MY INNOVATIVE TRENDS KEYNOTE ‘ODIN’ IS READY…ARE YOU?

We stand at a crossroads, echoing the relentless quest of Odin, the fierce, ill-tempered  and omnipotent Norse deity who risked everything for deep wisdom and unvarnished truth. Odin tore out his own eye and cast it into the mysterious waters of Mimir’s well, not for mere power, but for the profound secrets of existence itself. Still unsatisfied, he endured nine agonizing nights suspended upside-down from Yggdrasil, the cosmic tree, piercing the boundary between life and oblivion. He emerged with the runes, keys to reality, language and understanding.

Today, our pursuit of insight and truth mirrors Odin’s journey, but our sacrifice is distinctly modern. We aren’t gouging out eyes or hanging from mythical trees, but don’t mistake this modern quest as painless or risk-free. We invest staggering ambition, insane hope,  immense resources, and boundless human creativity into developing artificial intelligence, our Omniscient Digital Insight Network ©, or ODIN.

Unlike the mythological Odin who was nailed to a tree, AI is now tethered directly to our daily lives, embedded in our personal data, and deeply integrated into the heart of our most confidential corporate systems. It sees everything, interprets vast data, and anticipates outcomes with unprecedented accuracy and speed. Far from mythical fantasy, it’s an emerging digital reality reshaping our very existence.

My keynote walks you through humanity’s relentless quest for power and an easier life, a journey marked by countless groundbreaking inventions that transformed society. Now, we confront ODIN. Do we fully grasp what we’ve created? Its profound impacts? Its extraordinary possibilities, for good, bad, or perhaps worse?

Join me as we explore this critical intersection, where ancient myth meets cutting-edge AI, and relentless human curiosity drives transformative innovation. Are you ready?

The future waits for no one.

The ODIN keynote kicks off with an exhilarating, turbo-charged 10-minute thrill ride through human history, tracing our epic journey from basic survival to groundbreaking innovation. Picture humanity mastering fire, crafting stone tools, revolutionizing agriculture, and building awe-inspiring technologies, each milestone powered by the remarkable human genius to transform necessity into game-changing and kilo-calory saving breakthroughs.

Brace yourself, the world as we’ve known it is changing at warp speed. The comfortable ideas of enduring global peace, predictable alliances, particularly the bond with the United States, and stable international order are crumbling before our eyes. Welcome to a brave new world: AI-powered warfare, drones that think for themselves patrolling contested skies, the rise of old religions in new seats of power and cyber threats lurking in every shadow. ODIN doesn’t pull punches, spotlighting critical weaknesses like our dangerous reliance on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, and way too vulnerable supply chains; pushing leaders to confront and strategically outmaneuver these fresh challenges.

ODIN dives straight into the incredible acceleration of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge computing. Picture massive hyperscale data centers fueling staggering AI innovations, Large Language Models (LLMs), Multimodal Models (LMMs), Large Autonomous Models (LAMs), and Model Context Protocols (MCP), combined with jaw-dropping advances in quantum computing and (realistic?) strides toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Driven by Ray Kurzweil’s law of accelerated returns, we’re smashing through traditional milestones like Moore’s Law at breathtaking speed. ODIN explores how today’s visionaries must strike a delicate balance between exhilarating technological leaps and the urgent priorities of sustainability, resource stewardship, and ethical responsibility.

The keynote also confronts the wild rollercoaster ride reshaping the workplace due to AI and automation. Overnight, a plethora of familiar jobs vanish or evolve dramatically, replaced or supercharged by smart tech. Businesses can’t afford to stand still, they must champion lifelong learning, rapid workforce adaptation, and organizational agility built for continuous disruption. ODIN tackles this “ROI paradox” head-on, equipping leaders with bold strategies and fresh perspectives to surf, not sink, in these relentless waves of change.
And hold tight, ODIN ventures into the thrilling, fast-evolving frontier of communication, influence, and media. AI-driven innovations are transforming how messages are crafted, targeted, and delivered. Imagine hyper-personalized, AI-generated content, synthetic media that feels eerily real, and next-level algorithmic persuasion. ODIN dives deep, asking critical questions: Are these futuristic tools a surefire path to ROI, or just another flashy distraction in our already overwhelming digital landscape?

ODIN equips boards, executives, leaders and tech- and media pros with compelling, crystal-clear strategies to ride confidently through waves of disruption. Grounded in real-world analysis and packed with actionable insights, this keynote dares leaders to step boldly forward. The future of technology-driven disruption is already here. Are you ready to lead the charge into this electrifying new era?