Announcing the Future Today Institute

I'm thrilled to announce that today is the launch of The Future Today Institute. We research emerging technologies at the fringes and track them as they move towards the mainstream. Our pioneering, data-driven forecasting methodology and tools enable organization leaders to make better decisions about the future, today.

The seeds of FTI were planted in 2003. Back then, I’d founded and was running a media R&D shop, where my brilliant team was focused on how to prototype, test and build the future of news. Our work was honored with a Webby nomination and many other awards. But I was eager to build the future of journalism. So in 2005, I founded Webbmedia Group to work with a broader range leaders on forecasting media, journalism and technology trends. Our clients included most of the major media companies throughout North America?—?we advised their senior executives on strategy and worked alongside their R&D teams on prototypes for digital, social, mobile, AR and VR publishing.

At the Webby Awards in 2006.

Our deep background in media and technology proved valuable to outside industries at the dawn of this new Information Age. So we expanded our scope a few years later to answer “What’s the future of X” for government agencies, large nonprofits, universities and Fortune 500 companies.

As we enter our second decade, technology is still our focus and is the core of our forecasting work, but under our new name and structure, we are thrilled to be working on a wide range of problems on behalf of our clients. What is the future of transportation? Money? Governing? Education? From a micro-view, what is the future of hotels, given the rise of Airbnb? Why should Monsanto, UPS and the Post Office all be concerned about Uber? And, of course, what is the future of news? Given what we know to be true today, what are the probable, plausible and possible outcomes––and how can we create a future that we desire for ourselves and for each other?

This is the first time in human history when real, fundamental change is taking place within a single generation, and the driving force is technology. Technology is no longer the domain of science and industry alone; it is now inextricably linked to who we are and everything we do. The established silos of communications, business, education, media, government, politics, social welfare, the arts and activism are morphing into a loopy, interconnected Venn diagram.

Seeing the future is possible, even though the rate of technological advancement has begun to outpace the speed at which many organizations are accustomed to functioning. We must focus on interconnected relationships between one or more technologies and a system, rather than becoming fixated on a single, promising new gadget, app or startup.

I look forward to helping organizations navigate the challenging road ahead. Technology will further complicate and disrupt organizations everywhere. Without the right action, an organization might find itself left behind, making catastrophic decisions, or shuttered entirely. My promise, and the mission of the FTI, is to inspire smart people to achieve their preferred futures. We help leaders make better, more informed decisions, ensuring the vitality of an organization’s future, today.