Richard Yonck keynote speaker

Recognized globally for his ongoing research at the nexus of artificial and human intelligence, Richard has been helping audiences and businesses better understand the implications of exponential progress for decades— all while asking the question: What kind of future do we really want?

Drawing from a wealth of hands-on experience in technology, media and consultancy — from systems analysis and science writing to founding a futures consulting firm — Richard translates deep technical understanding into vivid foresight, exploring how advances in AI, healthcare, automation and workforce issues, quantum technologies, agritech, hybrid intelligence, and next-generation biotech will shape business, society, and personal identity. All while maintaining a human-centric focus on how we build the world of tomorrow.

As a keynote speaker and advisor, Richard has engaged audiences all over the world. His diverse list of clients includes Fortune 500 multinationals, governments, institutions, top universities and NGOs, such as Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, Xerox, Naturipe, Fast Company, Atotech, U.S. State Department, UNDP, NATO, Georgetown University, and many others. Speaking at international conferences and industry summits, he offers a unique, deeply informed vantage point on emerging technologies and strategic futures.

Richard’s presentations — described by attendees as “awe-inspiring,” “passionate,” and “mind-blowing” — are grounded in rigorous analysis and delivered with clarity and urgency. He assists businesses, governments, and organizations in anticipating coming disruptions and building resilience — not by defending the status quo, but by helping to shape a future that aligns technological possibility with human values.

As a leading expert in emerging technologies and trends, Richard has written for top publications such as Scientific American, Fast Company, World Future Review, GeekWire, Salon, and American Cinematographer.

His work has been featured and quoted in publications such as Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The New York Times, BBC News, Wired, Puget Sound Business Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, and many more. He also regularly appears on radio programs and podcasts.

Richard is the author of two internationally-acclaimed nonfiction books — Future Minds and Heart of the Machine — that examine not only what machines will become, but how people might be transformed as a result as well. In Heart of the Machine, he explores machines capable of perceiving and influencing human emotion; in Future Minds he peers further ahead into a world where intelligence — artificial and human — evolves together. His latest science-fiction thriller, Mindstock explores some of these technologies through a very different lens, in order to better anticipate other possible futures.