Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
G7 · G20governments advised
850+keynotes
102countries
17codexes
Future of society sessions forSlovakiaTechNew Civil EngineerCalifornia Governor's OfficeThe Mentor ProjectBritish Property FederationRWE
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Joni, Tanya and the team at Samsung invited Matthew to give the keynote at a launch event at Samsung KX in London. Three years on from his last visit, he returned to the theme of Life: 2069, Samsung's centennial year and a hundred years on from the development of its first "televisor".
Filmed at Samsung KX and streamed to audiences across Europe and North America because of COVID restrictions, the session explored what Matthew regards as the foundational technologies of our time: artificial intelligence, communications, computing, electronics, energy and others. He then turned to the future of entertainment, well beyond AI creating synthetic content, and to the future of food and healthcare, including life at the age of 150.
"The future won't just be a more modern version of today's reality, it'll be sci-fi on steroids."Matthew Griffin, London, November 2021
His central point was that we already live in an age our ancestors would regard as science fiction, if they knew what science fiction was. As we move forward we will be in the same position, using technologies we once thought of as sci-fi, such as DNA based AIs and biological computers, which are already here.
He closed on the oddest thing about the keynote: nothing he talked about is science fiction, because all of it has already been built.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Sci-fi is already on the shelf.
The keynote argued that DNA based AIs and biological computers exist now. Leaders who file them under fiction risk missing early moves. Biological computing and synthetic biological intelligence both sit on the 311 watch list.
Entertainment goes beyond synthetic content.
The session looked past AI making synthetic content to a wider change in how we are entertained. Synthetic content is already a trend that calls for action now. Teams in media and brand should plan for what follows it.
Long horizons need present choices.
A view out to 2069 and life at the age of 150 can feel remote. The point is that the building blocks are in place today. Food, healthcare and AI strategy all need owners now, not later.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which of our plans assume the future looks like a tidier version of today?
Where are we treating built technology as if it were still fiction?
Who owns our response to biological computing and synthetic content?
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.
What does the Life: 2069 session mean for organisations?
It means planning on the basis that sci-fi level technology is already built. Organisations should map which of these tools touch their sector and assign owners early.
How does biological computing relate to this keynote?
Matthew named biological computers as already here. Biological computers use molecules such as DNA and proteins to store data and do sums. 311 rates the topic as one to watch.
How does synthetic content relate to the session?
Matthew said the future of entertainment goes well beyond AI creating synthetic content. 311 treats synthetic content as a trend to act on now, as AI-made text, images, music and video grow as a share of what is published online.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector, 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 are reshaping culture, industry and society.
The codex explores hundreds of emerging technologies and their implications for global culture, industry and society, the foundations of the life in 2069 Matthew described for Samsung.
