Gary Vaynerchuk, also known as GaryVee or Gary Vee, is an American entrepreneur, author, and social media personality known for his teachings about personal growth, success, and entrepreneurship. He is the author of several books, including “Crushing It!” and “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook,” and he is a popular speaker who has delivered his message to audiences around the world. Here are the top 10 quotes by Gary Vee:
“Hustle is the most important word ever.”
“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill.”
“Skills are cheap. Passion is priceless.”
“The most successful people are the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world.”
“Don't worry about being successful but worktoward being significant and the success will naturally follow.”
“I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man.”
“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple.”
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”
“The biggest mistake I see most entrepreneurs make is not having the discipline to follow through on their ideas.”
“The biggest mistake most people make is not setting goals high enough.”
These quotes by Gary Vee emphasize the importance of hard work, determination, and passion in achieving success and making a positive impact on the world. He encourages people to embrace their potential, to take risks, and to strive for excellence in order to achieve their goals. His words of wisdom have inspired many people to pursue their own path of personal and professional development.
John C. Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor known for his teachings about leadership, personal growth, and success. He has written over 100 books, including “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” and “The 5 Levels of Leadership,” and he is a popular speaker who has delivered his message to audiences around the world. Here are the top 10 quotes by John Maxwell:
“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.”
“The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis.”
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
“The greatest mistake a leader can make is not setting clear goals.”
“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
“The more influence you have, the more responsible you are.”
“Leadership is not about being in control. It's about taking responsibility for helping others grow and develop.”
“The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.”
“A leader's potential is determined by his ability to lead and influence others.”
“A true leader is one who is humble enough to admit their mistakes, confident enough to learn from them, and wise enough to use them as opportunities to grow.” These quotes by John Maxwell emphasize the importance of leadership, personal growth, and responsibility in achieving success and making a positive impact on others. He encourages people to be humble, confident, and wise in their leadership and to strive to make a difference in the world. His words of wisdom have inspired many people to pursue their own path of personal and professional development.
Neil Donald Walsh is an American author and motivational speaker known forhis spiritual and philosophical beliefs. He is the author of several books, including “Conversations with God,” which has been widely popular and has been translated into more than 40 languages. Walsh's message focuses on the idea that we are all connected and that we are all part of something greater than ourselves. Here are the top 10 quotes by Neil Donald Walsh:
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
“Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.”
“You are not a human being having a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being having a human experience.”
“You are not a drop in the bucket. You are the bucket.”
“Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them.”
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
“It is not our job to fix the world, but to love it.”
“Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think that you've lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.”
“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.”
“Love is the only thing that can make a difference in the world.”
These quotes by Neil Donald Walsh emphasize the importance of love, self-acceptance, and connection in achieving happiness and fulfillment. He encourages people to embrace their spirituality and to let go of their fears and limitations in order to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. His words of wisdom have inspired many people to pursue their own path and to find their own sense of purpose and meaning.
Daniele Levine, Top Innovation Trends Speaker in conversation with Futurist Ian Khan
In this episode i speak with globally recognized Futurist Daniel Levine, also a co-contributor to the recent book “After Shock”.
Bio
Daniel Levine is a trusted consultant to major companies and brands worldwide. He is regularly featured in newspapers and magazines and is often on television and radio including CNN, NBC and others.
Mr. Levine is the director of the Avant-Guide Institute and the global editor of the popular trends website WikiTrend.org where he leads a large international team of trend spotters; over 9000 researchers who chronicle the latest ideas, products and experiences from around the globe.
-Founding Director of the Avant- Guide Institute trends consultancy
-Bestselling Author of 11 books on trends, business, travel and marketing
-Keynote Speaker with over 266 presentations in 37+ Industries
-Corporate Consultant for American Express, Intel, HBO, NBC, BMW & many more
-Global Leader of WikiTrend.org for business professionals
Learn more about Daniel at https://daniellevine.com/
The world's foremost futurists reflect on 50 years of Future Shock—and look ahead to the next 50
Contributors include:
Alan Kay
Aaron Frank
Adrienne Mayor
Alexander Mankowsky
Alexandra Ivanovitch
Alisha Bhagat
Amy Zalman
Anders Sorman-Nilsson
Andra Keay
Andrew Curry
Andy Hines
Anita Sengupta
Anne Lise Kjaer
Aris Persidis
Aubrey de Grey
Barry O'Reilly
Barry Vacker
Bill Davidow
Bill Diamond
Bryan Alexander Byron Reese
Carlos Osorio
Carver Mead
Cat Tully
Cindy Frewen
Clem Bezold
Daniel Burrus
Daniel Levine
David Brin
David Guston
David Krakauer
David J. Staley
David Weinberger
Deb Westphal
Diane M. Francis
Donna Dupont
Eleanor “Nell” Watson
Eric Daimler
Erica Bol
Erik Qualman
Fotis Sotiropoulos
George Gilder
Grady Booch
Gray Scott
Hannes Sjoblad
Harish Natarajan
Hazel Henderson
Helen Messier
Ian Khan
Ignacio Pena
Jack Uldrich
James Canton
Jane McGonigal
Jason Jackson
Jason Schenker
Jay Gambetta
