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Peter W. Singer        

Technology & Security Futurist; New York Times Best-Selling Author

Peter Warren Singer is Strategist at New America, a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, and Founder & Managing Partner at Useful Fiction LLC, a company specializing in strategic narrative.

A New York Times Bestselling author, described in the Wall Street Journal as “the premier futurist in the national-security environment” and “all-around smart guy” in the Washington Post, he has been named by the Smithsonian as one of the nation’s 100 leading innovators, by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues, by Foreign Policy to their Top 100 Global Thinkers List, and as an official “Mad Scientist” for the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.

No author, living or dead, has more books on the professional US military reading lists. His non-fiction books include "Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry", "Children at War", "Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution" and "Conflict in the 21st Century"; "Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know" and most recently "LikeWar", which explores how social media has changed war and politics. It was named an Amazon and Foreign Affairs book of the year and reviewed by Booklist as “LikeWar should be required reading for everyone living in a democracy and all who aspire to.” He is also the co-author of a new type of novel, using the format of a technothriller to communicate nonfiction research. "Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War" was both a top summer read and led to briefings everywhere from the White House to the Pentagon. His latest is "Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution". It has been described by the creator of Lost and Watchmen as “A visionary new form of storytelling—a rollercoaster ride of science fiction blended with science fact,” and by the head of Army Cyber Command as “I loved Burn-In so much that I’ve already read it twice.”

Speech Topics

Strategic Narrative: How to Use The Power of a Story Well Told

How do we better share new ideas and influence target audiences? How do we better understand and prepare for the future? How do we comprehend new trends and technologies? One answer may be to enlist the power of the oldest communication technology of all –story. Described in the Wall Street Journal as “the premier futurist in the national-security environment,” P.W. Singer is a best-selling author of both nonfiction and fiction, whose work at the intersection of strategic foresight, discovery, and narrative has been featured in media like The Economist and Wired. He is also the founder of Useful Fiction LLC, a company that aids organizations in “telling their story” more effectively. Having worked for groups that range from the US military and CIA to Hollywood and the most popular video game in history, he will explain the “why” of narrative and “how” best to tell a useful story.

AI and Robots: As Science Fiction Turns Real, What Do We Need to Know?

Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things. The next decade will see a range of exciting new technologies that all seem drawn from Science Fiction become our reality. They will drive a new industrial revolution, but also create political, economic, and security trends that will remake our world, challenging us like never before. P.W. Singer has been described by the Wall Street Journal as “the premier futurist in the national-security environment,” an official “Mad Scientist” for the U.S. Army, and consults for groups that range from the CIA and the Pentagon to Hollywood. A best-selling author of multiple books of fiction and non-fiction, Singer uses an exciting speaking style to explore for an audience the key trends and questions emerging today that will shape the world of tomorrow.

LikeWar: How Social Media has become weaponized, and what we need to know about it

Terrorists livestream their attacks, Presidents win elections over social media, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but share prices, public health, and even the very fate of nations. The result is that the Internet has blurred into a new kind of battlespace that plays out on our smartphones. P. W. Singer is the co-author of “LikeWar,” a book that was named an Amazon book of the year and has been lauded by figures as diverse as the creator of the Internet, the director of the CIA, and the producer of The Purge movies. For five years, he researched how social media works and what was its effect on the world, crossing examples that ranged from how ISIS copies the Instagram tactics of Taylor Swift, a former World of Warcraft addict foils war crimes thousands of miles away, internet trolls shape elections, and China uses a smartphone app to police the thoughts of 1.4 billion citizens. Described in the Wall Street Journal as “the premier futurist in the national-security environment,” Singer uses an exciting and entertaining speaking style to explain how and why things go viral, the new rules of power in the age of social media, and exactly what can we all do to navigate our way through a world increasingly shaped by “likes” and lies.

How Ukraine Won The #LikeWar: Communication Lessons for Leaders

For years, Russia was the most feared player on the Internet, shaping everything from elections to the pandemic. But when it came time for its most audacious operation of all, Ukraine turned the tables on the supposed master of information warfare, which not only drove global sympathy, but has had real battlefield and political effect. P. W. Singer is the co-author of “LikeWar,” a book that was named an Amazon book of the year and consultant to groups as diverse as the US military and Hollywood He will explain the ten techniques that Ukraine used to win its online fight, and what are the lessons for other nations, corporations, and leaders as they fight their own battles of information and persuasion.

The CyberThreatscape: What are the Key Trends in Cybersecurity

From ransomware to the collapse of cyber deterrence, a series of new threats are changing the cybersecurity landscape. A best selling author described by the Wall Street Journal as “one of Washington’s pre-eminent futurists,” and a consultant for groups that range from the CIA and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to Hollywood, Singer uses an exciting speaking style to explore for an audience the key trends emerging today that will shape the world of cybersecurity tomorrow.

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