Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
G7 · G20governments advised
850+keynotes
102countries
17codexes
Future of society sessions forSlovakiaTechNew Civil EngineerSamsungThe Mentor ProjectBritish Property FederationRWE
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Vicki and the California Governor's Office invited Matthew to give the keynote at their annual community address. The subject was the future of the state of California, and of the industries its citizens rely on for their livelihoods and prosperity, from agriculture and space to communications, energy and healthcare.
Every industry is being disrupted, and the state sees that as a huge opportunity to reinvent itself and its industries. Matthew used the keynote to explore the disruptive exponential technologies and megatrends that are already making themselves felt across California.
"Every industry is being disrupted, and the state of California sees it as a huge opportunity to reinvent itself and its industries."Matthew Griffin, United States, December 2020
He covered the sophisticated robots now harvesting farmers' fields, and what democratising space will mean for the state's burgeoning space industry. He looked at the impact of telehealth and telemedicine technologies on California's hospitals and healthcare systems, and at how renewables and emerging energy breakthroughs will affect the state's energy infrastructure, along with many other changes further afield.
After the keynote, Matthew joined an energetic panel session that examined what all of these trends mean for the state's businesses and investments. The panel discussed in depth how California can capitalise on them, returning to the session's central idea that disruption across every industry is the state's opportunity to reinvent itself.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Disruption is a strategic opening.
The session treated disruption across every industry as the state's chance to reinvent itself. Exponentially improving technologies keep reshaping the economy even as classic chip scaling slows. Leaders should plan around that change rather than wait for it to pass.
Space access is widening fast.
Launch costs per kilogram have fallen about 96% since 1960, which widens who can afford to reach orbit. That backs the point about democratising space and a burgeoning space industry. Free space laser communications, which send data between satellites, planes and the ground, link this to the communications sector.
Energy needs a long view.
Renewables and new energy breakthroughs will affect the state's energy infrastructure. Conductive energy systems store spare clean electricity as heat and are rated Explore. Space based energy platforms are rated Watch, with wide use not expected until around 2055, so keep near and distant bets apart.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which parts of our business are most exposed to disruption today?
Where could cheaper access to space change our costs or markets?
Which energy options need action now, and which only need watching?
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 California session mean for organisations?
It shows that disruption touching many sectors at once can be treated as a chance to reinvent. Organisations should map which technologies affect their own industry and decide where to invest, as the panel discussed for California's businesses.
How does democratising space access relate to this session?
The session covered what democratising space will mean for California's space industry. 311 rates the trend Prepare, with wide use around 2030, and notes that launch costs per kilogram have fallen about 96% since 1960.
How do conductive energy systems relate to California's energy future?
They are thermal batteries that use spare clean electricity to heat bricks, rock or carbon blocks, then release the heat as industrial heat or power. That fits the session's focus on renewables and the state's energy infrastructure. 311 rates them Explore.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
311 offers a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. Sessions are held 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
Hundreds of megatrends are shaping everything you care about.
311 Institute's Annual Trends Codex maps the hundreds of megatrends and microtrends shaping the world, the same kind of forces Matthew traced across California's farms, space industry, hospitals and energy infrastructure.
