Helped one of Europe’s best-loved cities re-think its future to embrace technology in a human-centric way
Background: Amsterdam will be turning 750 years old in 2025, and like anyone approaching a milestone birthday, they want to be at their best when they reach that age. So they have identified a set of pillars around which they want to improve measurably, such as achieving a fully circular economy by 2050 and being halfway to that by 2025. These pillars also include many challenges of digital transformation while remaining committed to human-centric and integrative thinking.
Our engagement: The Amsterdam Economic Board approached me to speak at a special tech-focused event with the desire for a combination of my Tech Humanist and Pixels and Place concepts to help them leapfrog from a position perceived as behind other European cities and countries where AI research and leadership are concerned into a position of modeling the way forward.
Solution: Developed and presented a “human-centric metropolis of the future” model in a keynote presentation in December 2018. Participated in a specially-organized VIP dinner with the University of Amsterdam that brought together city and regional leaders to discuss ramifications of AI and other emerging technologies.
Results: This model will help them carry out the next years of their growth, renewal, and improvement projects within a framework aligned around meaningful human experiences.
Key Concepts: cities, human experience, human scale, keynote speaking, strategy