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That was fun! Here are the slides I used, below.
And here is the video of my presentation:
“Since 2016, the core idea of the work of futurist Gerd Leonhard has been what he has called The Good Future – a vision grounded in human values, collaboration, science and technology that seeks to boost flourishing for everyone.
This future appeared to be anchored in the United States: the birthplace of the internet, early social networks, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, and many of today’s foundational technologies. But those days are gone. Since early 2025, the promise of The Good Future has been under intense pressure — not because technology has failed, but because political and economic leadership has. Governance that prioritizes short-term gain over long-term purpose is eroding trust in institutions and weakening the global economic order.
This has led Gerd to launch a timely and important new initiative, called The Bad Future. The initiative analyses how the Bad Future has progressed:
- Democracy Systematically Eroded
- Important Institutions Ridiculed and Weakened
- Cooperation and Diplomacy Reframed as Useless
- Truth is Optional, Control Beats Trust
In short, as Gerd says, “Technology didn’t fail — we did”.
But the initiative also highlights a bold new way forward for The Good Future, with Europe stepping forward to play a decisive lead role. Gerd identifies “5 ways Europe can Take Back Tomorrow”:
- Make Human-Centered AI a Strategic Advantage
- Build technological sovereignty without isolation
- Invest in humans, not just automation
- Lead a New, Global Alliance of Trust (U.S. independent)
- Redefine Success Beyond GDP Growth: Embrace the 5Ps
The content of The Bad Future website and its accompanying short video and personal blog post raises enormous questions. This live London Futurists webinar featuring Gerd Leonard will provide a chance to understand the initiative more fully and explore the questions, opportunities, and challenges arising.
Extra insight and perspective will be added to the conversation by Liselotte Lyngsø, who will be joining as a panellist. Liselotte is a global futurist, founding partner of Future Navigator, and host of the Supertrends podcast.
