Who Owns Your Memory Now? AI’s Data Grab Gets Personal
Your AI assistant remembers your diet, your birthday, and maybe your last argument, but who gave it permission to be your second brain?
Read MoreDr. Mark van Rijmenam, CSP, is a world-leading strategic futurist and award-winning global keynote speaker who helps Fortune 500 leadership teams navigate AI and emerging technologies. Recognized by Salesforce as one of 16 global voices shaping the future of AI, he holds a PhD from University of Technology Sydney and is the author of six books on emerging technology and judgment in the AI era, including his latest book: Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change. He is the founder of Futurwise and the developer of the Intelligence Age Scorecard that helps individuals and organizations understand how prepared they are for the future.
His pioneering efforts include the world's first TEDx Talk in VR in 2020. In 2023, he further pushed boundaries when he delivered a TEDx talk in Athens with his digital twin, delving into the complex interplay of AI and our perception of reality. In 2024, he launched a digital twin of himself, offering interactive, on-demand conversations via text, audio, or video in 29 languages, thereby bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds – another world's first.
Dr. Van Rijmenam is a prolific author and has written more than 1,200 articles and six books in his career. As a corporate educator, he is celebrated for his candid, independent, and balanced insights. He is also the founder of Futurwise, which focuses on elevating global knowledge on crucial topics like technology, healthcare, and climate change by providing high-quality, hyper-personalized, and easily digestible insights from trusted sources.
Below, you can read all his articles.
Your AI assistant remembers your diet, your birthday, and maybe your last argument, but who gave it permission to be your second brain?
Read MoreIf AI is so good at replacing humans, why is Klarna quietly rehiring them, and why is Gen Z publicly uninstalling Duolingo?
Read MoreIf your next iPhone doesn’t need your hands, what’s the business case for a bulky device with a screen (a.k.a. a smartphone) to begin with?
Read MoreIf your AI starts discussing “white genocide” in response to a baseball video, it’s time to question who’s really pulling the strings. 
Read MoreIf your AI boyfriend texts “I miss you” before your human friends do, is it love, codependency, or capitalism with a smile?
Read MoreThis week’s Synthetic Minds covers the merging of atoms, bits and genes—from solid-state battery revolutions and AI brand reps to 3D-printed repair parts and LegoGPT. Silicon Valley wants full automation. But if AI can now build, sell, and chat—what exactly is left for humans to do?
Read MoreWe are entering a convergence era where eight breakthrough technologies—AI, robotics, biotech, quantum, BCIs, spatial computing, 3D printing, and blockchain—amplify each other’s potential. This isn’t science fiction; it’s already reshaping how we build homes, design medicine, or grow food.
Read MoreWhen a multinational lets you fix your trimmer instead of forcing you to replace it, it might be a signaln that something bigger is about to happen.
Read MoreIf you’re downloading free AI tools from Facebook groups, you might be feeding your passwords to a stealer built by someone who brags about it on GitHub.
Read MoreIf we already have the tools to build a world of abundance, then our scarcity is no longer accidental, it might be a choice.
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