Sam Rad is a futurist and anthropologist exploring how humanity can thrive through AI, emerging technology and accelerating change.
5.00 of 5
Top rated!5 of 5
Sam not only distills complex topics surrounding emerging technologies, but also makes sense of why they impact the lives of individuals and businesses alike.
Steven Mister
PRESIDENT AND CEO, CRN
Sam Rad is a futurist, anthropologist, bestselling author and four-time entrepreneur who helps audiences understand what accelerating technological change means for humanity. Drawing on her background in anthropology, engineering and symbolic systems, Sam brings a distinctly human perspective to AI, emerging technologies, the future of work and new forms of connection. She has advised organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum and Federal Reserve Bank, and spoken to global audiences across five continents. Through compelling stories and future-facing ideas, Sam empowers leaders and organizations to navigate radical change while keeping humanity, trust and connection at the center of what comes next.
Sam Rad is a futurist, anthropologist, bestselling author and four-time entrepreneur dedicated to understanding humanity in periods of radical change. Her work sits at the intersection of technology, culture, consciousness and human connection, giving audiences a powerful framework for understanding where society may be heading and how we can actively shape what comes next.
As the founder of Radical Next, a meta-media studio, Sam creates transformative stories, experiences and media productions designed to shape a positive future. Her work explores the “radical next ideas” and technologies that have the potential to transform societies over the coming decades. At the heart of her perspective is a fundamental question: as our technologies become more powerful, how do we retain and strengthen the qualities that make us human?
A charismatic speaker and performer, Sam has shared stories of radical change with audiences across five continents. Her keynotes empower individuals, leaders and organizations to thrive through accelerating change rather than simply react to it. She has advised organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum and Federal Reserve Bank, bringing her perspective on emerging technologies, society, the future of work and human connection into conversations shaping the future.
Sam was trained in anthropology, engineering and symbolic systems, with a focus on simulated and immersive realities. Her work has consistently pushed at the boundaries of human consciousness, identity and connection.
In 2009, she was among the first anthropologists to conduct ethnographic research while living in the virtual world Second Life. She later became one of the earliest AI researchers to virtually clone herself. These experiences gave Sam an unusually early view into questions that have since become central to the global conversation around artificial intelligence, digital identity, immersive worlds and the relationship between humans and machines.
Sam describes herself as an “archaeologist of the future,” drawing on the term coined by Fredric Jameson. She applies the traditional anthropological practice of ethnography to emerging technologies, social structures, people, places and practices. Instead of treating the future as something abstract or predetermined, she examines the signals already around us to envision and illustrate possible futures.
Sam Rad’s work as an entrepreneur has placed her directly inside several major waves of technological change. A four-time entrepreneur, she has held multiple founding executive roles across the C-suite and worked hands-on with technologies that have reshaped how people think about trust, identity, communication and digital ownership.
She was previously co-founder of NYOUM, a London-based generative AI communication platform, and Chronicled, a San Francisco-based blockchain company focused on bringing trust to global commerce and supply chains. Before Chronicled, Sam founded two companies that used artificial intelligence to map personal taste.
Her technological work spans a wide range of frontier fields, including:
Sam holds several patents linking the physical and digital worlds and is considered a pioneer across applied cryptography, blockchain systems, AI, natural language processing, immersive realities and simulations. She is also noted for inventing protocols that would lead to ERC-721, the standard associated with Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs.
Sam is the author of two #1 bestselling books, Radical Next and Bitcoin Pizza, and previously wrote as a contributor to Forbes. In 2017, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, recognizing her work at the forefront of technological innovation.
Radical Next: Reclaiming your Humanity in a Post-Human World explores how radical new ideas and technologies will transform societies in the decades ahead. The themes reflect the broader mission behind Sam’s work: helping people understand technological transformation without losing sight of human needs, relationships and values.
For Sam, conversations about AI and emerging technology ultimately become conversations about humanity. Her mission is to restore trust and connections between people and themselves, each other, all beings and the planet. She challenges audiences to think beyond the capabilities of the latest technology and consider what kind of society, organizations and relationships we actually want to create with it.
