Futurist Amy Webb on AI, Big Tech and the end of the smartphone
The quantitative futurist says accelerating technological development will materially change our lives in the not-too-distant future — for better or for worse.
Amy Webb expects the smartphone to die out by 2031. In fact, we'll have done away with screens altogether by then, she predicts. And the internet as we know it will be gone, too.
Should we listen to her? Probably. Government leaders and CEOs of the world’s biggest companies make bets worth billions that are grounded in Webb's forecasts.
As founder and CEO of Future Today Institute, her annual emerging tech trends report is read closely by business leaders globally, and she has pioneered a data-driven, technology-led foresight methodology that is used within hundreds of organisations.
Webb spoke to Capital Brief after delivering the opening keynote of SXSW Sydney on Monday. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
