MADISON, Wis.—At TruStage’s Discovery 2025, futurist Zack Kass made one point clear: AI is not slowing down.
“Prepare for tremendous change,” he said. “Fusion. Quantum. AI. This is the new normal.”
So how should leaders, professionals, and parents prepare for a world where intelligence is cheap, work is redefined, and devices disappear into the background?
Kass outlined three concrete ways:
Embrace Adaptability As Strategy
AI’s transformation of work is just the beginning.
“The agentic web is coming,” Kass warned. “We won’t browse. Our machines will browse for us.”
Don’t resist that reality—pivot with it.
“What defines you isn’t your current processes. It’s your values and principles,” he said. Businesses must be agile not just in operations but in identity.
Learn How to Learn
Kass repeatedly emphasized the fading link between what people study and what they earn.
“There’s almost no correlation anymore between your major and your income,” he said. “What matters now is whether you can learn the next thing.”
His advice for students: “Study what you love—so you master it fully.” That mastery will serve as proof of curiosity, adaptability, and grit—all traits AI can’t replicate, he said.
Design Around What AI Can’t Do
“Don’t just ask what AI will do next,” Kass said. “Ask what it won’t do.”
The future belongs to the empathetic, the creative, the bold, he said.
“Humans will stop competing on intelligence,” he predicted. “We’ll compete on everything else—kindness, charisma, wisdom.”
For companies, that means investing in humanity. For individuals, it means developing “soft” skills that will soon be core.
“Trust and credibility are skyrocketing in importance,” Kass said. “Lead with optimism. Tell better stories. Be the example.”