SuperShifts

Forward-thinking exploration of the dawn of humanity's new age and the imminent technology-enabled transformation on society, business, and beyond.

In SUPERSHIFTS, leading behavioral scientist Dr. Ja-Nae Duane and world-renowned entrepreneur and futurist Steve Fisher deliver an incisive overview of how we are at the end of one 200-year arc and embarking on another. With this new age of intelligence, Duane and Fisher highlight the various catalysts for change currently affecting individuals, businesses, and society as a whole. They also provide a model for transformation that expertly bridges the gap between theory and practice to provide a holistic view of making radical change through three lenses: you as a leader, your organization, and society. Drawing on Duane and Fisher's wealth of collective experience, this book pays particular attention to how emerging technologies, biological revolutions, energy abundance create opportunities for humanity's transformational purpose, and emergence of new intelligent species over the next two hundred years.

Readers will find various case studies showing successful and failed responses to disruption, and learn about topics including:

• What is needed for mankind to thrive beyond the predictions of the singularity, and how that will shift our communications, beliefs, and values
• How can we create anti-fragile organizations and global systems based on nature's ecosystems
• Humanity's coexistence with technology, the fall of centralized systems, and the emergence of collective intelligence as a solution for prosperity

A guide for change, SUPERSHIFTS earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders seeking to create a better world for themselves, their organizations, and society at large.

A Letter to the Children of the Age of Intelligence xi

How to Read This Book xiii

Prologue xv

Introduction xix

Part I Dawn of a New Age: The Coming SuperShift™ 1

1 The Precipice of Change 3

2 The Age of Intelligence 17

3 The Dawn of the First Era 27

Part II Exploring Supershifts™: Nine Emerging Supershifts™ That Will Change the World 39

4 Catalysts of a New Age 41

5 SuperShift™ #1: Generational Drift 55

6 SuperShift™ #2: IntelliFusion 69

7 SuperShift™ #3: Techceleration 85

8 SuperShift™ #4: Reality Remix 99

9 SuperShift™ #5: PowerFlow 117

10 SuperShift™ #6: EcoAwakening 133

11 SuperShift™ #7: Social Quake 149

12 SuperShift™ #8: World Mosaic 167

13 SuperShift™ #9: BioNexus 185

Part III Navigating Supershifts™: Dynamically Evolving with the Transformation Framework 201

14 Using the Transform Model™ to Bring Us into the Future 203

15 Embracing a Transformative Mindset 215

16 The Organization of the Future: A Transformative Approach 225

17 Futureproofing Your Organization 249

18 Systems and Scenarios of a SuperShift™ Future 263

19 The Far Future and a Call to Action 281

Epilogue: the Dawn of Transcendence 287

Notes 295

Acknowledgments 309

About the Authors 311

Resources 313

Index 315

DR. JA-NAÉ DUANE is a behavioral scientist and award-winning innovator with over two decades of experience, currently focusing on corporate, governmental, and academic advancements through VR/AR, AI, and blockchain technologies. An expert on global systems and the co-author of The Startup Equation, she has worked with major corporations like Deloitte, PwC, Yum! Brands, and others. Dr. Duane holds appointments at Brown University and MIT. Her mission is to improve life for one billion people globally.

STEVE FISHER is a world-renowned futurist, author, and innovation leader with over 30 years of experience guiding companies, governments, and startups through change. At FTI Consulting, he specializes in new ventures, AI, experience design, and Web3 technologies. Previously, he co-founded McKinsey’s Futures Practice, focusing on long-term strategy. As Chief Futurist at the Center for the Future, part of the Human Frontier Institute, Steve champions democratizing future thinking. He is the co-author of The Startup Equation, and hosts the Think Forward Show and Off World Podcast.

Humanity stands at a pivotal juncture, marking the transition from one age to another every 200 years, now propelled by swift technological and societal transformations that have accelerated the pace of change from decades to months. This era of rapid evolution presents a choice: to slow the adoption of new technologies, potentially monopolized by a few, or to democratize access and knowledge, fostering a shared progress.

A manifesto for change, SuperShifts: Transforming How We Live, Learn, and Work in the Age of Intelligence offers a rallying cry for individuals, businesses, and society to embrace the future and the opportunities it presents with open arms. The foundation of this book is based on the emergence of technologies like AI, blockchain, digital twins, fusion energy, and quantum computing, all of which signal the dawn of a new age — an age in which the boundaries of possibility are constantly expanding and radically reinventing the way we think, work, and interact with one other.

Written by leading behavioral scientist Dr. Ja-Naé Duane and world-renowned entrepreneur and futurist Steve Fisher, this book covers both theory and practical application of concepts. Readers will learn about skills needed to be a leader in the future and how to train and develop them, the impact of different technologies on different industries and business processes, and steps you can take to future-proof your organization and stay multiple steps ahead of the competition. Other big-picture topics covered include the impending singularity and how it will affect us on an individual and collective level, scanning current reality for ways to create your desired future reality, and the symbiotic relationship between the physical and digital realms in the workspace.

SuperShifts is an essential forward-thinking read for all business leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs seeking to prepare themselves for the future and lead their organizations to success.

Praise for SUPERSHIFTS

“Duane and Fisher delve into humanity’s struggle with the uncertainty brought by technology’s rapid advancement, providing insightful context on how we arrived at this point and what lies ahead. Their thought-provoking observations spark vital discussions necessary for thriving in this new era. SuperShifts equips readers with systems and models to navigate the future with clarity, adaptability, and confidence.”
—EMILY KWOK, Multiple-time IBJJF World Champion, MMA Veteran, Entrepreneur, and Peak Performance Coach

“There are no shortage of inquiries into the factors and forces that are shaping our futures. And yet, few, if any, take us into the heart of the human experience and challenge us to imagine impacts and implications upon our nearest and dearest. SuperShifts not only accomplishes this Herculean feat; it does so with an intelligence and heart that is at once deeply profound and dynamically provocative. This book will be an invaluable resource for anyone looking ahead and working to create a better future.”
—DR. JOHN A. SWEENEY, Futurist and UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies for Anticipatory Governance and Sustainable Policymaking

“SuperShifts provides really fresh thinking on what we must pay attention to that so many are missing. Plug in to the flow of thinking here and then dive into their futures exploration models. You will not regret the decision to level up.”
—NIKOLAS BADMINTON, Chief Futurist, Futurist.com

“We truly are in the Age of Intelligence. Human-AI partnerships, personal AIs, collective intelligence, transparency, interdependence, positive sumness, bio-inspired alignment, network-centric antifragility, and much more are key drivers of our future. The insights, tools, and narratives in this amazing book will transform your worldview, firm-view, relationship-view, and self-view. You’ll see the accelerating agency that you have over your personal future, and the deeply humanizing trajectory of our collective futures. We all need to wake up and take advantage of these shifts.”
—JOHN SMART, CEO, Foresight University