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Richard Yonck            

International Keynote Speaker, Global Futurist & Best-Selling Author

Richard Yonck is a global futurist and international keynote speaker who explores the future of many emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, healthcare, biotechnology and genetics, transportation, robotics, and more. An inspiring and thought-provoking presenter, Yonck expands audiences understanding of the key considerations and societal implications of these advances. Doing this is a key step to helping identify and work toward our preferred futures.

Yonck is an advisor to businesses and organizations about emerging trends and future developments. His clients include global Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Samsung, and Xerox, industry associations and organizations including TIAA, American Cancer Society and state education boards.

An avid writer and thought leader, Yonck’s books explore the nature and future of human and artificial intelligence. His latest book, Future Minds dives deep into the development of machine and human intelligence through the 21st century and beyond. His previous book, Heart of the Machine studies the future of the emerging technologies that allow computers and robots to read, interpret, and influence human emotions. Now in its second edition, it is required reading at several universities in the U.S. and around the world.

Yonck covers emerging technologies for the technology news website GeekWire and has been published by and quoted in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, Forbes, Wired, Fast Company, BBC News and many others. Formerly an executive board member of the Association of Professional Futurists, Yonck is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and a TED speaker. He believes that strategic foresight and futures planning can serve everyone and is an impassioned advocate about the many benefits of futures thinking and science literacy.

Speech Topics

Automation, Employment & the Future of the Workforce

Augmented Reality Docent. AI Wrangler. Data Set Auditor. Genetics Interpreter. Digital Reputation Scrubber. VR Addiction Counselor. These are just a few of the new jobs we’ll be seeing in the near future. It’s very evident that businesses and the workforce aren’t prepared for the changes that await us. How do we adapt to a world that no longer needs people for many tasks? How can we prepare for jobs that don’t even exist yet?

AI: The Century’s Most Transformational Technology

Future advances in artificial intelligence will alter nearly every aspect of our lives. How will we adapt as everything in our world becomes more and differently intelligent?

Healthcare 2045: The Amazing Era of Hyper-Personalized Medicine

Next-generation gene therapies. Microinterventions. mRNA-based cancer vaccines. Vastly extended healthspans and lifespans. Learn how the future of medicine will transform our very definitions of health, wellness and mortality.

Propelling Mobility: Where is the Future of Transportation Taking Us?

New transportation technologies will rapidly transform our cities, commerce and society. With everything from autonomous vehicles and micromobility to delivery drones and urban air mobility, what are the implications for infrastructure, vehicle ownership models, regulation and more?

Building Your Organization’s Future Resilience

The 2020 pandemic broke the global supply chain and experts say it will be five years before it’s fully functional again. How can we improve our future resilience to better weather the next worldwide crisis?

The New Era of Emotion AI: When Machines Understand Our Feelings

Our devices are becoming increasingly able to read, interpret and influence our emotions. Learn about the amazing future of Emotion AI from the author of the best-selling book, "Heart of the Machine."

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Cultivating AgriTech: The Future of a Growth Industry

One of civilization’s oldest activities is being transformed by 21st century technology. From vertical farms to artificial pollinators to Impossible proteins, how will AgriTech help us save the planet?

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