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Organizations often say they “do foresight.” What they usually mean is that they collect trends, build or purchase scenario reports, and run ad-hoc foresight workshops—either internally or with the help of consultants—but only when they have the time and resources. It is not unusual for foresight to be treated as something you do when you have spare capacity, or merely to tick a box on a long to-do list crowded with other priorities. Worse still, it is sometimes pursued only after a crisis has already struck and caused damage.

(or  why being “right” about the future is the wrong goal)

AI is changing foresight. What once took weeks of manual scanning and analysis can now be done in a fraction of the time. But speed is not enough. In foresight, the real currency is trust.

Every foresight professional faces the same challenge: how to build a practice that is consistent, credible, and impactful. Tools alone won’t do it. Neither will inspirational speeches about “thinking futures.”

The rise of generative AI has changed how we work. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity can summarize reports, draft emails, and brainstorm ideas in seconds. For foresight professionals, they offer an easy entry point to explore futures questions with a simple prompt.

Foresight professionals are under more pressure than ever. They’re expected to deliver meaningful insights quickly, stay ahead of change, and support strategic decisions. And all this with limited time and resources. The volume of information is already challenging, but turning that flood of data into something useful is the real hurdle.

At FIBRES, we set out to solve this problem in a bold new way.

I’ve often argued that the first step towards foresight work is simply to start talking about your future. Also I think such conversations can no longer be left to a handful of specialists hidden away in strategy units or innovation labs.

The foresight radar has become one of the most recognizable tools in futures work. Done well, it’s more than a visualization, it’s a living map of what could shape our tomorrow.

If you work in foresight, you know the feeling. Endless context-switching. Drowning in signals and data. Colleagues asking for fast answers while you struggle to ensure engagement. And too often, little visibility into the actual impact of all your hard work.