5 Rules to imagine market disruptions

It’s easier to imagine and predict the future as an artist than as a scientist. If I’m proven wrong, my forecasts can easily be dismissed due to my lack of scientific credentials.

Nevertheless, as a creative expert, our practice requires imagining the public’s reaction to solutions. We create and predict future trends by seeing new possibilities outside society’s current Overton Window.

Here are five helpful exercises:

FOLLOW THE FUNDS: AI will transform society, but the best-funded AI startups will target the largest and most profitable markets.

FIND PARADIGMS AI CAN BREAK: Which paradigms are today’s market leaders built upon? Which key pillars are most likely to be disrupted by AI?

PREDICT: SELF OR EXTERNAL DISRUPTION? Will market leaders self-disrupt, or would doing so require cannibalizing their current market? Could an AI startup with nothing to lose disrupt the market faster?

IMAGINE A NEW AI-POWERED SOLUTION: What might a disruptive AI competitor look like? Describe a futuristic yet realistic option that could surpass today’s leaders.

IMAGINE THE REPERCUSSIONS: Imagine writing a science fiction script. What would happen if this AI solution were implemented? What domino effects might follow the first disruptions?