Jeff Eisenach
Jeffrey C. Bauer
Jerome Glenn
Jerry Fishenden
Joe Dispenza
Joe Tankersley
Joel Garreau
John L. Petersen
John M. Smart
John Sack
John Sanei
John Schroeter
Jonathan Venn
José Morey
Kaitlyn Sadtler
Kirk Borne
Klee Irwin
Kris Østergaard
Lisa Bodell
Maciej Kranz
Martin Guigui
Martin Rees
Maggie Greyson
Michael Tomczyk
Michel Laberge
Mick Ebeling
Moon Ribas
Naveen Jain
Neil Jacobstein
Newt Gingrich
Patricia Lustig & Gill Ringland
Paul Saffo Paul Stimers
Po Bronson & Arvind Gupta
Ray Kurzweil
Rebecca Costa
Richard Browning
Richard Slaughter
Richard Watson
Richard Yonck
Rodrigo Nieto Gómez
Rohit Bhargava
Ross Dawson
Ruth Miller
Sanjiv Chopra & Pankaj K Vij
Sohail Inayatullah
Sridhar Mahadevan
Stan Rosen
Stephanie Mehta
Steve Waite
Tanya Accone
Terrence (Terry) Sejnowski
Teun Koetsier
Theodore Jay Gordon
Thomas Frey
Timothy Chou
Vikram Mansharamani
Wolfgang Fengler
Zoltan Istvan
Full Transcript : Hi friends and welcome to the Ian Khan show. You're listening to a special episode of The aftershock series, which where I interview co contributors to the recent book aftershock. My guest today is Daniel Levine, who's one of the world's best known trans experts. He's named the ultimate guru of cool by CNN, and he's a frequent guest on TV and radio. He's the director of avant garde Institute, based out of New York helps people understand the future. Let's speak with Daniel. Hi, Daniel. Welcome to the Ian Khan Show. Hey, I'm so excited to be speaking with you. Because you are quite the man you are the person who is the go to person for trends. And you've been doing this for many, many years. You and I are both part of Aftershock. This is something our good friend Joshua put together. And we'll talk about that and many other things in the few minutes.
Welcome to the show. Yeah, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. And I wish we were here in person, but I guess that's gonna have to wait a little bit. So COVID has changed the world? I don't know. And I don't think Toffler wrote about that, among many things that he did, but it's really I mean, I've been speaking with so many different people. Nobody was expecting it. Yes, everybody knows there are many viruses and they are sitting in some labs, but nobody was expecting this kind of change to happen to an everyday world. What are your thoughts off this 2020 being the year off? COVID-19? You know, there's really only one story this year, right? It's the main thing that's affecting so many people's lives. And it's where it's gonna go. I think, you know, a lot of the people who you're interviewing on your podcast, have a lot of ideas about that. And I'm sure we'll get into some of those things today, where I think I'm probably different from many of the people that you speak with is I don't consider myself a futurist. I consider myself a trends expert. And by that, I mean, I don't look at sort of pie in the sky prognostications about what might be happening 50 years from now, I'm really looking at the next, you know, three to five years and even closer than that, based on things that we're actually going through right now. So my specialty, along with the avant garde Institute is looking at changes that are happening in culture as we are living them. And then extrapolating what that may look like. And I think that's important, because it's really difficult for most people to see where they are when they're in the middle of it. You know, so many people right now are freaking out about, about the future, the near future, because it's hard to see what the next few months are gonna look like, when you're so deeply impacted by what's going on right now. You agree? Yep. Yeah, absolutely. And bang on you're you're right. And I'll tell you what other people have been talking about. So among all the contributors of Aftershock, I probably have had so far, maybe 80% of all the contributors who I've spoken with 80% of them, until now. And these people, some of them are doctors, some of their MD, some of them are specialists, some of them the head of SETI search for extraterrestrial, and doesn't like people like that. And everybody has a different perspective on especially COVID-19, that we're all in it together. First of all, nobody was expecting it to happen. Number two, the disruption on common life and all the things that we find are right around us and we have access to them. Seven, you cannot do it. So it's been a shock for everybody. That's been a bit of a shock for everybody that you can't just go out anymore, you can go out and you can go for a meeting. And so that disruption of life, something that Toffler talks in a different way that, hey, the pace of change will be rapid. But it's more like a direction change rather than an amplification of that what I think is really interesting about one of the things that's very interesting, about tumblers book was his main thesis was that we're going through this malaise that we're going to have because the world is moving so quickly, and you know, we can't catch up. We weren't built physically to catch up to how quickly the world is moving right now. But what sort of strikes me and I think sort of taps a hopeful note for us is that the world seems to be moving so much faster now than even Toffler expected. And yet, humans have sort of proven to be adaptable. And we have caught up in many ways. You know, that Malays is I don't really see that as being a major part of our culture, especially when you look at younger people who, you know, people who who grew up in the were born in the internet era that's just normal and natural to them and people who who are sort of born into eras that seem natural to them, and their genes are not don't seem to be holding them back from surviving and thriving in the society. So I think I like that from I think it's sort of a positive note for us with what's happening with with the COVID crisis. And I think, you know, when you look at this crisis in terms of like, the next year, your job, my job, and many of your people who are watching this, people are writing them, and rightly so. But if you take a longer term view, if you look at your work and your life over the next 10 years, then I think things become feel feel better, like the world will go back to a semblance of the way it was before. Do you think so? I think we reached you know, top and I'm going to backtrack a little bit you You talk a lot about and I've been following your work as well, you talk a lot about the adaptation of trends, you talk a lot about, Hey, this is what's happening down the line, this is potentially what will happen. Interesting, amazing stuff, I love it, bang on. And