Michael Rogers

Featured Keynote Programs

Cognitive computing is the latest and most potent expression of artificial intelligence. Software and robots can now learn from experience and then reason and act upon information--often coming up with insights that humans might not reach. The astonishing abilities of ChatGPT are a good example. Because they are “cloud-based”, these powerful thinking tools will be accessible even to small organizations and individuals. The result will be new efficiencies and surprising new intelligent services that will change the very nature of work and challenge us to identify what skills are uniquely human.

Never before has management’s life been so...interesting. Business, government and society are all creating a vast new digital infrastructure, from smart sensors and cognitive computing to wearable computers, extended social networks and virtual workplaces. That puts leaders in the midst of not just technical challenges but broader social quandaries such as the nature of privacy, white collar automation, reskilling workers, the rule of law in cyberspace--not to mention the strategic direction of the enterprise itself. How can successful managers discover and implement innovation while still meeting the daily challenges of business?

We’re all educators--either as professional teachers, or as managers, team leaders, mentors, or parents. In the future, we will be permanent students as well. The online world represents a powerful opportunity for education to reach a wider, more diverse audience. But it’s also a challenge to the future of both teachers and campuses.

And there’s a second issue: what do we teach? Now that young people live with one foot in the virtual world, how does that impact education and employment? What skills will our students initially bring (or not bring) to campus, and what skills will they need to make their way in an increasingly automated world? Michael has spoken to educators worldwide ranging from K-12 to college, law and medicine.

Cognitive computing is the latest and most potent expression of artificial intelligence. Software and robots can now learn from experience and then reason and act upon information--often coming up with insights that humans might not reach. Because they are “cloud-based”, these powerful thinking tools will be accessible even to small organizations and individuals. The result will be new efficiencies and surprising new intelligent services that will change the very nature of work and challenge us to identify what skills are uniquely human.

The “virtualization” of our world has greatly accelerated. Work from home, telemedicine, virtual shopping, distance learning, socializing, exercise: this trend alone will impact every sector of the economy. But of course there is much more. Consumers will emerge with a new desire for security and control, yet lagging incomes will change what they can afford. The public will continue to seek authoritative information sources, with a new focus on wellness. Businesses will face questions about localization, automation, staffing and real estate. And these questions are just a start: the prognosis seems to change daily. But the discussion must begin now—and thinking about the future in useful ways has been Michael’s mission for over 20 years.

What Comes After COVID? is a highly customized presentation. Michael will work with you and your team in advance to pull out the specific topics relevant to your sector. He offers either a virtual keynote with a Q&A session, or else a full small-group interactive session.

Michael specializes in leading interactive group discussions about the future, for C-level groups, senior management, boards of directors, and other audiences ranging from five to 50 people.

Now he has adapted his techniques for virtual presentations. In today’s environment of limited physical interaction, virtual group work is an important element in maintaining team spirit and enthusiasm.

Michael works with you to create specific material for your business—future scenarios that will engage employees and lead to useful insights about the way forward.

Michael can use any of the popular videoconferencing technologies. His home studio in New York City includes HD video, fiberoptic Internet, and full green screen capability to create presentations that are compelling both intellectually and visually.

For this popular speech, Michael—who is also a best-selling science fiction writer— does an interview to learn more about your business, practice or discipline. He then creates a realistic scenario of what your profession or business may be like in the mid-Twenties. He’ll identify potential new products, new customers and new challenges. He’s done it for lawyers, health care professionals, transportation companies, retailers, educators, financial services companies and more—even a luxury goods manufacturer!

What is privacy in the 21st century? What kind of personal information will we trade for customized (and often free) services? How might that come back to haunt us? This is a conversation that every business should have now. Soon you will know more about your customers than ever before. How you use that information will be critical to your public reputation and customer loyalty. At present, digital privacy is the Wild West. Customer information databases are increasingly being cross-matched and analyzed by artificial intelligence to achieve new insights. But what happens when something your customer said to her home voice-control system in the kitchen shows up a day later in your email marketing message?

The future is bright for medicine: telemedicine, wellness monitors, personal genomics, electronic health records, and more. Plus: “big data” and smart computers will choose the best and most efficient treatment options based on actual outcomes. All this progress will come with caveats, of course: how do we keep the human element in healthcare? What are the privacy implications of personal genomic data? How do we fund the latest technologies while still making sure that basic healthcare is affordable? Michael has presented this topic to pharmaceutical companies, hospital networks, health insurers, medical educators and more.

Over the next decade, more and more of our work, what we care about and how we interact with others will involve the Internet, intelligent computers and the Internet of Things. If you think that’s already happened...just listen to what Michael predicts is next. Add to that the rise of a new generation of “digital natives” who are remarkably comfortable with virtual relationships. What will this mean for how our businesses and organizations must evolve in the years to come? How will products change to meet new needs and what will companies do to reach their customers?