging technologies and their implications for global culture, industry and society, including the ones reshaping how cities like Dubai will move.
