The course Future Trends investigates current technological trends that will lead to profound changes of our technological, social, economic, cultural, and political environment. Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence will change our lives very quickly. There will be no aspect of life that will not be affected by these developments, from the way we produce things to the way we spend our leisure time. This change will require adaptions of workers in the production of goods and in their communicative behavior.
The course provides participants with an idea which future changes they can expect in different areas such as technology, medicine, neuroscience, transport, communication, environment, climate, demographics, diverse as economics, society, politics, culture, art, architecture, sport, tourism, and leisure.
Certain methods have been developed to measure and predict future trends. Important methods are: scenario method, trend analysis, anticipatory thinking, technology forecasting, causal layered analysis, and environmental scanning. Knowing about these methods will give participants a competitive edge in their professional careers. It may also result in a change of their thinking regarding future challenges. Being prepared for the future will allow them to adopt a positive and forward-looking attitude toward these challenges.