Facing and affecting the social, economic, technological, political and environmental uncertainties of the early 21st century has meant breaking down the intellectualization of futures thinking that defined the field for much of its first fifty years. To develop effective, insightful and agile creators for the next fifty means helping them become not only thinkers, but also actors and shapers of possible futures. Scott Smith will describe what changes are taking place to futures thinking and education, and how these are manifesting themselves in new learning approaches and environments.

Scott Smith is a critical futurist and founder of Changeist, a futures research lab. His main focus is exploring the nexus between technological change and culture, and how we perceive and construct the future. He is columnist for Quartz and Current Intelligence, and writes, and travels the globe looking for weak signals of change. He also co-founded and leads the Duke TIP Futures Institute.