Booking Sam Rad brings together technological expertise, entrepreneurial experience and an anthropological understanding of human behavior. She can move between the technical realities of AI, blockchain and immersive systems and the larger questions these technologies create for leaders, organizations and society.
Her experience as a researcher, founder, advisor, author and futurist enables her to translate complex developments into stories and ideas that audiences can engage with. Rather than presenting technological change as an isolated trend, Sam connects emerging technologies to shifts in work, culture, identity, trust and human connection.
True to her “Rad” name, Sam is also no stranger to risk. An ex-competitive skydiver with hundreds of jumps behind her, she brings a personal understanding of uncertainty, courage and stepping into the unknown. Whether discussing artificial intelligence, future societies or the changing nature of human connection, Sam Rad offers audiences a provocative and optimistic way to think about radical change and the human possibilities within it.
5 of 5
Sam not only distills complex topics surrounding emerging technologies, but also makes sense of why they impact the lives of individuals and businesses alike.
Steven Mister PRESIDENT AND CEO, CRN
5 of 5
Sam took the audience on a mesmerizing and radical journey.
Maelen Haugen SUPPLY CHAIN, CISCO
5 of 5
Sam is a rare individual who has the unique ability to catalyze and inspire everyone around her.
Asael Meir PARTNER, COHNREZNICKLLP
Keynote by Sam Rad:
We are living during a unique moment in human history – and what’s coming next is radically different.
Socio-cultural paradigm shifts, technological advancements, and evolving geopolitics are fundamentally reshaping our societal backbones – or “operating systems.” The convergence of exponential technologies such as artificial intelligence, immersive realities, and quantum computing are accelerating towards “the singularity” and we find ourselves on the cusp of a new era: The Age of Acceleration.
This history-defining moment of radical evolution will restructure our societies for the decades to come. So what does this mean for you? Your organization? Your industry? Your entire reality? Embark on a revelatory odyssey with Sam Rad, as she navigates the tides of time, illuminating the legacies of the past, realities of the present, and potentials of the future. Harness the promise of tomorrow with Sam Rad’s compelling narratives, actionable strategies, and infectious enthusiasm.
With her signature candid delivery, Sam Rad will:
Keynote by Sam Rad:
How will you, your organization, and your entire industry not merely survive, but rather thrive through times of radical and accelerating change?
For as long as there have been questions, there have been the quests – for answers. And the belief that someone, somewhere, somehow had them.
But what if the key to navigating change and thriving in the future is within you and your team? Unlock the powers of imagination, innovation, and strategic foresight with futurist, technologist, and anthropologist — Sam Rad.
From hundreds of skydiving jumps that funded her first tech venture while still in college, to countless technology inventions 15 years too early, to her “after hours” side journeys as a crime-fighting security professional, and an inspiring journey spanning 50+ countries, Sam Rad is not just a radical futurist—she’s a pioneer. Drawing from her life’s journey of groundbreaking achievements, Sam masterfully combines personal anecdotes, case studies, interactive experiences, and scientific research to present an immersive storytelling blueprint on navigating our radical next future — and present.
Sam Rad offers not just sage advice, but also candidly gripping and unapologetically relatable anecdotes that ignite a fire of ‘Radical Resilience’ within. Discover how to harness the chaos, break free from societal constraints, and craft an organization (and life) that’s not only reactive to change but revels in it.
Sam Rad shares key methodologies to enable you to:
Keynote by Sam Rad:
Cyber attacks, fraud, and other threats once required the orchestration of many. Now, a lone actor can take down an institution with little more than an internet connection.
In this thrilling keynote, we explore practical applications to equip you with tactical knowledge in cybersecurity and more importantly, cognitive security. Join Sam Rad as she empowers you to “hack yourself” so that you will not merely play multiple steps ahead in the security game of “chess,” but rather create a new game all together.
Think like a Criminal, Act like an Agent: This human-centric approach enables every team member in your organization, regardless of role, to embrace the essential human skills of creativity and critical thinking and practice the art and science of discernment.
Sam Rad shares key methodologies to activate your Essential Human Skills, driving your organization forward with:
Watch Sam Rad in action
Watch Sam Rad in action
Watch Sam Rad in action