here comes COVID-19. It just amplifies and accelerates some parts of our life, for example, web conferencing, or remote work or work from home or whatever you call it. And nobody expected that to happen at such a fast pace. Now, we're all talking about, Hey, this is the new normal, I don't think this is the new normal, I think the new normal is coming until we adapt and go through this change. But here we go. We have had rapid acceleration in some things. And some things will be amazing, because now we've really found out these cool things to do and better way of doing things. I think the new normal interest me the tomorrow that we will arrive that after we stabilize, and we cannot have this crisis is something that excites me, because that will be a better, faster, more efficient world. And probably this, you know, it's like going on, it's like a boost. It's a shot of adrenaline that humanity's going through. And I think it's amazing, it's taken us out from that malaise and rapidly accelerated what we do. Right? You know, I, I've heard people refer to this place that we're in right now as either the great reset, or the great pause. And I think you probably have heard both of those as well. And many people watching. And to me, those are sort of different ideas, it's different ways of looking at what we're going through and how we're going to come out of it. The great reset, I think is talking about, you know, the kind of thing that you were just mentioning that we're going to come out of it in a different kind of a world than we are today. And no one's sure exactly what that's going to look like. But it will be created. And then the other side of it is it's the great pause that we're just sort of taking a few months now to everyone's stopping their lives. Not everyone, but most people sort of stopping their lives, pausing their lives. And then things after COVID ends, everything will get back to normal. Yeah, yeah, those feel like two different ideas to me. Yeah. And I actually am more of a great pause guy. So I think that there will be changes for sure, of course. But when I look at, you know, humanity, and the basis between the way that we act, it has to do with, you know, who people are, we're social beings, we're selfish beings. And all of those sort of core things about humanity don't change. So I'm reading and hearing so many people talk about, oh, this can be fantastic, we're going to come out of it, you know, loving our neighbors more and appreciating our lives more. And unfortunately, I think for the most part, Bs, and one of the reasons I see that is when you look at in the United States, the the stimulus money that the government is giving to small businesses is being first of all, it's being distributed through banks who are distributing it to their biggest clients, because they get the biggest fees on that. And it's going to publicly traded companies who are giving or giving money to their investors, we're in the middle of this thing. And it's not changing people's behavior, it's sort of people are talking about, it's gonna be wonderful. But what I'm seeing is people are people, unfortunately, and in, you know, a few years from now, it's going to be closer to the great pause than the great reset. Do you think a reason for that is the fact that our world is, let's say, moving fast, because of technology and all of these things, distractions, and they'll all of that is still I mean, people are watching more Netflix right now. They're watching more television and online shows and all of that, right? So they're distracting themselves with all of these things, despite the fact that we're all sitting at home. I think there could be a reason for the fact that people will go back to their old way of doing things maybe after six months or a year or two years, is because of the world around them. It's because that's what the world around them looks like. And I agree with you that there's a huge possibility that people will just Come out of this once they go back to their jobs, and they'll feel good for a month. But then after two months, they'll you know, it's like going on a vacation one month coming back from your vacation, you feel you never gone on a vacation. Right. Right. And so it's possible. Yes, it's interesting. Let me let me say something about a more sort of positive level, which is that, you know, trends, some, some trends change quickly. And some change, some change more incrementally. And I think there's a lot of people who are hoping that this is such a big deal, that it's going to, you know, create a sea change in the way people act and the way the world is. And in some cases, it will. But in some cases, what's actually I think is going to happen is that more incremental change, and if I look back at 2008, after the Great Recession, it did change the way that people acted in their lives, especially younger people, when I think about young millennials at the time, who felt that maybe it's not the way that they want to live their lives. It's not like their parents accruing stuff that sort of led to the so called sharing economy, people not wanting to be indebted, as much, especially younger people, it could change people's attitudes. And I think this will change people's attitudes in a similar way. And depending on how deep the economic malaise is, it could change people's attitudes in the way that our, you know, grandparents and some of your watchers, great grandparents change their attitudes after the Great Depression, they lived in a depression mentality the rest of their lives, that that very well could happen. I think the key is, and I feel this is my opinion, that people who despite these times of whatever change, they're going through people who continue to invest in themselves, they continue to read, they continue to learn, they continue to do all these things that can so that they are getting ready for when things open up, they can do things better, I think they are, they will get the maximum benefit out of this, we're constantly on a path of self improvement, because that's what change creates change. You know, that's the other side of change is self improvement world is changing fast. You look at yourself and improve yourself faster and faster and faster. So I really hope those are gonna come out on the top. I do believe also that all these stimuluses that governments are giving in Canada, United States, a few other places, it's going to come back in form of taxes in form of other things. So it's not free money that's being distributed. But of course, it's helping people keep doors open and, you know, small businesses wherever they're, they're struggling. So