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Reality Check 2.0
In these times of great turbulence and increasing uncertainty, it’s easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. We see economic turmoil, volatile interest and inflation numbers, a weak economic outlook in China, all sorts of conflict, a bursting startup bubble, and a generative AI wave that some say will turn all of 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
Nicklas Bergman is a straight-talking Swedish entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and thinker. He understands and interprets the technological megatrends shaping business, society, and culture. He works with forward-thinking leaders and organizations, established and new, to help them navigate an increasingly uncertain future. Nicklas is the perfect guide to take an audience from neglect and skepticism to curiosity and preparedness for the challenges and opportunities the future might hold.
30+ years working as an entrepreneur have given Nicklas an immense understanding of building companies in times of great uncertainty across different regions and economic climates.
20+ years working as a technology investor have taught him to build value in times of great uncertainty. He has seen companies go up in flames, businesses rise from the ashes, and tiny players conquer the world.
10+ years working in the foresight space has turned him into the most pragmatic futurist in tech. As a tech bubble collector, Nicklas lives with technology 24/7 and meets with scientists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and fellow investors daily.
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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