For example, we successfully predicted “Partnership is the new leadership” years before it became the hot topic it is today. This is in the new way of working scenarios Blurred Business Boundaries (the one on the right up corner), meaning small players overthrow established giants, companies partner up with rivals, and yet others buy players in entirely different markets to gain strategic position. The boundaries of a business landscape has withered and been replaced by a rapidly changing network-based arena.
We predicted the regionalization and to some extend the pandemic in our Black Swan scenario Beyond Holocene (the one on the up-left corner), and even better, we predicted the speed-up of decarbonization (during the Covid) in the Climate scenario From Zero to Hero, in which we see for example, sharing carbon footprint becomes a standard practice among large international companies.
Ai is a great tool that we explore to fuel more efficiency into foresight. Practical applications of strategic foresight and AI include identifying innovative and competitive uses for AI, evaluating AI’s impact on the industry and market, anticipating potential risks and threats, and devising strategies to mitigate these risks. It also aids in the crucial task of identifying and attracting the right talent to drive AI-related projects. Research shows that future-prepared organizations outperform the average. Considering this, it is crucial to apply a foresight approach to identify and capture future growth opportunities. AI tools can be game-changing in this regard, offering a myriad of benefits from boosting productivity to enhancing creativity and performance.
AI tools are revolutionizing the way we work, increasing efficiency by removing redundancy in tasks, and allowing more time for creativity. AI can also be programmed to generate new ideas and solutions, providing a starting point when you are running out of creativity to ideate innovative business models. Moreover, AI’s unparalleled ability to analyze vast amounts of data and recognize complex patterns enables it to identify nascent trends, uncover potential disruptions, and provide actionable insights to guide your organization through the unknown future. AI is also being used in the context of patent analysis to predict future technological developments. However, it is important to note that while AI can accelerate trend analysis and project future trajectories, it lacks the human judgment required for contextualizing interconnections between trends or validating AI outputs with a nuanced perspective. Therefore, it is crucial to supplement AI-generated insights with your own research to ensure that the latest trends and developments are accurately interpreted and analyzed.
Conclusion
The future of strategic foresight lies in harnessing the collaborative potential of human expertise and AI. By combining both, organizations can make more informed decisions, saving valuable time and resources while gaining deeper insights into emerging trends. As AI technology advances, it is poised to become an indispensable asset in strategic foresight, revolutionizing organizations by optimizing resources and saving valuable time.
