1124 Why the Future Is Getting Harder to Predict | Steve Brown on AI, AGI, and What Comes Next

See more: https://thinkfuture.substack.comConnect with Steve: https://stevebrown.ai---What happens when technology moves faster than our ability to forecast it?In this episode of thinkfuture, host Chris Kalaboukis speaks with Steve Brown, veteran technologist, former Intel futurist, and former member of Google DeepMind’s AI research lab. With over 35 years of experience across high-tech, digital transformation, and AI, Steve offers a rare long-view perspective on where we are—and why predicting what comes next has never been harder.Steve explains how long-term forecasting used to be feasible when technological progress followed clearer trajectories. Today, breakthroughs in AI—and soon quantum computing—are compressing decades of progress into just a few years. The result is a future that’s accelerating faster than our institutions, economic models, and assumptions can keep up with.We cover:- Why 10-year technology forecasts are now nearly impossible- How AI is already accelerating progress in math, physics, and science- Why the combination of AI and quantum computing could reshape material science, chemistry, and biology- The likelihood of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) arriving within 5–10 years- How AGI could disrupt jobs and force a rethink of capitalism itself- Why labor may increasingly turn into capital-The need for new economic models, shorter workweeks, or earlier retirement- How humans find meaning when machines handle most productive workSteve argues we may see more progress in the next five years than in the last fifty—and that the biggest challenge won’t be technological, but human.If you’re interested in AI, AGI, the future of work, economic disruption, or the limits of forecasting, this conversation offers a grounded, thoughtful look at what may be coming sooner than we expect.