Four renowned futurologists presented their predictions for the future in Lauba Zagreb. Discussion on the application of future studies predictions in business on the CEO Future Panel was joined by chairs of the boards: Jiří Dvorjančanský – A1 Croatia, Mario Žižek – Addiko Bank, Katarina Šiber Makar – IN2 Group, Dražen Mavrić – Nova TV, and Tihomir Adam – Zvijezda.
Gerd Leonhard, the first speaker, called to attention in his inspiring talk various ethical issues that the development of technology will impose upon mankind. He pointed out that humanity in the next 20 years will change more than it has changed in the last 300 years, and that it is crucial that science and technology serve humanity and its progress, and not dehumanize it. When talking about the future of some professions and whether the machines will replace people, Gerd emphasized that individuals should develop the skills that are inherent to humans and cannot be digitized and automated, like creativity, intuition, empathy, compassion, awareness, and the like.
Aric Dromi, the Volvo Group’s main futurologist and consultant of various companies, often speaks about smart cities, and in his talk he emphasized the importance of turning to new economic and business models by which cities will function, in view of predictions stating that in the next few years 75% of the population will live in cities.
Katarina Šiber Makar, Chair of the Board of the IN2 Group, also spoke about smart cities and the so-called smart city initiative within which IN2 has already developed several solutions, such as EcoMap. She pointed out that although some cities in Croatia recognize the potentials of new technologies, we are, to that effect, at the beginning of a digital transformation, and there is still plenty of room for development in this area.
“As a company capable of implementing advanced solutions, our role is to do this in cooperation with the cities that are leaders in the process. Those cities will be a positive example and will prompt others to adopt principles of the best practices, and to embark on the implementation of smart solutions.”
