Rare Insight Actionable Advice Trusted Counsel
The world is changing faster than ever but will never change as slowly again. -Justin Trudeau
BUILDING A FUTURE THAT WORKS
Rome 117. London 1877. Detroit 1957. Where you sit today.
Extraordinary times of human advancement in the long arc of human history. Fortunes made, history written, progress.
But each era containing the seeds of its own demise. Hubris, complacency, envy, fatigue - all termites munching away at the foundations of what seems solid and eternal.
At every point, the invention and leverage of technology the critical determinant; the wheel, the baths, the Gatling gun, the telegraph, the production line, the TV advert.
And now? Machine Learning.
The great story of our time.
Technology that is discovering new proteins, handling customer enquiries, creating movies, writing code. Technology that will change every aspect of everything you do.
Technology that will create great fortunes. And see great empires fall.
Technology that begs the question - how are you reacting? Today. With energy and certainty? Or with trepidation and cynicism? How about your boss? Your subordinates? Are they with the program (written in Python)? Or are they knee deep in the seemingly important busy work that you know is nothing more than a triviality?
The decisions that organizations make today - encoded in the allocation of money, time, and energy - will determine their future. Decisions made by humans. By you.
Decisions requiring tough questions. Better questions. Should we raise our prices? Or lower them? Should we develop that feature or kill it? Should we replace that human with this machine? Should we bet on X? Or Y? Why not?
Questions that require judgment. Human judgment. Your judgement. Your judgement which is your irreplaceable skill.
In our lifetime digital technology has transformed the world. But barely scratched its surface. There is so much more to transform. To improve. You, your organization, live in an extraordinary time. Make the most of it. Start today.
Computers are useless. They can only give us answers. -Pablo Picasso
The real impact of technology is to replace skill with judgement. -Brian Eno
Things sucking is the real mother of invention. -Ben Pring
ABOUT BEN PRING
A winner of Gartner’s prestigious annual Thought Leader award, a Bilderberg Meeting participant, a member of the advisory board of the Labor and Work Life program at Harvard Law School. Named as one of the 30 leading management thinkers by Thinkers 50 and one of the 10 leading influencers on the future of work by Onalytica.
Co-author of the best-selling and award-winning books, What to Do When Machines Do Everything - Code Halos: How the Digital Lives of People, Things, and Organizations are Changing the Rules of Business - Monster: Taming the Machines that Rule Our Lives, Jobs, and Future (which was a Financial Times Book of the Month), and Certain Uncertainty: Leading With Agility and Resilience in an Unpredictable World.
Ben’s work has been covered in major publications such as Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, London Times, BBC’s News Night, BBC World Service, PBS’s News Hour, NPR’s On Point, Drucker Report, and MIT Review.
SERVICES (WHAT BEN CAN DO FOR YOU)
KEY NOTE SPEAKING
I have presented well received Key Note sessions at some of the most prestigious IT and business events in the world - the Bilderberg Meeting, the World Economic Forum, Gartner’s Symposium, and the Reimagining Bretton Woods Conference, amongst others.
As well as large event key notes I have also presented to boards, executive teams, and employee groups for thousands of businesses, large and small, in industries as diverse as healthcare, retail, media, and insurance.
As the world shifted towards virtual work during the Covid-19 pandemic I also regularly presented online - quite a different skills set from standing up on a stage in front of thousands.
If you have an upcoming event, conference, or meeting (virtual or IRL) where you need an expert speaker from the cutting edge of technology, business, and cultural trends, seasoned at providing actionable insights in a laconic, engaging and memorable way, by someone who is as comfortable talking with a CEO as a junior coder, bring me in to provide remarks which will be the talk of the evening reception and beyond, and make your event a go-to one for years to come.
WRITING | CONTENT CREATION
Having written four best selling and award winning books - with another one on the way - and hundreds of white paper style reports on areas as disparate as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, diversity and inclusion, green technology, software as a service, executive leadership, cloud computing, virtual reality, software engineering, the future of work, digital sovereignty, and flying cars, I have developed a world class talent for conveying complex, sophisticated, leading edge ideas in ways that help readers keep on top of the most pressing challenges and opportunities that they face in their day to day work.
As shorter form multimedia modes have emerged in recent years I have also created high quality videos (including a 90 minute documentary movie), apps, e-books, podcasts and websites that help reach audiences in contemporary modern ways.
Either writing in my own personal voice, a more neutral corporate voice, or acting as a ghostwriter channeling someone else’s voice, I have expertise in crafting points of view (solo or within a multidisciplinary team) that are original, provocative and attention grabbing but always grounded in reality, research, and the business context within which an organization is operating.
If you need help developing and executing brilliant content ideas that will move the needle for your brand or product marketing initiatives and which couldn’t possibly be confused with the AI created content that is flooding the market (but which has the effect of making people look away not drawing them in) speak with me about crafting content that will mark your organization out as a true thought leader.
ADVISORY | CONSULTING
In a world awash with VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) many of the decisions you make today carry make or break implications - for your team, company, and career - tomorrow. As you seek to maximize your chances of getting these decisions right the role of outside, objective, seasoned expertise has never been more important.
If you are facing important challenges and decisions regarding the future of your work I can provide advice and guidance honed from working with many of the world’s largest and most successful companies and from helping disrupters enter markets and unseat incumbents.
From questions of product/market fit, competitive dynamics, and technology trends to talent development and M&A approaches, I have insights and experience that can help you find where gold is buried and where they be dragons.
Via full or half day working sessions (virtual or IRL) or longer immersions (often at executive offsite meetings) bring me in as outside counsel and benefit from the wisdom gained from a lifetime at the top tables of tech and business.
TESTIMONIALS
PUBLICATIONS
What To Do When Machines Do Everything: How to Get Ahead in a World of AI, Algorithms, Bots, and Big Data
“Refreshingly thought provoking” John Thornhill, Innovation Editor, Financial Times
Praise from readers (at amazon.com)
“Remarkably prescient about the conversations we are having today, in real time, about the effects of AI on work and society. Personally, I think AI will enhance human performance, and the future will favor those of us who embrace that reality. Read this book to learn more and refine your own POV.”
“This is a wonderful book that is clear, easy to read and extremely informative. It was very engaging and I ended up reading it all in one go! The examples used were super interesting and applicable to my business and also life.”
“A well balanced description of how business and digital technologies may unfold over the next few decades.”
“Must read for anyone in technology related leadership. Straight forward, comprehensive, practical. Cuts it straight down the middle between AI dystopia and utopia!”
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