ABOUT US

Futures, the first AI Accelerator.

We help clients navigate the impact — and opportunity — of Generative AI.

We counsel cutting-edge healthcare innovators, blue-chip professional services firms, global consumer brands and non-profit organizations alike on advancing their unique Gen AI journeys — strategically, ethically and empathetically.

Our work spans orientation and training, pilot development, culture change and consulting.

GEN AI IN ACTION

Weber Shandwick - Futures building a business intelligence chatbot

We were asked to help global employees at a Fortune 500 company access consumer, market and sales information for business planning – without needing technical expertise to query data from BI tools.

Our solve? A GPT-4 chatbot that runs in Microsoft Teams. Following proof of concept approval, we’re building out the bot, incorporating more data sources and expanding outputs to include dynamic charts, graphs and heatmaps.

Weber Shandwick - Futures activating gen ai to tackle information disorder

To help an independent news platform demonstrate powerfully the magnitude and impact of fake news, we created a chatbot that detects fake news and turns it into art.

Using the popular AI text-to-image engine, Midjourney, articles failing the chatbot’s fact-checking algorithm had their lies artfully exposed. These captivating visuals were then showcased in virtual and IRL displays to educate the public about the dangers of mis- and disinformation.

Weber Shandwick - Futures using narrative intelligence to inform business strategy

The Fortune 500 CPG’s conventional social media dashboard showed its largest-ever spike in negative social media activity, including calls for a boycott.

Our team quickly determined, via network analysis (partisanship + bot-identification models) that the spike was manufactured through a combination of left-wing political activists and a bot network. While the client C-suite wanted to communicate further to clarify its position, we counseled against it and activity vanished within 36 hours.

Weber Shandwick - Futures catalyzing leadership around gen ai possibilities

We recently deployed our new mobile AI GoLab and team to orient communications leaders at a global nonprofit to the new media environment and its implications. Demo-driven and highly interactive, the onsite session delved into client-specific use-cases, with participants hands-on in Gen AI platforms.

The combination of expert in-room advisory, a bespoke briefing guide, and fast-paced, experiential learning delivered significant impact — and jump-started strategic planning — for this executive cohort.

Students Wanted.

We’re seeking Fellows who bring curiosity and a discovery mindset to every assignment, who are sharp, motivated, and excited about the possibilities for our work.

Meeting the AI moment.

Gen AI tools have astounding potential to elevate versus automate what we do. How do we assemble the right mix of platforms? How do we responsibly use tools? Given the pace of their increasing power, how do we see around corners?

These questions aren’t for the future. AI is here and now.

The Network Effect.

This is an unprecedented moment. AI requires that we explore together, learn together, and create together. There is no de facto expert. No single source of all knowing expertise. So we assemble learning communities to discover applications and implications of Generative AI

These span academic media labs, VCs, product studios and non-profits. The rich mix of viewpoints, combining human-centric insights with technology-driven potential, helps prepare us and our clients for a new media future.

SOME OF THE TERRITORIES WE’RE EXPLORING

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) gen ai copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 2 new gatekeepers copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 3 narrative conflict copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 4 social structures copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 5 identity copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 6 metaverse copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 7 web3-nospace copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 8 human augmentation copy

Weber Shandwick - Futures 1 (generated by ai) 9. infodemics copy

COLLABORATOR SPOTLIGHT

Marketers and communicators are facing a tsunami of change in Generative AI, says Deb Roy, Director for MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication.

Check out his take on why every company should have a media lab.

The Crew.

Ours is a mix of usual and unusual suspects. We’ve assembled a team of explorers and builders. The crew includes seasoned creative techs. Tech-informed client advisors. Educators. Recent-grad inventor-artists. Writer-researchers. And more.