An Uncomfortable Reality Check?
In these times of unprecedented turbulence and increasing uncertainty, it’s easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. We see economic turmoil, volatile interest and inflation numbers, elected leaders going bananas, a weak economic outlook in China, all sorts of conflict, a bursting startup bubble, and a generative AI wave that some say will turn us into unemployed, obsolete robot servants. What will this mean? How can you understand and prepare? Where do you find the next opportunity in this perfect storm?
"Few people understand the impact of new technology like Nicklas Bergman. Nicklas inspires us to understand the potential impact of technology on business and society – and to take responsibility for making sure that technology improves the state of the world."
Jim Hagemann Snabe, Chairman of
Siemens and A.P. Møller Maersk
Your Guide to the Future
After more than 30 years as an entrepreneur and technology investor, Nicklas Bergman has become a master of asking the right questions. He does this in keynotes for large audiences, C-suite masterclasses, or more informal advisory roles to senior leaders, investment executives, and public servants.
Always curious, sometimes provocative, but at all times, with the proper intent of dissecting complex realities to understand implications, see opportunities, and find actionable insights.
As a lifelong science nerd and sci-fi bookworm with deep roots in the European startup and investor ecosystem, Nicklas is the ultimate guide to our tech-infused future. As a business angel and investment advisor to the EUR 5 billion EIC Fund, he’s seen companies go up in flames, businesses rise from the ashes, and tiny players conquer the world, sometimes with impressive returns and sometimes less so.
You don’t invite Nicklas to your event or bring him on as an advisor to be served simplifications and standardized answers. Instead, you invite him to spark a discussion, share uncomfortable truths, find new opportunities, and provide fresh perspectives on topics you thought you knew something about.Â
Nicklas’ approach to today’s fast-moving and highly uncertain world of technology, society and business revolves around a set of three questions:
What?
What emerging trends can we see? What weak signals can we detect? What's next in Generative AI? Should I invest in renewable energy? Do I have to rebuild my production lines now that we're leaving a globalized world behind? Are there any inevitable surprises that we’re taking for granted? Can we identify an ETA for these trends?
So What?
As a CEO, do you have to understand the fundamentals of quantum computing or AI? If you’re in politics, do you need in-depth knowledge of personalized medicine or the next big thing in spatial computing? Probably not, but you need to understand the implications for your company or constituents, both short-term and long-term.Â
Now What?
The current wave of emerging technologies significantly impacts how we build businesses, organize work, and manage a workforce. Also, we’re seeing rapid changes in how people approach new tools in their daily work. Finally, and probably most importantly, we must adapt to rapidly changing business models and value chains.
The AI Craze
Generative AI is two things at the same time. On the one hand, it’s, at best, a decent intern or junior associate. It’s hallucinating, bad at math, biased, energy-consuming, and definitely not scaleable to become sentient. On the other hand, it increases productivity when used correctly, is a great way to jumpstart your creativity, and will be especially useful when trained on proprietary, specific data sets.
This challenge of trying to see two perspectives simultaneously is well-known but continues to be a great challenge, especially to our collective mind. When looking with your investor glasses at the field of Generative AI somewhat from the outside, it's fascinating that we’re seeing business models and value chains being experimented with in real-time and with real, substantial amounts of money. Bring out the popcorn! 🍿
Technological uncertainty is a defining feature of the modern world. Nicklas Bergman draws together an impressive range of insights about where we are coming from and where we are going. He is an astute speaker, asking the big questions about what we must do to shape and benefit from the next wave of technologies.
Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner
for Research, Science, and Innovation
The Approach
The speed of innovation, paired with increased levels of complexity and uncertainty, plays tricks on all of us. Previously unseen engineering marvels, new forms of business creativity, and total investor hubris fill the news and our social feeds. It’s easy to think that “this time it’s different”, right?Â
Well, it’s not. You just have to look back and learn from history to understand that any and all previous eras of excessive behavior show great resemblance with (among others) the Generative AI bubble of today. In hindsight, it will compete with the Dutch tulip mania, the British railroad craze, and the Dotcom boom.Â
To stay ahead, you must analyze what’s on the technological frontier, assess the implications for your industry and clients, and adapt to this new reality.
Clients
As a keynote speaker, Nicklas has delivered over 300 keynotes in more than 40 countries around the world. Audiences range from one (!) to several thousand, and clients can be found in all industries as well as in major public institutions.
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