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Sean A. Culey

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Sean A. Culey

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Born
in King's Lynn, The United Kingdom
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Member Since
November 2018


Sean Culey is a global keynote speaker on the topic of disruptive technologies and their impact on businesses, the economy and society. He is the author of 'Transition Point', a detailed look at the causes of technological disruption and the impact it has had on our society, and how the current wave of technological change - from robotics to AI - will completely disrupt our business models, economy and society at large.

Sean is also the author of numerous articles published in magazines such as Forbes, The World Financial Review and The European Business Review.

He is also Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University and a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT) and has worked in the field of decision intelligence wi
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Sean A. Culey This history behind Transition Point starts back in the summer of 2012 when I was the chairperson for a supply chain conference in Madrid. As I listen…moreThis history behind Transition Point starts back in the summer of 2012 when I was the chairperson for a supply chain conference in Madrid. As I listened to various speakers excitingly talk about cloud computing, big data analytical tools, and robotics, it dawned on me that no one was considering what would happen when these were all applied. I quickly realised that we were facing a wave of technology that had some very disruptive potential.

I then wrote an article for the European Business Review on this topic (http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com...) and also created a keynote presentation on the subject. These presentations were exceptionally well-received, but intriguingly most of the questions were not about the impact on the supply chain or business, but rather on the economy and society at large, and what this means for future generations.

I then thought that this would make a great book - so I agreed with my wife that I would take three months off work to transform this material into a book that should be finished by Christmas.

This proved to be ridiculously naive. It quickly became apparent that while my observations identified connections that few had noticed, it was also somewhat incomplete, for it just detailed what was happening, but not why.

Establishing the answer to the ‘why’ question requires an understanding of not only the nature of technological change, but also of the social, economic and political factors that enable and suppress it, plus those that are impacted by it.

It gets worse, for once you understand the concept, cause, and impact of technological change, and the waves that drive it, then further questions emerge. What stage are we in now? What types of technologies does the current wave contain? Which areas will it impact?

Finally, the really big question – so what? What are the likely issues, challenges and opportunities that will arise as a result of all of this disruption? What impact will all this technological change have on business, the economy, our society, and our evolution?

While tempted to split this into separate books; one on technology, and another on the social and economic impacts, I ultimately felt that the power came from explaining their connection, and that if I separated them, then the impact would be lost. The reader would learn ‘how’ and ‘what’ is happening, but not ‘why’.

The further I went down the rabbit hole, the more I realised that technology, society and the economy are intrinsically linked, and I was unaware of anyone bringing these elements together in a way that highlights both the historical causes and the future implications of this interrelationship.

So, I set myself the challenge of answering the 'why' question, but also the 'so what' one. Hence why this book took over five years to write, required me to have nine months off work, and consumed all of my life savings!

In places I propose suggestions: ways to improve businesses to deliver more value to more people, ways to ensure technology does not take over, ways to recalibrate our economic models and ways to ensure society works for everyone. I cover some major topics that have been turned into books all on their own, but rather than simply sensationalise, I try to show how, as with the first industrial revolution, the choices we make and the freedoms we allow will determine the society we end up with.

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Average rating: 4.26 · 19 ratings · 5 reviews · 1 distinct work
Transition Point: From Stea...

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Pirates In The Na...
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Quotes by Sean A. Culey  (?)
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“My dogs might believe, in their little doggy brains, that they wield the power in our relationship because I feed them, pet them, come when they bark, pick up their poop, buy them toys and care for them when they are sick. However, if they ever decided to act on their beliefs and try to exert power over me or my family, then their true place in the relationship would quickly become apparent. Likewise, we may feel confident that we are the master of our AI creations, only to be taken completely by surprise when we realise – too late – that we are no longer in control.”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

“The paradox of change is that while everyone says they want change, not many people actually like it, and even less want to lead it.”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

“In many ways, the status quo is human nature; people are often paradoxically afraid of change and also afraid of staying the same – but when push comes to shove, staying the same seems safer.”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

“Technology provides access to more power than our ancestors would have thought possible but does not guide us as to what to do with that power. Similarly, the market provides us with endless choices but does not tell us how to use these choices. And our liberal, individualist and faithless state gives us freedom, but provides no intellectual, moral or spiritual guidance for how to use that freedom.”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

“As machines increasingly do more of the work, and real-life relationships lose their allure, then the allegory of Plato’s Cave becomes real. A mass of people living inside, disconnected from those who live their lives outside, systematically unable or unwilling to participate in the competition of life because they cannot stand the unpredictability of reality.”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

“The industrial age has transformed our material well-being, but these improvements have come at the cost of our beliefs: belief in our special place in the universe; belief in an omnipresent god; belief in country and community; belief in monogamy and marriage, and belief in our values. What, then, holds up the foundations of society when these beliefs finally fall away?”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

“Given their apparent immortality, the past is surprisingly littered with the corpses of deities.”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

“By the end of the decade many of these technologies will have crossed the chasm and become disruptive, creating a world in which people, insights, and money interact quickly, easily and cheaply, affecting nearly every industry at every level. This will have both positive and negatives, for each new wave brings a period of technological Darwinism, as creation never travels alone; its companion, destruction, always hitches a ride.”
Sean A. Culey, Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity

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