The f(x) = e^x | phygital events and the splinternet
The f(x) = e^x | phygital events and the splinternet
Good Day! This is my weekly newsletter, with a dose of insights into the future. The topic of this newsletter is the exponential times we live in, hence the title of f(x) = e^x, which is the (natural) exponential function.
You can visit The Digital Speaker to book me as a keynote speaker for your next event or to hire me as a future tech coach for your CEO. I have also published my trend predictions for 2022.
How Phygital Events Will Change the Event Industry
My latest article:
Due to the pandemic, the event industry has transformed significantly. Phygital events are more than just Zoom meetings. With the metaverse evolving, these hybrid events will define a new era for the events industry.
As the metaverse continues to evolve, we will see more innovations in the event industry, ranging from holographic projections, augmented experiences, and NFTs to meetings in virtual reality. These innovations will turn phygital events into magical experiences that deliver tremendous value for attendees, speakers, sponsors and organisers.
Three Useful Nuggets of Information
My weekly tips from around the web to get you thinking.
1. How the metaverse could be split in two.
The internet was always meant to be a global network of computers and databases to offer citizens of the world a connected experience. Unfortunately, the internet is increasingly turning into a splinternet, and the metaverse is likely no different, with China taking a different approach to the immersive internet than the rest of the world. (Wired)
2. Yesterday, Europe was burning; this could happen more.
Climate change-driven heat events pushing UK temperatures to record highs yesterday can become the new normal until 2060. (Bloomberg)
3. The first chip was implanted in a human, and it wasn't Musk.
Synchron, a brain-computer interface startup, beat Elon Musk's Neuralink by implanting a 1.5-inch chip in the brain of a US ALS patient for the first time. (Insider)
Should We Worry About Artificial Intelligence?
Humans are an incredibly adaptable species, but what will the impact be of new technologies and possible AI sentience on the world?
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.
He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.