I think it's a great thing. But But people also need to keep Be aware that, you know, it's got to be paid back with interest. There's no such thing as a free lunch. I want to ask you about trends. You know, many times you probably come across people, who are the naysayers who don't believe in your trends, who say, hey, Daniel, I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think cars will ever fly. Come on, tell us something different. How do you work with those people? Or what's your response to those people? Well, to be honest, it I actually don't usually get those responses, mainly, because when I'm talking about things that will happen, I'm informed by things that are already happening. So I'm using those as examples. This is how things morph in the world. So let me give you an example. You know, I'm often asked, What's the difference between a trend and a fad, because people often confuse those two things. And one of the main there's a few differentiators, but one of the main ones is longevity. So you know, fad is oftentimes something that happens comes on quickly and leaves quickly. And a trend is something more long lasting, that you can make a business plan around. So when it comes to like wearable technology, is that a trend or a fad? wearable technology? And my argument is that wearable technology is a trend because humans have been wearing technology since almost the beginning of humanity when it was a sword by their side will is any particular product, you know, watch or headset or anything is that the trend probably not the those things. Anything that has a brand on it is usually a fad or part of a bigger trend. So by using examples like that, I think that this is a way that I explain where the world is heading. And that it's not that that's why I'm not making these, you know, guesses about 50 years from now. But what some of the things are trends and fads that you're seeing come out of this COVID-19 crises? Well, I think one of the thing that struck me when you were telling me that you're speaking to people from all different industries, you know, what I do is I sort of bring those all together to understand the big trends because trends are not siloed by industry trends are about what people are thinking and feeling. And you know, we're all looking for the same trends to be answered in every part of our lives, the cars we buy the clothing, we wear, the vacations, we will eventually take, again, for ourselves. It's about it's about lifestyle and the way that we perceive ourselves and want to be perceived by others. So what struck me when you were telling me this about all these people from different industries is I think one of the things that ties all of that together, is that we're seeing right now an acceleration of many of the trends that were already in motion. And I think that I'm sure you're seeing that as well, he and this is sort of a time, this, this, this culture quake that we're in is accelerating a lot of the things that were already happening. So it's not necessarily about starting completely new things. A great example is exactly what we're doing right here talking by video. This is something that was in motion before, but is now on steroids. And there are so many examples of that across the industrial spectrum, Bradley said there's many industries, Daniels that are that are very slow in adoption, I work across different verticals. And I see some of them being very slow when it comes to adapting to change, for example, financial industry takes a lot of time to do things, because they're inherently they're got a complex structure, the accounting world there, they have practices that go 500 years back. And so for these industries, I think it's, it's a really great time to look at these new trends that are shaping the world adapt to new ways of working, and use all these things, trends to create more efficiency in business. I mean, that's what technology does, it creates efficiency, it helps you, you know, reduce whatever expense, so on and so forth. So I think it's a, it's a great way to create more value. And to go back to the drawing board, I've been telling people, hey, you're doing if you're doing nothing right now, then go back to the drawing board, strategize with your team every single day. And think of new ideas that can perhaps make your business different. And I see a lot of companies doing that as well. Daniel, I know we don't have a lot of time, help us understand the top three suggestions, recommendations, advice, guidance that you would give viewers watching this. And we've got a diverse set of viewers watching this, what should they do in order to adapt or look into trends? Or how to implement trends into their businesses? And kind of, is there a step by step approach? Is there a process that you recommend you teach? Thanks, the the, you know, trends are extremely powerful, because they show you what customers are thinking and feeling they're showing you about the world from a from a market pull perspective, I think I wouldn't have a job and maybe do and a lot of people who work in marketing and sort of adjuncts to marketing, if people or business people in particular, were really good at seeing themselves from outside of themselves. That's what marketers are great at marketers, or, in general, I think are the specialists and seeing the business world from outside of the business world from seeing it from the customer's perspective. And that's what the power of trends, the trends are like the secret sauce, of understanding getting inside the brain of what people are thinking and feeling and what's motivating them to act. And so in a case like we're in right now, it's there's a lot of motivators behind what's motivating, you know, what, why people are acting, that the two most obvious ones concerns about health and concerns about the economy. And those two things are where we're going to see the biggest changes, just like 911 changed everything. In regards to security, this thing, this crisis will change, you know, everything quote, unquote, in regard to the way we perceive our health, that will be one of the long lasting effects. So a powerful way that your watchers can understand that is by discovering what their customers are looking for, in a bigger sense, not just in their particular business, again, because trends are not siloed. by industry, their customers are looking for the same to buy or the same products and services based on the way that they're feeling and the way that they are in the world. And as I said, what's happening, and one way to track those is on trend watching sites. And I'll just give a little plug