Partner
Jared Weiner is Co-Founder + Creator at Wake the Future. Wake the Future is a content and thought leadership platform built to wake people up to the realities of a chaotic future, and to ultimately empower humans in an age of AI. Jared considers himself a “reformed futurist,” inspired to apply his experience and learnings toward a renewed purpose – one that is more authentic to who he is, and what matters most to him personally: his family.
Jared has been a futurist and global keynote speaker for nearly two decades. Over that period, he’s served as Partner at The Future Hunters, a futurist consultancy and industry pioneer. Jared has long helped senior leaders prepare for what’s ahead. His speaking has taken him to Colombia, Turkey, Australia, Hong Kong, Morocco, Panama and Poland.
Jared is past Chairman of the Board of the World Future Society. And he served on American Express OPEN’s Digital Advisory Board. He holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester (UofR), and an M.B.A. from the Simon Graduate School of Business at the UofR.
Jared is a New York City native and will always have big city DNA. But he and his wife (+ business partner) Erica, along with their son, now live near her hometown of Rochester NY, where they first met in college. Jared’s biggest passions are travel and 80s music. He also enjoys hiking, basketball, history, wine and suffering through being a NY sports fan.
Jared’s programs draw upon his extensive experience to:
- Distinguish long-term trends from fads
- Contextualize the future for audiences
- Get people thinking in entirely new ways
Featured Presentation + Workshop Topics
*Please contact Jared directly (jared@thefuturehunters.com) for more details on these topics, a fuller list of speaking topics, speaking fees and all other booking inquiries. All topics can be customized as keynote-style presentations or interactive half-day workshops.
The Reformed Futurist
I apply lessons learned from my personal evolution as a futurist, through the lens of several current trends, to help each person in the audience become their own version of a “reformed futurist.” This session is about distinguishing the signals that really matter from all the noise in what are unprecedented times. It will ultimately shake people up with a healthy dose of common sense, and it will better prepare them for the uncertainty of an unpredictable future. This module will explore several original themes impacting today’s workforce, including Pilot vs. Passenger, the AI Treadmill, the AI Mirror, and Tug of War.
Achieving Escape Velocity in a World of AI
The concept of escape velocity, borrowed from physics, refers to achieving a rapid enough rate of speed to escape the gravitational pull of a larger object. For years, I’ve applied this frame to the fact that the larger object was represented by our old, often industrial, ways of doing business. Now, given the rise of AI, this concept is even more critical. We’re faced with escaping the gravitational pull of AI itself, as it promises to reshape business and society. Here, I introduce a proprietary ESCAPE framework, which lays out six “AI illusions” to be mindful of as we integrate AI into all aspects of our personal and professional lives.
The Human Edge: Agency + Identity (A+I)
In an increasingly tech-fueled world, where AI is both dominating the conversation and the workplace, it’ll be as important as ever to lock in on the two pillars that makes us uniquely human (agency + identity), and learn how to optimize them so that people not only stay relevant, but win the future. The idea of “humans in the loop” still portends AI in the captain’s chair, with us as the sidekick. Instead, the future must be characterized by humans as the loop: Humans directing with intuition and strategic intent, while AI serves as our sidekick. Human “intelligence,” or smarts, will not be enough of a differentiator. AI is evolving as a distinct form of intelligence – sometimes far more capable. Instead, Agency + Identity (A+I) will be the keys to retaining human relevance and unlocking human potential.
Keynotes, Speeches & Presentations:
*Jared is available for both in-person and virtual presentations. Please contact him directly (jared@thefuturehunters.com) with booking inquiries.
Experience
Keynotes Include:
- The Internet Conference (Australia)
- Panama City Assoc. of Business Execs (Panama)
- Colombian Association of BPOs (Colombia)
- Innovation Day (Poland)
- Turkey Future Day (Turkey)
- Retail & Grocery Summit (Turkey)
- Bemis Associates (Hong Kong)
- The World Bank (2 Events)
- Outsourcing World Summit (2 Years)
- INNOCOS Beauty Conference (2 Years)
- National Health Council
- The Foresight & Trends Conference
- The Market Research Event (TMRE)
- Future of Home
- The FUSE Design Conference
- Vistage Executive Summit
- FEI (The Front End of Innovation)
- Total Customer Experience Leaders
- Food Shippers of America
- Bank of Montreal
- AFSA Vehicle Finance Conference
- National Restaurant Association
- NACS Annual Conference
- Net Finance
- LogiPharma
- Media Insights & Engagement
- The OmniShopper Conference
- AICPA Annual Conference
- Ascendant Compliance Management
- Alvarez & Marsal
- Alliant Insurance Services
- ReSource Pro Operations Boot Camp
- SGH Shareholder Retreat
- INPACT Americas
- Business Information & Media Summit
Speeches, Presentations & Panels Include:
- World Future Society
- Global Wellness Summit
- AkzoNobel
- Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons
- S. Department of the Treasury
- The Conference Board of Canada
- The New School/Parsons
- Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
- Brighthouse Financial Insights Panel
- NADA (National Auto Dealer Assoc.) Expo
- The NACS Technology Conference
- American Assoc. of Ad Agencies
- The Retail Marketing Society
- Luxury Marketing Council
- Corporate Entrepreneur Community
- HR Executive Summit
- The Ball Brothers Foundation
- NY, TX, VA and SC Society of CPAs (4x)
- Microsoft
- LEGO Global Shopper Network
- Travelers
- Corning
- Anheuser Busch
- L’Oreal
- GE Healthcare
- GE Aviation
- BNP Paribas
- Ally Financial
- U.S. Xpress
- Perkins+Will
- Ariens
- Curtiss-Wright
- Praxair
- Ketchum
- Zeno Group
- Avoq
- Hartford Funds
- Ladenburg Thalmann
- Signator
- Barnum
Speaker References
CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, U.S. XPRESS
We had Jared lead a 2-day session at our VP Summit. Our goals were to engage our team, get them excited about our future and help them think outside the box. Jared was instrumental in this process. He challenged our thought processes, got us out of our comfort zone, and really educated us on some amazing future-focused ideas.
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ZENO GROUP
Equal parts thought-provoking and energizing, Jared delivered a home run session that will help shape our business of tomorrow. I would highly recommend him for leaders looking to challenge norms and spark new conversations and thinking within their organization.
COO + EDITOR, THE ROBIN REPORT
Jared spoke to 300 executives at our preeminent B2B publishing event. His session was a prescient overview of major trends shaping dramatic change in the publishing sector, and the need for speed for media leaders to go digital or be left behind. He has an engaging style that is both entertaining and intelligent. He is able to demystify and deconstruct the complexities of markets and behaviors that shape the future with great finesse.