The Digital Futurist
Course
Overview
Explore evolving technology trends to predict technology changes over the next few decades.
Most people never think about the future.
Yet technology is transforming the world in mind-blowing ways and you need to stay ahead of the game.
A clever way to thrive in this whirlwind of change is to think like a futurist.
But how, exactly, does a futurist think? Do they have an astronomical IQ or some kind of spooky ability to see into the future?
Fortunately, futurists are not geniuses or psychics. Rather, they have acquired a smart skill-set that sets them apart from the rest of us—a skill-set you, too, can learn.
This unit will teach you how a futurist thinks and the skills they use to spot and predict trends in Virtual and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, mobile devices, cutting-edge video, wearable tech, and social virtual worlds.
If you’re excited about staying ahead of the curve, Digital Futures will transform your view of the future and give you the tools to use new technology in stunning ways.
The Digital Futurist is offered in association with Cybermedia
Key topics:
SupertrendsThese days everything is changing so fast that trends have become supertrends. In this lesson, you will learn what a supertrend is, how to spot one, and what it means for you, your business and your customers. |
Predicting future trendsIt's easy for futurists to get things wrong. How many times have you heard them raving about a soon-to-be-invented gizmo that will make your life smoother and easier, only to find it’s all hype? But some futurists are uncannily spot-on. Learn who they are, what they say, and get the skills to make informed predictions like they do. |
Virtual RealityFuturist Kevin Kelly believes Virtual Reality will be the third great technological disruptor of our lifetime—the first two being computers and mobile phones. It will immerse us in environments too dangerous or distant to visit personally--places like war zones, interstellar space, the Martian surface, or the belly of a shark--all without leaving our living room. What does this all mean for you and your business? |
Augmented RealityDespite Augmented Reality's intimate association with gaming and high-tech marketing campaigns, it is poised to enter our daily lives in powerful and revolutionary ways. It will soon be our indispensable digital assistant, displaying helpful information over the physical world to inform, entertain, and caution. |
Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence is here and getting smarter by the day. Some, like the late physicist Stephen Hawking, find this prospect terrifying. Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk also views AI with suspicion, calling it a “fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization”. On the other hand, researchers in the AI field find this prospect ludicrous. |
We'll cover key focus areas:
- Explore terms such as "futurist," "future shock," "Virtual Reality," "Augmented Reality" & "the Singularity"
- Identify the 12 technological supertrends that will shape the future
- Be clear about why you need to think like a futurist
- Understand Virtual Reality's main aims and features
- Spot emerging Virtual Reality developments
- Predict the future of Virtual Reality
- Consider the possible societal implications of full immersive Virtual Reality
- Understand the difference between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
- Consider five emerging Augmented Reality trends & how these emerging trends could affect our lives
- Make informed predictions about Augmented Reality's future based on current societal and technological trends
- Outline the difference between Narrow Artificial Intelligence and General Artificial Intelligence
- Identify current examples of Artificial Intelligence & predict likely advances in AI based on current trends