The next quarter century, 5 personal lessons, how McKinsey is using agents, the AI we deserve, and more

📖In this issue

• Report: Humanity’s Next Quarter Century

• Human-horse relationships as a metaphor for using AI

• How McKinsey and Accenture are using AI agents internally

• The AI we deserve

• Valentina Contini on AI in innovation, multi-potentiality, AI-augmented foresight, and personas from the future

• 5 personal lessons from 2024

💡Report: Humanity’s Next Quarter Century

We have to be thinking big. We are one quarter century into this millenium. This next 25 years will pivot humanity from its past to a very different future.

I’ve created a short report on 10 facets that will define the next phase

The 10 facets are:

🌍 Demographic Descent
Global population shifts are challenging economies and societies, demanding innovative policies and adaptation.

⚡ Power Shift
The world is transitioning to a multipolar order, with emerging powers reshaping global influence.

🌱 Climate Crunch
Escalating climate crises require urgent, transformative global cooperation and technological innovation.

🔗 (De)Centralization
Tensions between decentralization and centralization are redefining societal power structures and trust.

🤖 Human-AI Nexus
The partnership between humans and AI is revolutionizing work, requiring a reimagining of roles and values.

🧬 Wellbeing Revolution
Advances in personalized medicine and health technologies promise longer, healthier lives but demand ethical access.

🧠 Cognitive Evolution
Thriving in the information age depends on leveraging tools to enhance thinking, learning, and decision-making.

🌪️ Torn Together
Growing inequalities and social divides threaten stability, requiring trust rebuilding and equitable policies.

🚀 Into Space
Humanity is stepping into a spacefaring future, balancing collaboration with competition for global benefits.

🧑‍🔬 Post-Humanity
Breakthroughs in human enhancement challenge our identity, values, and what it means to be human.

Let me know what you might change or add.

🧠🤖Humans + AI

Human-horse relationships as a metaphor for using AI

This delightful paper explores the many ways that human-horse relationships can be useful in how we think about AI. The powerful metaphor evokes trust, training, feedback, shared decision-making, asymmetric relationships, and long-term commitment, and among other common attributes.

What Human-Horse Interactions may Teach us About Effective Human-AI Interactions
Summary of key insights

How McKinsey and Accenture are using AI agents internally

Major professional service firms are deploying AI agents internally with alacrity, including for client onboarding, data migration, and enhancing marketing department capabilities, in some cases offering agents to all staff to enhance their work.

Big Tech’s New AI Obsession: Agents That Do Your Work For You
Summary of key insights 

The AI we deserve

Evgeny Morozov writes about the history of AI and the nature of “ecological reason”. Drawing on seminal thinkers through the development of AI, he makes a case for how AI can support a better democracy.

The AI We Deserve
Summary of key insights

🎙️This week’s podcast episode

Why you should listen

Valentina Contini is a highly original thinker with a deep passion for using AI for augmentation. She shares some of the many ways she uses it in her work in innovation and foresight, and expanding the breadth of her potential.

💡Reflections

5 personal lessons from 2024

I have kept a detailed journal through my adult life. At the end of each year I re-read the over 100,000 words I’ve written through the year to recapitulate, take stock, make sense of the year past, and look forward to next year.

This remains a highly manual and time-consuming process. If I wrote it, I want to read it again. However AI distillation adds another layer on top of that.

I uploaded my year’s journals and asked: “Taking the journal as a whole, what are 5 powerful lessons that other people might find useful in their lives?” This was the response.

• View Challenges as Opportunities for Growth
  Life's difficulties—whether financial, emotional, or professional—can be reframed as opportunities to grow and transform. Facing obstacles with resilience and a positive outlook can lead to personal and professional breakthroughs.

• Balance Deep Focus with Open Exploration
  Success often requires intense focus on key priorities, but leaving room for creative exploration and new ideas can lead to unexpected insights and innovation. Balancing structure with freedom can enhance both productivity and personal fulfillment.

• Commit to Continual Self-Renewal
  Periodically reassess habits, routines, and perspectives to align actions with long-term goals. By embracing change and fostering personal growth, it's possible to stay energized and purposeful.

• Appreciate the Present While Building for the Future
  Finding joy in the small, meaningful aspects of daily life—such as relationships, nature, and rewarding work—while striving toward bigger aspirations creates a sense of balance and enduring motivation.

• Align Mind, Body, and Spirit for Greater Purpose
  Achieving alignment in physical health, mental clarity, and emotional well-being lays the foundation for living a life of purpose. Practices like mindfulness, exercise, and thoughtful self-discipline can help cultivate this harmony and unlock potential.