Two days. Countless connections. One shared future.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Future Forum 2026 brought together people from across industries, disciplines and borders to challenge assumptions, share ideas and...
Insights
Ideas, perspectives and provocations from across Future Forum and beyond. From the conversations sparked at our flagship event to fresh thinking shared throughout the year, explore the insights, interviews and reflections challenging assumptions, connecting disciplines and shaping what comes next.
Showing: 32 of 44 results
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Is thinking small the secret to building something big?
After helping to grow a global creative business, entrepreneur Ajaz Ahmed is starting again. At Future Forum, he made the case for less bureaucracy, more care and a different definition of scale.
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Could AI help more people discover the power of poetry?
William Sieghart and Mark Eaves introduced Ode, an AI-assisted companion that matches real poems with people's feelings. Their Future Forum conversation asked what happens when new technology opens the door to an old art form.
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In a digital world, why are shared experiences becoming more valuable?
From stadiums and immersive theatre to museums and concerts, Alex Wills explored the growing demand for experiences we share in person – and the complexity of creating them well.
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Should tomorrow’s classrooms embrace technology – or protect space away from it?
Six speakers took opposing sides in a Future Forum debate about the role of technology in education. The arguments revealed more common ground than the result might suggest.
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Could British wool help us rethink what we make – and why?
From sheep farms to contemporary millinery, a Future Forum conversation explored the challenges facing British wool, the value of craft and why sustainable fashion needs more than a convincing label.
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What if every school gave young talent the freedom to fail?
The BRIT School, British Airways, Dr. Martens and an emerging creative talent explored why bravery, real-world experience and partnerships matter as much as qualifications.
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Who will own the future of entertainment?
Britain is a creative production powerhouse, but global platforms are rewriting the industry's economics. Josh Berger CBE joined Future Forum Founder Matt Scheckner to explore what happens to original ideas in a world of consolidation.
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What Can Our History Tell Us About the Future?
There’s a lot of concern about AI, misinformation, technological disruption and social upheaval, yet societies have negotiated their way through transformative moments before.
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Unlocking Britain’s Hidden Talent | Joe Seddon on The Future of Work & Opportunity
What will the future of work look like in an age of AI? And could artificial intelligence make the job market fairer, or will it reinforce the advantages of those who already have them? On this episode of Tomorrow – The Future Forum Podcast, Oli Barrett MBE speaks with Joe…
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Inside London’s Innovation Hub | Jodie Eastwood on the Future & Why Curiosity Matters
What happens when AI companies, scientists, universities, cultural institutions and local communities become neighbours? Jodie Eastwood, CEO of London’s Knowledge Quarter, believes some of the world’s biggest problems could be solved by bringing very different worlds together. In this episode of Tomorrow: The Future Forum, Jodie joins Oli Barrett MBE…
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Universities Are the UK’s Innovation Engine | Vivienne Stern MBE on AI, Skills & the Future of Work
What will universities become in the age of AI? In this episode of Tomorrow: The Future Forum, Oli Barrett MBE sits down with Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK, to explore how universities, technology and the world of work are changing and what the next decade could look…
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More than a washing machine: What happens when innovation starts with people?
A chance encounter in an Indian village inspired an invention designed to give women back something invaluable – their time. At Future Forum, Dr Navjot Sawhney explained why the best innovation begins with the problem, not the product.
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Who controls your AI – and who has the power to switch it off?
As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday infrastructure, ownership of the technology beneath it matters. Bjorn Hovland of CIQ explored what digital sovereignty really requires – and the trade-offs involved.
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If AI removes the hard work, what happens to creativity?
AI promises to make creative work faster and more accessible. But artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg and Adobe's Simon Morris asked whether the friction it removes is sometimes the very thing that gives work meaning.
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What would you build if fear stopped making the decisions?
After a near-death experience, Omaze co-founder Matt Pohlson began questioning the fears that shape our choices. At Future Forum, he explored what that change meant for leadership, ambition and making a positive impact.
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From Innovation to Independence: The Promise of AI Glasses
Three conversations: What changes when a pair of glasses can help you navigate unfamiliar places, access information, and complete everyday tasks more independently?
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Can we have more without taking more from the planet?
Can improving lives be separated from extracting more from the planet when greater prosperity usually leads to greater consumption of materials, energy, land and water?
