As someone who’s spent years leading transformative projects in some of the world’s largest organizations, I know the challenges executives face when trying to harness the full power of emerging technology. 

I didn't start HumanX to merely sell tickets to a conference—I came to redefine what’s possible for leaders, creators, and strategists navigating the AI frontier. HumanX was born from my experiences as an entrepreneur, technologist, and executive, and it’s grounded in deep, evidence-backed insights from our groundbreaking research partnership with HarrisX. 

Through extensive conversations with industry leaders and HarrisX’s rigorous market analysis, we uncovered the essential themes that executives need to master today—not just to survive, but to thrive. These aren’t buzzwords or passing trends; they’re a blueprint for making real impact in an era of rapid, often unpredictable change. Each theme is crafted to address the very real pressures and opportunities that leaders are facing in 2024 and 2025, from the challenge of staying competitive against lightning-fast disruptors to the need for disciplined, high-impact AI investments.

That’s why we built HumanX—to bring together the sharpest minds and most actionable insights, helping you cut through the noise and make decisions that lead to measurable results.

As you engage with these themes, I invite you to think beyond today’s solutions. Together, let’s envision the future we’re building and set a course that makes AI not just a technology, but a true driver of lasting impact. This is HumanX. Welcome to the future of leadership in the AI era.

1. The October Surprise: Staying Current When Kids in Garages Can Upend Your Entire Business in an Instant

Prepare for the age of perpetual disruption. Tech startups are no longer the scrappy underdogs but are now credible challengers to incumbents across industries.

2024 is a year where agility isn’t a strategy—it’s a survival mechanism. The rapid advancement of AI has lowered the barrier to entry so much that two developers in a garage could unseat entire businesses, and we’ve seen it happen. Major incumbents can’t ignore the pace of innovation coming from nimble startups and early-stage disruptors anymore. Traditional businesses that fail to keep pace risk becoming obsolete.

The concept of “industry boundaries” is starting to lose meaning. AI companies that were once niche players in tech are now building tools that compete directly with legacy businesses in finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. As industries converge, executives can no longer afford to wait for “proof” that a new player is a threat. Additionally, AI is spreading horizontally, meaning learning from others outside your industry is absolutely key to avoiding group think.

The October Surprise asks: are you ready for the next wave of disruption, or will you be caught off-guard?

• The number of AI startups funded in 2023 increased by 50% from the previous year (CB Insights), and we’re seeing faster time-to-market than ever. Will your company be able to respond?
• Companies with established innovation labs and venture arms are better positioned to sense and respond to disruption. Are you investing in early-stage partnerships, or are you leaving yourself exposed?
• Example of “Garage Innovators” Making Waves: OpenAI’s ChatGPT was initially developed by a nonprofit research lab with a much smaller budget than tech giants, yet it fundamentally changed the AI landscape and forced industry titans like Google and Microsoft to shift strategies almost overnight.
• Rapid Adoption Curves: The speed at which AI applications are adopted is accelerating. ChatGPT, for example, reached 100 million users in just two months, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. This means disruptors can gain traction almost instantly, reducing the time incumbents have to react.

2024 is not about adapting slowly—it’s about building real-time detection and response mechanisms. Will you be prepared to thrive, or will you scramble to survive?