Jonathan Brill

#1 Ranked Futurist in the World by Forbes

Categories: AI, Business, Future of Work, Innovation, Leadership, Robotics, Technology

Jonathan Brill is the #1 ranked futurist in the world by Forbes, Futurist in Residence at Amazon, and has been called “the world’s leading transformation architect” by Harvard Business Review. He helps audiences and executives navigate the collision of AI, geopolitical, economic, and societal trends to transform their businesses, shift mindsets, and turn ideas into action. As a strategic advisor, inventor, intelligence executive, bestselling author, and keynote speaker, Jonathan guides multinational corporations, frontier tech firms, and governments through the complexities of the AI age.

Jonathan has created a proven methodology for embracing organizational transformation in the era of artificial intelligence. His approach drives cultural shifts—from hierarchy to network, from rigidity to fluidity, from product-centric to data-driven. His most recent book, AI and the Octopus Organization: Building the Superintelligent Firm, explains how organizations that distribute authority, embed AI intelligence at the edges, and reward rapid learning and adaptation will become the undisputed leaders of tomorrow. He is also the author of Rogue Waves, Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change (McGraw-Hill) 《疯狗浪》, the #2 selling economics book in China. The Economist called it “a very important book for managers,” and Adam Grant called it “an actionable framework for driving change instead of being blindsided by it.” He has taught the techniques in it to over 27,000 executives, ranging from startups to the Fortune 500 to the United States Secret Service.

As Head of Invention at DeepInvent and Executive Chairman of the Center for Radical Change, Jonathan taps into his unique experience as former Global Futurist and Research Director at HP to deliver insights on global stages, in boardrooms, and through leading media platforms including ABC, CNBC, CNN, and Forbes. Drawing on decades of business innovation and AI expertise across transportation, food, consumer electronics, cybersecurity, finance, and defense, he has become the go-to advisor for executives who want to move beyond prediction to transformation. His talks have been featured at SXSW, TED, Harvard, and Stanford, and his client list includes Amgen, SAP, Singularity University, JP Morgan, Microsoft, KPMG, and Troutman Pepper Locke.

AI & the Octopus Organization™: The gap between firms that adopt AI holistically and those that dabble at the edges will be the gap between survival and extinction.

The age of AI is upon us. How can your business use it to grow?

Over the next five years, the gap between companies that integrate AI and those that merely experiment with it will spell the difference between survival and extinction. The companies who are willing to embrace change, fundamentally shift mindsets, and adapt at lightning speed will dominate.

In a world of constant change, resilience is no longer enough. Organizations must evolve beyond endurance to agility—developing the capacity to sense market changes early, respond intelligently to customer needs, and adapt faster than competitors. Agility is not about moving faster; it’s about thinking faster—through decentralized intelligence, AI-augmented decisions, and empowered teams at every level.

This means rethinking the traditional hierarchical model and imagining an organization structured like an octopus. While it has a central brain for strategy and oversight, each arm has its own mini-brain—autonomous, responsive, and deeply aware of its market surroundings. A neural ring coordinates these nodes in real time, allowing the institution to make rapid, informed decisions across its entire system—often faster than the central brain could alone.

This isn’t theory. Brill has studied organizations already moving in this direction, guided dozens of transformations, and drawn on over a million workforce surveys. What he found is clear: success comes not from simply automating tasks, but from reimagining how organizations function at every level.

Outcomes and Experiences

By the end of this transformative keynote, you’ll know exactly how to:

Understand how to redesign your organizations around adaptability, not control.
Learn how to use AI to create autonomous SuperTeams that push creative boundaries, and make better, faster decisions.
Cultivate the vision, values, and goals your org & team needs to leverage AI effectively.

Keynote Video Preview: https://vimeo.com/1106398304/f35e989582?fl=pl&fe=sh

Strategic Luck – The Science of Thriving in Uncertainty

Luck isn’t chance. It’s a science-based skill that you can enhance today.

Most people think luck is a coincidence, a twist of fate, or a gift that some are simply born with. Most people are wrong.

Instead, luck is a science-based skill that your audience can get dramatically better at it — in less than an hour.

As an international best-selling author, scholar on decision-making, and principal investigator of the largest study on luck, Jonathan Brill persuasively argues that luck isn’t an option; it’s perhaps the most impactful factor of success. It’s strategic in your business and in your life.

Merging an impactful blend of heart-felt personal experiences and hard data, this keynote experience takes audiences on a journey through the four science-based methods that transform uncertainty into opportunity in nearly everything you do. By the end of your time together, Jonathan Brill will show you how to find rainbows, dodge riptides, survive meteors, and make gold, one lucky move at a time.

Luck isn’t chance. It’s a choice.

You and your team will be given an eye-opening look into:
The reality of what luck is and how to create it for yourself.
Why luck is a must for organizations looking to survive disruptions.
Science-backed strategies for creating lucky opportunities, even out of thin air.

Keynote Video Preview: https://vimeo.com/841909966?fl=pl&fe=sh

Win the Next Five Years: Spot, Lead, Win

The future might be crazy but your business doesn’t have to be.

Jonathan Brill helps you spot the societal, geopolitical, economic, and technological trends colliding and impacting your business. He will show you how to lead through the chaos and take action today to win the next five years.

Right now, geopolitics, economics, and AI are all colliding with social change to create chaos, and the reality is, by the time something makes news, it’s history. But this isn’t a threat—it’s an opportunity. This is your moment to spot, to lead, and to win your five year future.

Why five? One year is too short. Ten is science fiction. We can action the five-year future. It’s close enough to know a lot about AI, society, geopolitics and economics, yet it’s far enough to be able to pivot and reinvent.

It’s fine to plan just for this year, or year three—but when you get there it sure helps to have prepared. The decisions you make now will determine how well you can adapt to the changes AI will bring in the next five years.

We can already spot the outlines of tomorrow in what’s happening today. Jonathan Brill will show you why your future is changing, what you can do about it, and the small actions you can take today to win the next five years.

By the end of this transformative keynote, you’ll know exactly:

Why your future is changing: How AI, economics, social and geopolitical trends drive the next five years.
What you can do about it: The science-based frameworks that will create the best outcomes for your business, your family and your life.
How to start: The small actions you can take today, this year and in the next three to win the next five years.

Keynote Video Preview: https://vimeo.com/1086028193?fl=pl&fe=sh

“Our executives walked away changed.”
Anne Devlin — Head of Learning, JP Morgan Chase & Co

“His rigorous, unifying message drives results.”
Doug Warner — Head of Business Innovation, Amazon

“Jonathan spreads practical wonder.”
Niki Skene — Global Ambassador, TEDx

“Jonathan Brill is your secret weapon.”
Dorie Clark — Best-Selling Author

“Rogue Waves’ powerful tools have repeatedly helped us get out in front of change.”
Nicholas Butts — Head of Government Relations, HP

“A profound contribution to the science of decision making and the psychology of leadership.”
Phil Zimbardo — Professor Emeritus, Stanford University; Past President, American Psychological Association

“A very important book for managers.”
Wu Chen — Managing Director, The Economist

“An actionable framework for driving change instead of being blindsided by it.”
Adam Grant — #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author

Video Testimonial Reel: vimeo.com/939284368