for for wiki trends, which is wiki trend.org. It's run by the avanti guidance Institute, which is the company that I'm the director of it's a free website that's updated every day with some of the most interesting and important trends that we're seeing. Come across our desks every day and working with people like you and people like me who spent what, you know, we spend our lives our business lives looking at the future and what that's going to bring to businesses. It's an extremely powerful thing for business to understand. And, and I think it's a benefit that, you know, it's sort of a silver lining, if you could call it that of what we're going through right now is that people like you and me are indemand right now, Daniel again, aftershock is Daniel has contributed to aftershock, I'm in it and we've got 50 other plus other people, amazing people who've written this book, we came together and wrote this. It's really thick. It's a thick volume, but every chapter is different. That's what I love about aftershock. It's available on Amazon, please, folks, if you're listening or watching, buy a copy of Amazon. And also Daniel, tell us where people can find you and check your work that you've given us one website, the E trends.org. Tell me more if there's other URLs that we can visit. Great, thank you, Daniel levine.com. That's my personal website. But my business I'm the head of the avant garde Institute at avanti guide.com. And yes, you're all welcome. And I love talking about this stuff. Give me a call and let's chat. And thank you Daniel. So Daniel levine.com, event guide.com, Vicki trends.org. Folks, Daniel is the person to go to when you want to learn about trends, what's shaping the world where we're headed, what you should do what you should ignore what you should pay attention to. My friend Daniel Levine, according to aftershock really amazing, gentlemen, as well. Daniel, thank you so much for your time. I thank you so much for inviting me. And everybody listening, health and wealth and good future thinking. Absolutely. Let's hope for the best and I know the future is definitely what we created today what we focus on today. So folks get to work, figure out your tomorrow despite the disruption that's happening, and you will come out shining Thank you so much. Thank you. Hey, friend, this is Ian Khan. If you like what you saw on my video, then please subscribe to my YouTube channel and be inspired every single day with innovative content that keeps you fresh, updated and ready for the future. For more information. Also visit my website at Ian khan.com
Byron Reese – Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur in conversation with Futurist Ian Khan
In this episode, i speak with globally recognized Futurist Daniel Levine, also a co-contributor to the recent book “After Shock”.
Bio (In Byron's own words)
Hello, my name is Byron Reese. I enjoy studying technology and history, contemplating their intersection with the future, and writing and speaking about it all.
I have always loved technology. As a kid, I was always taking stuff apart to figure out how it worked. I grew convinced that I must have a knack for engineering because whenever I would put something back together, I always had a few pieces leftover. If that isn't talent, I don't know what is.
Like many people that are fascinated by technology, I loved science fiction. I was, and still am, a big Star Trek fan. Years ago, I read a quote by the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry. He said that in the future, “There would be no hunger, there would be no greed, and all the children will know how to read.”
This quote gnawed at me, and I wondered if it was true. Or did it just sound true because it rhymed? So I decided to try to figure it out. That's how I became a futurist.
I got into business early in life. When I was 12, my mom asked me to paint our house number on our curb with a stencil. Our neighbor, Mr. Roland, saw me doing it and asked me to do his as well. Afterwards, he gave me $5. Five bucks! For five minutes work. In 1980! I remember hearing a distinct “ka-ching” inside my head. I immediately started going door-to-door and made a kid-sized fortune. I have been an entrepreneur ever since.
After I had some business success as an adult, I began getting invitations to give talks. Good speakers write a speech and give it over and over. I am not a good speaker. I have never given the same speech twice. I just can't bring myself to do it… it feels like I am phoning it in. So, I would give talks about whatever I was interested in at the time. After a while, I noticed that the same themes were coming up over and over. Suddenly that collection of speeches looked a lot like a book. That's how I became an author. My latest book is about AI and is called “The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity.”
Today, I am requested to speak to both technical and non-technical audiences around the world. I invite you to check out my Talks on Tomorrow and visit my blog for a collection of writing including my articles on artificial intelligence and interviews with today's AI thought leaders.
Whether I am writing or speaking, you are sure to find me exploring the intersection of technology, business, and the future. Follow me on Twitter at @byronreese
About After Shock
The world's foremost futurists reflect on 50 years of Future Shock—and look ahead to the next 50
Contributors include:
Alan Kay
Aaron Frank
Adrienne Mayor
Alexander Mankowsky
Alexandra Ivanovitch
Alisha Bhagat
Amy Zalman
Anders Sorman-Nilsson
Andra Keay
Andrew Curry
Andy Hines
Anita Sengupta
Anne Lise Kjaer
Aris Persidis
Aubrey de Grey
Barry O'Reilly
Barry Vacker
Bill Davidow
Bill Diamond
Bryan Alexander
Byron Reese
Carlos Osorio
Carver Mead
Cat Tully
Cindy Frewen
Clem Bezold
Daniel Burrus
Daniel Levine
David Brin
David Guston
David Krakauer
David J. Staley
David Weinberger
Deb Westphal
Diane M. Francis
Donna Dupont
Eleanor “Nell” Watson
Eric Daimler
Erica Bol
Erik Qualman
Fotis Sotiropoulos
George Gilder
Grady Booch
Gray Scott
Hannes Sjoblad
Harish Natarajan
Hazel Henderson
Helen Messier
Ian Khan
Ignacio Pena
Jack Uldrich
James Canton
Jane McGonigal
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Full Transcript : Hi friends this is Ian Khan and you're listening to the Ian Khan show. And this is an aftershock special episode, which means I'm speaking with a co contributor to the recent book aftershock. I'm speaking with Byron Reese today and Byron is an Austin based author. And his most recent book is the fourth age smart robots, conscious computers and the future of humanity. Byron Reese. barn Welcome to the Ian Khan show.
