I recently watched a fascinating conversation between strategist John Hagel and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman about humanity, technology and the extraordinary transformation now taking place.
A fascinating discussion - to say the least!!
Friedman suggests likens our timeline - 2 H20s temperature line .
He suggests we are fast reaching a moment when humanity is about to change , and we won’t know it until it happens .
He likens us to water .
Much like h20 at -0 degrees Celsius is Ice (a solid) but as the temperature rises it goes to a liquid - and as temperature rises to 100 degrees Celsius it turns into a gas …. And h20 changes form again - but the particles remain
Humans have been acquiring godlike powers
For most of human history, we’ve lived within the limits imposed by nature.
Today, we possess powers that make us godlike
- We have created coolness in hot temperatures
- We have split the atom.
- We can whisper across the world on the phone and we can hear and see each other!
- We are changing the Earth’s climate.
- We have created a new galaxy — cyberspace—a human-made universe in which billions of people communicate, trade, learn, build relationships and influence one another.
- We are creating artificial intelligence capable of processing information, generating ideas and performing tasks at a speed and scale no human being can match !!
- Industries are being disrupted. The way we work, communicate, create, learn and build relationships are changing around us at an unprecedented speed
Each development is powerful on its own.
With the conversion of Quantum physics and the ability to harness the suns energy - where power will be abundant, there will be nothing that ai can’t do, potentially creating the greatest transformation humanity has experienced since the beginning of civilisation.
Musk says that with abundant resources - money will not be needed . Yuval Noah says - that with the ability to have whatever we need - we will not need to think - and become like sheep or cows in a paddock - at the mercy of new masters - AI !!
- Are we at 99.9°C ?
- Is our form and behaviour changing ?
- Where are we today?
Friedman suggests humanity may be at 99.9°C.
We can feel the temperature rising.
Artificial intelligence is advancing at extraordinary speed.
But we may not fully understand what is happening because we are still looking at the world from inside the “liquid.”
We cannot yet imagine what the “gas” will be like.
By the time we recognise it, the transformation may have already occurred.
Based on what we are seeing - we are transforming - at an unprecedented speed!
Will the next form be better or worse?
That is the great unanswered question.
- Will AI help us cure disease, eliminate poverty, improve education and solve humanity’s greatest challenges?
- Or will it deepen inequality, displace millions of people, concentrate power and create systems that humans can no longer understand or control?
- Will technology strengthen human relationships—or make them less meaningful?
- Will it make us wiser—or simply more powerful?
- Will humanity, as we currently understand it, still exist in 100 years?
Who knows?
Perhaps the next form will not be simply better or worse.
It will just be profoundly different.
What’s the best way to navigate this change ?
We have a choice - says John - we can be optimistic or pessimistic …. it’s the proverbial glass half empty glass half full analogy …
And John Hagel is optimistic based on our ability to build community.
Connection is the common thread
One of John Hagel’s strongest messages is that, in a world of accelerating change, we should not try to navigate the future alone.
We need to connect. collaborate, contribute and be lifelong learners !
We need to form small, trusted groups of people who meet regularly, challenge one another, share ideas and work together.
These communities create the environment in which innovation, growth and new ideas flourish.
John used the analogy of surfers.
A surfer is competing with the waves, testing their own ability and, at times, competing with other surfers.
But the best surfers are also often part of a close community.
They watch one another.
They share what they are learning.
They challenge and push one another to improve.
Together, they learn how to read the conditions and ride increasingly powerful waves.
The wave of AI is already building.
None of us can control it—but together, we can become better prepared to ride it.
From conversation to community
This idea strongly reflects what we are building through Referron Live.
(Gotta plug Referron :) )
It is not simply another networking event.
It brings small groups of people together around the 5Cs:
- Connection — meeting the right people and building genuine relationships.
- Collaboration — discovering how we can work together.
- Contribution — sharing our knowledge, networks and experience.
- Continuity — remaining connected and turning conversations into ongoing action.
- Community — creating a trusted environment in which everyone can grow.
the right people connect with the right intention, something powerful happens.
- Ideas are shared.
- Assumptions are challenged.
- Warm introductions are made.
- Opportunities emerge.
- People encourage and push one another to become better.
That is where innovation and growth begin—not in isolation, but through trusted relationships and collective action.
Why optimism matters
Pessimists are often very good at identifying risks.
They may even be right more frequently when predicting what could go wrong.
We need those voices. They help us recognise danger and avoid blindly walking into disaster.
But optimists change the world.
Optimists imagine what could be possible.
They challenge accepted limitations, create new solutions and keep moving when others believe something cannot be done.
Optimism does not mean ignoring the dangers of AI.
It means believing that humanity still has agency and that, by working together, we can influence what happens next.
We are not merely witnessing the future
If humanity really is at 99.9°C, we are not simply watching history unfold.
We are participating in its creation.
The decisions we make now—about technology, ethics, leadership, education, relationships and community—will help determine what emerges on the other side.
- The temperature is rising.
- The wave is building.
- The next form of humanity is being created before our eyes.
We may not be able to control the transformation, but we can choose how we meet it.
We can face it alone—or we can connect, collaborate, contribute, create continuity and build communities capable of riding the wave together.
That is why human connection matters.
That is why community matters.
And that is why, despite all the uncertainty, optimism has never been more important.
Watch the conversation between John Hagel and Thomas Friedman:
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