Futurist Thomas Frey
Architect of the Future.
Google’s top-rated futurist speaker.
Why a futurist?
As a futurist, my goal is to expand our understanding of the future. Every day, thousands of emerging technologies spring to life, thousands of researchers make new discoveries, and thousands of new trends start to reveal themselves.
As we move down the path of advancing technology, our relationship with the future has never been clearer; making this both the most exciting and scariest time to be alive, in all human history. There is a constant battle being waged over the needs of the present vs. the needs of the future.
Naturally the future cannot be our only priority; otherwise, we lose our ability to function in the present. Near-term issues invariably take precedent over long-term potential; yet, our ability to prioritize importance is directly tied to our vision of the future. Still, it is our vision of the future that determines our actions today.
I use this phrase a lot: “The future creates the present!” Yes, this is just the opposite of what most people think. They believe the work we’re doing today will automatically create the future, but from a little different perspective, it is the images of the future that we hold in our head that determines the decisions we’ll make today.
When I change someone’s vision of the future, inevitably, this changes the way they make decisions today!
Latest Blog Posts
The Vanishing Present: 250 Things That Will Disappear from Our Lives by 2040
We’re living amid the final generation of everyday artifacts—steering wheels, cash, and keys—soon to vanish in the age of automation and AI.We stand at a peculiar moment in history—surrounded by objects, practices, and systems that feel permanent but are actually in...
The Future of Libraries – 2035
Upon entering, patrons are welcomed by a holographic AI receptionist ready to assist with anything they need.I wrote my first column on the future of libraries in 2004, a time when many people were predicting libraries were going away. Digital books were emerging, the...
In Search of Anomaly Zero: Why We’re Fighting Tomorrow’s Disasters with Yesterday’s Tools
Anomaly Zero marks the theoretical first detectable spark of a threat, pushing early warning systems closer to the true origin point of a disaster.How Moving Detection to “Anomaly Zero” Could Save Millions of Lives and Billions in Damage In 2023, MIT researchers...