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Children are shaping their own future: Five takeaways from Beano Brain
Helenor Gilmour, Head of Beano Brain, shared insights into Gen Alpha, the kids born between 2010 and 2015, who have…
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The future is between us. But can we build it together?
From the infrastructure we depend on to the relationships that make innovation possible, Future Forum's closing Town Hall explored what…
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The future has a marketing problem. Can we make people believe in it again?
If we want people to embrace the future, we need to give them something worth believing in. At Future Forum, four marketing and advertising leaders explored how trust, creativity and a sense of control could help turn anxiety about tomorrow into optimism – and action.
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The future has a marketing problem. Can we imagine something better?
When the future feels more frightening than exciting, how do we find the confidence to shape it? At Future Forum, Sarah Housley, author of Designing Hope: Visions to Shape Our Future, explored why we need new stories about tomorrow – and how imagining more hopeful possibilities could help us make them real.
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7 ways ‘making anything’ changes what’s worth making
When anyone can make anything, what’s still worth making? Collaboration Architect Georgi Kamov put this question to six creative leaders in a Future Forum Circle exploring creativity in an age of abundance. Here are their takeaways.
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Jobs of Tomorrow: Are we preparing people for a world we can’t predict?
As AI transforms the world of work, we have an opportunity to rethink how we learn, collaborate and develop talent. At Future Forum, leaders from education, business and social mobility explored what it will take to build a more adaptable, inclusive future of work.
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In a world of algorithms, is surprise our greatest advantage?
Algorithms are getting better at predicting what we want. But are they making our world less interesting? At Future Forum, Adam Morgan, founder of eatbigfish, explored why surprise could be one of our most powerful tools for creating change.
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Will tomorrow really be brighter than today? Future Forum puts optimism to the test
Six speakers debated whether progress is inevitable or something we have to fight for. From climate change and inequality to human agency and the power of the next generation, the audience had a difficult decision to make.
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The Future of Agentic Commerce: When AI stops answering and starts doing
In conversation with Fortune's Kirsty McGregor, Meta's Derya Matras explored how AI agents are moving beyond answering questions to completing tasks – and what that could mean for businesses, consumers and the future of commerce.
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What if slowing down is the secret to making more progress?
In a world obsessed with efficiency, what happens when we make more time for compassion? Professor Andrew Bastawrous OBE, founder of Peek Vision, shared how listening, empathy and a willingness to question the metrics can transform lives – and why doing less can sometimes achieve more.
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Dame Julia Hoggett: Britain has the ingredients for success. Now we need to connect them.
In her Future Forum keynote, Dame Julia Hoggett DBE, CEO of the London Stock Exchange, made the case for renewed confidence in Britain's economic future – and why turning existing strengths into shared prosperity could be closer than we think.
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Growth in Every Postcode? Why Britain’s next big opportunity depends on connection
From Manchester's innovation districts to Scotland's energy sector and London's creative clusters, Future Forum brought together business leaders and regional changemakers to explore what it really takes to turn local ambition into lasting prosperity.
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The Future Forum Lecture: The future belongs to our children
Drawing on nearly 300 years of history, Dame Carol Homden DBE, Chief Executive of Coram, challenged Future Forum to consider what children really need to thrive – and why shaping a better future begins with the choices we make today.
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Britain’s Big Bets: What would you put all your chips on?
From university spinouts and pension funds to a new investment ‘Big Bang’, Future Forum brought together leading entrepreneurs, investors and business voices to make their case for Britain’s next big opportunity.
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Q&A: ‘What we can’t remember, we can’t repair’ – Elif Shafak on storytelling and the future
Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation – which works on peace, reconciliation, democracy, leadership and human rights – spoke with the Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak on how imagination, culture and creative courage can challenge accepted ideas and open new possibilities
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Can AI heal the planet? Future Forum puts the technology on trial
In this Future Forum Debate, six speakers discussed the motion ‘This house believes AI will do more to heal the planet than harm it’ in an Oxford Union-style debate.
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Future Forum 2026: Day One in 60 seconds
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Big ideas, fresh perspectives and unexpected connections. Day One of Future Forum brought together people from different worlds to explore the possibilities – and challenges – shaping our future.
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What comes after the Global Goals? Rethinking our shared future
As the world looks beyond the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Dr Simona Costanzo Sow explores why progress depends on shared responsibility, fresh perspectives and a willingness to listen.
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