Skip to main contentSteve Brown is a futurist, but he doesn't have a crystal ball, can't communicate with the dead, and doesn't think in flash-forwards. His job instead? To use trends and data to figure what we want to build and what we want to avoid.
Brown has worked at Intel for 26 years, most recently as the global company's futurist. While Brown has nothing but praise for his time at Intel, he recently started his own firm, Possibility and Purpose. And what does Brown think is the next big thing? Wearables and the Internet of Things, both of which will change our lives dramatically.
In his talk at TFNW, Brown will introduce a future "about what happens when all the objects in our lives become smart, connected, and can sense the world around us."
While some people may see this as an inevitable step toward a dystopian, AI-controlled future, Brown isn't as worried. He's seen the methods humans are taking to build this technology, and as long as we stay in control by building AI into machines instead of creating AI machines that build AI machines, we'll be just fine.
"We should be able to manufacture luck," Brown says. "But the approach we take with tech is the most important."
Brown is also excited about augmented reality, especially now that Google's Glass program has shown other companies what not to do. While he believes Microsoft's HoloLens tech isn't quite ready for prime time, it's good enough to be used as an example of where we should be going.
While privacy will be a concern for many as tech becomes an even more intimate part of our lives, Brown is says the smart companies will focus on ensuring everything is opt in, and that they will take the best precautions to safeguard breaches while they record only the data they need.
As for his own future, Brown doesn't have plans, only possibilities. He enjoys riding his unicycle and drinking Oregon pinots—not at the same time—and has no plans to leave Oregon.
"I moved here for Intel," Brown said. "I stayed for the wine."
Click here to see a Ted Talk Brown gave about the future.
WWeek 2015