Gerd Leonhard

Gerd Leonhard Speaking Topics

• Intelligence vs Consciousness: Preserving Humanity in the coming era of AGI

  Just because we could does not mean we should!

  This talk discusses the difference between intelligence (doing) and consciousness (being). It explores the tensions between technological possibility, desirability (purpose) and moral responsibility. It warns that in our rush to create super-intelligent machines, we risk foregoing what Gerd Leonhard calls “the art of being human”, and fall prey to techno-optimistic reductionism and obsessive cognitive offloading. This talk fits squarely into the current AGI debate, proposing that we ask a deeper question: Are we building AGI to ensure human / planetary flourishing and to extend human values—or to replace human agency, and to build ‘digital humans'. Maybe intelligence can be coded but consciousness…not? Wisdom, in my lens, lies in choosing what should be automated, augmented or virtualized—and what should remain sacred. AI intelligence might be a good thing, but conscious AIs would be a terrible mistake.

• The Good Future? Yes, We Can

  Our world is changing faster than ever, fueled by deep geopolitical shifts, long-standing, complex conflicts and regional wars, the accelerating climate emergency, the mind-boggling pace of technological transformation and the confusion that comes with the meteoric rise of AI. What used to be unthinkable or deemed impossible is quickly becoming the new normal, and science fiction is increasingly becoming science fact. The excitement about amazing new tech is real, but worries about the future are also at an all-time high. So how could we reset i.e. rebrand the future as ‘good'? How could it become a reality? How can humanity go beyond the amazing science and the cool tools towards more collaboration and TELOS? I believe that The Good Future is real and attainable – and I'm ready to explore it with you!

Digital Labor: AI Agents, Automation and The Future of Work

Why ‘Smart’ Machines Still Can’t Replace You

Digital Labor (Salesforce's definition: “A digital workforce of intelligent AI agents that augments the human workforce, and transforms the way work gets done”) is all the rage: Swarms of AI agents poised to tackle all the routine work that once bogged down human time and productivity. From drafting simple contracts and NDAs to interpreting scans and MRIs, hundreds of vendors are painting a utopia where drudge tasks vanish, productivity soars, and boardrooms celebrate a future with with a lot less “expensive” (and pesky) humans. Gerd Leonhard's hunch is that behind the glossy demos and the “frontier firm” pitches lies a techno-optimistic reductionism: swap flesh-and-blood employees for lines of code, automate oversight, ethics and authenticity into oblivion, and watch more profits funnel into the corporate coffers.

But of course, in real life, many so-called commodity tasks demand embodied judgment, social nuance, holistic understanding and contextual awareness—capabilities that – being devoid of agency and consciousness – no algorithm can reliably emulate. When today’s glitchy chatbots can barely book a meeting without crashing, the dream of wholesale human replacement feels more like a pipe-dream than a panacea. But, yes: will that change, and when?

We must ask: Who benefits when “the full automation of the economy” becomes more than a Silicon Valley VC fad? If real intelligence is social, embodied and holistic, then “machine smartness” is merely a power tool—useful, yes – but unthinking, unaware and uncaring. And let's remember that the race toward AGI isn't really about business innovation; rather, it increasingly looks more like an arms race in which investors and super-funded startup CEOs dream of human labor as an obsolete line item in a pitch deck. So: Before our jobs—and our dignity—become disposable commodities, Leonhard thinks it’s time to insist that the spoils of “post-labor prosperity” (??) be shared, not annexed or hoarded. Let’s resist this digital coup against the very concept of work…and remind our new AI wranglers that consciousness, not code, remains uniquely human.

Beyond AI: What Really Matters in Technology & Society by 2030

THINK LARGER. IMAGINE. PREPARE.

AI is now a general purpose technology, and the platform ‘for everything' – yet AI is clearly not the panacea or the magic wand many entrepreneurs, tech-moguls and Silicon Valley investors have envisioned. It's time to look beyond AI. While we certainly need to get ready for the 5 hyper-exponential technological game-changers (quantum computing, nuclear fusion, synthetic biology & nano-technology, genome editing and geo-engineering) we also need to ask this crucial question: What kind of future do we want? In this talk, I outline what to expect by 2030, while correlating the technological breakthroughs with wider societal developments such as the rapidly accelerating climate emergency, technology regulation, global governance and global consciousness, the rise of GenY & Z, global demographics and various important geopolitical mega-trends.

Examining Techno-Optimism

Too much of a good thing can be a very bad thing.

Techno-Optimism (often coupled with accelerationism) is the increasingly popular belief that leaps in science – and the corresponding exponential advances in technology – can solve most if not all societal problems and that all technological progress will enhance human well-being. Therefore, it is important to not get in the way of technology unfolding at the fastest possible rate.

Proponents of Techno-Optimism such as the famed Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen assert that technology is the primary driver of growth and prosperity, advocating for a dramatically accelerated approach to technological development, in particular in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). In contrast, Gerd Leonhart cautions against this often cult-like approach to technology's importance, its over-reliance on data and computing, deep learning and ‘intelligent machines’, downplaying the drawbacks such as an increasing loss of trust in each other, disinformation (such as with social media), job displacement, privacy concerns, deep surveillance, and the very real outcome of general reductionism and dehumanization.

Transcending the AI debate, Gerd explains why we need a balanced perspective that considers both the super-exciting potential benefits and the likely devastating unintended or unplanned consequences of rapid technological progress, arguing for a more holistic approach that goes beyond mere economic or geopolitical power gains. Our views on what technology should or should not do are becoming crucial, as we head into a future where AI is at the center of ‘everything, everywhere ‘ – as many major players such as OpenAI seek to invent machines that are generally intelligent and capable of reasoning, surpassing human capabilities in all relevant tasks (HaltAGI presentation)

In this talk, Gerd also dives into why he remains optimistic, and explain that while ‘embracing technology' will be crucial for making The Good Future a reality, he also thinks we must reiterate the urgent need for collaboration, and create incentives do the right thing (i.e. to pursue people, planet, purpose and prosperity, not just profit and growth) Exponential technological gains alone are not enough – we must develop science and technology while we pursue humanity at the same time. The Future is amazing humans on-top of awesome technology.

Artificial Intelligence, AGI and the Future of Humanity

AI is now a general-purpose technology like fire or the printing press, and it's a new technology platform as well. It could be heaven, or it could be hell, depending on whether the tools will dominate us, or whether human telos (the purpose) will prevail. The more power we have, the more wisdom we'll need! And that's true no matter whether we will pursue AGI, or not.

Science fiction is increasingly becoming science fact as smart machines – both physical and virtual – take on more tasks once thought impossible for a “digital entity” to accomplish. As a result, knowledge work is transforming at a rapid pace, forcing us to reconsider what it means to be human – in our daily life, in our professions and in our organisations. What will happen if and when machines become ‘generally intelligent‘?

We must embrace these new possibilities while also preserving and protecting our humanity. We need proaction and precaution. We must define new values and goals that transcend increased efficiency or the resulting financial gains. Gerd Leonhard thinks it will be our androrithms, our uniquely human skills and traits that will make us invaluable in this coming age of AI, not just our ability to command technology or to become faster by using it (or even to merge with it).

In this customized talk, Gerd guides his audience through what is important (and real) versus what is utopia or plain false (or dangerous) when it comes to AI. He delineates how we can harness the power of AI to further human (and planetary) flourishing, happiness, success, and well-being. He sets forth why he believes the future holds great promise if we play our cards right and pursue People, Planet, Purpose, and Prosperity.