ICON 2026 Opening Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bob Johansen
Dr. Bob Johansen
Futurist, Author, Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for the Future
Dr. Bob Johansen has been a professional futurist for more than 50 years at the Institute for the Future in Silicon Valley—the longest-running futures research organization in the world. He is a social scientist working in the world of tech, but has a continuing interest in world religions and alternative forms of meaning-making. Bob is author or co-author of 15 books, including Navigating the Age of Chaos (with futurist Jamais Cascio and former CEO of United Way Worldwide Angela F. Williams).
In his keynote, Thriving in a Chaotic Future, Bob will help AFP frame the future, so we can be more future-ready and more able to make our preferred futures possible. Bob will introduce the BANI Future: Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible—and he will show us how to flip it positive by being Bendable, Attentive, Neuorflexible, and Interconnected. The future will be increasingly chaotic, but we can thrive if we frame the future accurately and spark better possibilities.