I'm so excited to have you on board. Where exactly are you right now. I am in Austin, Texas. And I'm happy to be here. amazing to be here with you. Oh, thank you. I so appreciate you making time for me. You know, we're both contributors to aftershock, which our good friend john shorter has put together thanks to him for bringing together an amazing group of people like yourselves and others that I've interviewed on the show so far. Byron, I am learning I'm drinking from the hose when I'm interviewing people like yourself just because of the things I'm hearing and people that are sharing. So thank you for joining me, I'm happy to be here. Let's talk about connection. You know, in your article in your work, and I've seen some of your work online as well, you talk a lot about people need to change their perception of a world driven by technology, because it just has a bad rep so many times when it comes to not losing jobs, but creating more jobs, engagement. And we're living in a post COVID world today, the world has definitely changed. What are your thoughts in a COVID world, and your ideas of technology in general. Human beings are about 100 watts of power, that's what we have your and if you were dropped on a desert island, you would feel the limits of that. And a long time ago, we learned a trick, and that is technology. And we use technology to multiply what we're able to do. You can measure it in a number of ways. One way is you know, energy consumption. Now the average person in the West uses 10,000 watts of power few 100 extra yourself throughout society because of this trick we learned. And all it does, it's a very simple thing all technology does is any increases human productivity. And that is always good for everyone. And if you challenge that, if you disagree with that, consider the alternative where you pass the law that said everybody has to work with one arm tied behind their back, what would happen? Well, you would create 100 jobs, because you need twice as many people to do anything. But the jobs wouldn't pay very well, because productivity went down. And so it's always good to increase human productivity. That's the story of why we live so much better lives and even our great grandparents lives. Absolutely. Let's break some misconceptions here. I've worked with a lot of industries, myself, you're out there, you're doing amazing work of it, what you do, you often hit a roadblock, when you tell people hey, here's five different things, five different new technologies are ways to create efficiency in your organization, whether it's an accounting firm, a manufacturing company, a doctor's clinic, and the first thing they think is Oh my God, is my job going to be done Am I going to be done and probably the first few thoughts that go to their head, or like, I'm going to lose my income, I'm gonna lose my house, I'm gonna lose my kids in car and my wife's gonna leave me, my kids and all that whole barrage of negative thoughts. How can we really convince people that technology is actually good for us? I mean, the proof is all around us. How do we get to to these people? Well, I would say it this way, I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out the half life of a job. And I think it's 50 years or put another way, I think, every 50 years, we lose half of all the jobs. It's been going on for about 250 years. And what's interesting in this country, with the exception of today, and the Great Depression, unemployment, it's never been over 10%. We know it's not over 10% now because of technology, nor in the depression. So you think about all these technological changes that came along, and you can't see them in a graph of unemployment, you replaced all animal power with steam and 22 years can't see it that an unemployment, you invented a kind of artificial intelligence known as the assembly line, you can't see it. Here's the kind of conceptual thing that I think maybe helps people a little bit. They say to me, Look, there's a range of jobs whose jobs at the top that are high paid high skilled jobs, and their jobs. Were at the bottom that are low skilled, low pay, like order taker, fast food. And they say, look, technology's great at creating these new jobs at the top like a geneticist, but it destroys the jobs and the bottom line, order takers, fast food. And then here's what people say. And I think this is what freaks everybody out. They say, you really think that person who was the order taker at the fast food place can learn to be a geneticist? Can the people who are losing their jobs, learn to code or whatever? And the answer is no, that isn't how it works. Ever. What happens is a college biology professor becomes a geneticist and then a high school biology teacher goes into the college job, then a substitute teacher gets hired on full time at the high school all the way down the line. The question isn't, Can people at the bottom do the new jobs that are created? The question is Can everybody on this planet do a job a little harder than the job they have today? So anybody listening, can you do a job just a little harder. There. The job you have today, if so, that's 250 years of economic history in this country for 250 years, we technology creates jobs at the top, it destroys jobs at the bottom, and everybody shifts up a notch. And that's why we have 50% of the jobs lost every half century, but rising wages, and it's for that reason, there is not a person listening, I would wager, who is absolutely out there mental and physical capacity. And I have found that most people want to do more if they make a little more money. And that's what the future looks like you use technology to multiply what you're able to do you increase your productivity, and you're paid more for it. Absolutely. also believe that and I completely agree with you, I think majority of people in the world undermine their capability of creating some change, sometimes maybe they don't connect with, you know, when people come out and say, Hey, I'm going to change the world. And there's all the naysayers who say, yeah, we've heard that before they're going to fail. But you know, what there's, there's there's a middle ground here, right between the super motivational people to the super D motivated people. There's people who are creating change right now, by taking action, creating plans, creating strategies executing on their tasks, and there has to be a systematic process of notching up. There's got to be systematic process. And I think there's a disconnect there, where people don't understand that process. And they give up, they just, they