THIS IS NOT A TALK ABOUT AI (and it is the AI talk that really matters)

I’ve decided to rename my AI keynote to: "This Is Not a Talk About AI."

Why? Because I’m not here to be the 1,367th keynote speaker untangling the technicalities of machine learning versus reinforcement learning, only to spiral into my own intellectual labyrinth. That’s not my game. I’m also not your go-to speaker for painting a future that’s shinier than a Vegas stage show. You know the script: flying cars, hyper-personalized shopping, miracle cures for cancer—it’s all entertainment, and frankly, AI is far too serious to end up as Vegas glitz. And let me be clear, I won’t be your fearmonger either. We’ve all heard the apocalyptic sermons: AI is unethical, it’s stealing jobs, it’s an existential threat, it’s guzzling energy like there’s no tomorrow. Both utopia and dystopia—the “Church of Wow” and the “Church of Augh”—are equally useless.

The reality? We’re living in the future that the ’80s and ’90s imagined. Back then, predictions were grand, but nobody saw something as deceptively simple yet devastating as ChatGPT coming. The lesson? The future will always be a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly—just like today. And as unpredictable. Predictions are useless. If I could predict the future as it would take place, you would not even believe me, as it will not be utopia, nor will it be dystopia.

In my books, Managers The Day After Tomorrow (2018) and The Guide to The Ecosystem Economy (2020), I explored how genetic and learning algorithms would weave their way into our daily lives. But I’ve never been seduced by flashy predictions. My focus has always been on what we do with that superpower—not on the tech itself, but on the mindsets we need to harness it.

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I zoom in on the rebels, the misfits, the courageous thinkers who dare to see things differently. Those who don’t fear the Las Vegas spectacle of AI but instead see it as a massive opportunity to break free. Not to mimic humans and keep doing the same old things, but to liberate our human brains from the drudgery we’ve mislabeled as “work.” To unleash our boundless capacity for creativity and curiosity, and to finally move beyond the 10,000-year habit of solving problems with solutions that only make things worse.

If you want to step out of the room after the keynote feeling inspired, motivated, and eager to start exploring AI—ready to boost your curiosity and figure out how to actually use it before others do it to you—then this “Not a Talk About AI” is exactly the talk about AI you’ve been looking for.

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What others say about Rik

David Lewis
David LewisLondon Business School
"Rik's real world experience in pushing the boundaries of business and exploiting technology to innovate, is invaluable to our executive participants at the London Business School. His ability to use stories to bring challenging ideas alive, educates and inspires."
Tim Orme
Tim OrmeLondon Business School
"Thanks for your continued commitment to the programme over the years. I’ve really enjoyed working together on RFC."
Michiel Bleys
Michiel BleysUnilever
"We had the pleasure of welcoming Rik during Unilever’s Global Execution Forum, inspiring 22 markets to become co-architects of our future-fit Execution framework. Rik triggered a growth mindset and sparked the energy by providing thought-provoking angles, convincing us that waiting isn’t an option. One thing that we’ll immediately start integrating is Rik’s NCS KPI, as we truly want to harness the power of ‘staying curious’: not looking at what we have, but at what it can become!"
Elke de Clerck
Elke de ClerckRousselot
"Rik inspires, moves and makes things move. Highly recommend to invite Rik to rock&roll you into new insights. For all those looking for change and directions of change."
Jose Voisin
Jose VoisinCarmeuse
"Rick is an insightful leader and great speaker who effectively inspires people about embracing Change and Digitalization."

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