just give up on themselves, which is not great. No, I think to just add to that, I think the number one jobs skill in the future is the ability to teach yourself new things. And the good news is, everybody can do it. If I went I'm 52 years old, if I went back to high school, I went to school in the 80s. And I could there's only one class I could have taken back then that would be useful to me today. And that was piping? And who would have guessed. And so it's like everything, you know, for the most part you didn't learn at school, you taught yourself or somebody taught you and so your capacity to learn more, and to do what you're saying have an impact is without question and everybody has that's what makes humans different than other creatures. Absolutely. Now, it's been so interesting doing this book aftershock, because john reached out to I think all of us and said, Hey, write about future shots. This book was written 50 years ago by Alvin Toffler 50 years ago, it's so far back. And then you've got to brush your old copy of Future Shock and say, Okay, let's see what's in. Let me have a read. And there you find Alvin Toffler writes about things, 50 years forward, amazing things, very accurate things in the state of the world. Like he got it right, so many different times in so many different things. What were your initial thoughts? When whenever you read that book, or looking at Toffler and his work, felt somewhat inadequate? You know, it's, I wasn't even sure I was going to contribute, because it's such a guest company. But I'll come right back and answer that very directly. But if you go back just 25 years, that's when the mosaic browser came out. The first, you know, the consumer web. And if you went back 25 years ago, half that time, half of 50. And you ask a very smart technical person, hey, what's this browser thing going to do to the world? They would say two jobs, they would say, look, it's gonna probably get rid of all the stockbrokers get rid of all the travel agents get rid of all the Yellow Pages, all the newspapers are gonna have trouble. And they would have been right about everything. But what nobody would have gotten was everything that would create it, Uber, Etsy, Airbnb, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, all of that. And that's where the fear comes from is you can always see what it's going to destroy. But none of us have imagination to see what's going to create and Toffler did, and that's, to me, what's different, we all get nervous about what technology is going to take away or change that we don't like on namas. None of us can look at everybody could in 1995 see that there would be at CDA and all that it would have been started in 1996. But they weren't, you know, it took a decade or more before these really kind of core companies even came into being because it just takes a while to kind of get with the flow of the technologies. Oh, I could sell what's in my attic with this thing or what have you. So I think that's what's so impressive about Toffler is, is he could I mean, nobody's perfect, but he could see both sides of the equation. Well, yeah, I can have a lot of faith that the other side of the equation is there, but I don't purport to see it. Yeah. You know, I think, you know, my kids are gonna be short Wranglers. And you know, all these made up words I'm just making up because I don't know what they are. But they're gonna be something is different. But it'll come out to be but I don't know what it is. And thank you so much for that. They say that we are living in an era of exponential growth. And there's all bars, charts, data that exponential growth in the world in technology is happening Wait, Moore's law has been broken by 2025 or 2045 will be a new road race and we'll have implants. How much of that do you subscribe, like, what's your vision of where we will be realistically in the next 25 years? Here's the next 25 years. Well, I'm, I'm not a singularity. And I don't believe that our computing that once computers become, you know, smarter than us, then two years later, they'll be twice as smart. And then four times, and then eventually they won't even know what we are. I think that viewpoint is based on a, I used to host this podcast on AI, that's my shtick. And I had 120 guests, and I would ask them all the same question. And 95% of them answered this question. Yes. And then I give lots of speeches. And I ask audiences the same question and only 15% of audiences say yes, and the question is, are people machines? Are you a machine? And people in AI are, you know, normally say, Well, what else would we be? And at some point, if we're nothing but machines, we're gonna build a mechanical person. And then two years later, that will be twice as good and, and they're entirely right. If we aren't machines, for whatever reason, scientific, spiritual, whatever you want to pick biological quantum, then there is no machine that will ever do what people do. And therefore I don't think that those kinds of nightmare scenarios are even possible, until I, unlike my 95% of my guess, I don't believe we're machines, or it hasn't been proven to me that we're machines, we have brains, we don't understand that give rise to minds, we don't understand. And we have consciousness, which means we don't, a computer can measure temperature, but you can feel warm. And that difference is often called the last scientific question. We don't even know how to pose scientifically. And so I'm convinced computers, and I think they need all three of that I think they need a brain in mind, and first person experience. And I'm convinced I don't have that much faith, they do that, that we're going to build that. So to me, if I believe as I do, increase productivity is always good for people, all this technology is just going to increase our productivity. I mean, I wrote a book called infinite progress because I believe that you know, our destiny I look in the night sky sure looks like there's a lot of room out there for us to expand into doesn't feel crowded at all. And I imagine a day you know, is a billion people on a billion different planets, each with a Mary Curie and each with a Leonardo and each with a JK Rowling and each with a Lynn manual, Miranda, you know, all the rest. And that's the world I believe in not, oh, we're just machines, we're going to build a better version of ourselves, and it's going to rule over us and i don't i don't believe it. Thank you. Now in 2020, we've seen something unprecedented, which is COVID-19 never saw it. Never were expecting it. Like everybody was going about their business. What can you say? It's unprecedented? But do you really mean that? It's never I mean, that that is probably the most common thing in human history, isn't it? famines? I mean, pandemics are more common than wars. But go ahead. My point was that I don't think an average person was expecting to undergo what we went in 2019, let's say the lockdowns and people are getting sick, and many people succumb to this pandemic. So there's there was a lot of unknowns that hit an average common person. What should we expect from a world should we always expect in a world that's full of technology? In a world where human relationships are not what they used to be 20 3050 years ago? And also looking into the future a few years? What should our expectations be from the world that we should always expect change, we should always expect and be ready for events like this. And I want you to hear it from you as an as a leader, because you inspire a lot of people, how do you go about understanding what the world needs you? There was a time they think genetically based on the genetic diversity of any to humans, they think there was a time 75,000 years ago that we were down to 800 mating pairs of humans that was it $800 million? I mean, we were an endangered species. And somehow we who would have bet on us then by the way, who would have said, Oh, no, that those are those are the ones that are gonna take over and, and our history since then, has been one of continued, you know, advancement. We even created human rights and trial by jury and democracy and individual liberty and all the rest. And we also and we did it through technology, and through technology, we learned to control our environment better. And that's really what we're trying to do even now. We're inherently a fearful species. We come by that honestly. Someone said once that back in the day, it made more sense for us to see a rock think it was a bear. Oh, it's a bear run away and run away then to see this bear that it's probably just the rock and get eaten. And so we're these kind of tentative frightened creatures. So that's our history. And we have that we have a predisposition to fear and all kinds of things play on it. A lot of I think a lot of people want people to be afraid and you know, profit by your fear and all that The rest. But if you say that you still only be 100 pairs of us, we get nothing. And look at all we did. And along the way, by the way, we created art, and music. And we we learn to care for the weak among us. And I mean, we're doing pretty well. And so I would encourage people not to understand that, you know, in our heart, we're still like, it could be a bear. But know that and to say we, every day have more mastery of our world. And tomorrow, we will have even more. And finally, we're fundamentally good, because if we weren't, we never would have made it this far. The only way we got to hear from way back then, is because we learned altruism, and we learned to work together. And there are all kinds of people who are bad in the world. I'm not denying that. But the way we got here is because more people want to build and destroy and more people want to work together than destroy. And so in our hearts, we're we're good. I believe in us like, we've got this barn. Thank you. I know we don't have a lot of time with you. I do appreciate you jumping on board for a quick podcast episode. As a final question. What advice would you give all our listeners and viewers and people out there in the world who are trying to make a good living trying to do the right thing? What should they do in three steps? maybe one or two or three steps? What's your advice to the world? How do they go about their life? What should they expect from the future? I don't like to tell people what they should do. But I can say what I do. And you were talking earlier about how technology creates new jobs at the top and destroys one at the ones at the bottom and everybody shifts up a notch. I tried to apply that to my life. I tried to say what aspects of my life can technology create great new opportunities and great new experiences? Where am I an order taker at a fast food place? Like I do a ton of things like that in my day to day life? Where can I use technology to destroy those jobs those parts of my life I can I use it to destroy so I don't have to do them. And that's just like philosophically how I look at my day. I want to use technology to either automate mundane things, I don't have to do them or create new opportunities. For me, technology really is this thing. It's it's not magic, but it behaves like magic. It multiplies what you're able to do. It makes you you know more than you were before. It comes with its pitfalls, but it's very powerful when when applied correctly. Incredible. Byron Hey, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Folks. aftershock is one of the books where Byron has gone muted. Byron tell us where people can find you get a copy of your book, learn more about your incredible work. Oh, thank you. I'm an easiest person in the world to find. I'm Byron Reese on everything. I'm Byron Reese on twitter.com. Just type that in your search engine of choice and you will have many options. Alrighty. Well, Byron, thank you for sharing your time with us. Really appreciate it and hope to see you very soon in the future and keep inspiring people. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Hey, friend, this is Ian Khan. If you like what you saw on my video, then please subscribe to my YouTube channel and be inspired every single day with innovative content that keeps you fresh, updated and ready for the future. For more information. Also visit my website at Ian khan.com
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Ian Khan, AI Futurist and technology Expert, has been featured on CNN, Fox, BBC, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fast Company and many other global platforms. Ian is the author of the upcoming AI book "Quick Guide to Prompt Engineering," an explainer to how to get started with GenerativeAI Platforms, including ChatGPT and use them in your business. One of the most prominent Artificial Intelligence and emerging technology educators today, Ian, is on a mission of helping understand how to lead in the era of AI. Khan works with Top Tier organizations, associations, governments, think tanks and private and public sector entities to help with future leadership. Ian also created the Future Readiness Score, a KPI that is used to measure how future-ready your organization is. Subscribe to Ians Top Trends Newsletter Here
