“You need to think of change as being your partner, and welcome it,” says futurist, Ubertrends Founder and author Michael Tchong.

But along the way, he warns, we also need to be skeptical–due to the scams proliferating as AI flourishes.

Michael, whose entrepreneurial background has included creating four successful startups, has based his career on watching trends and educating others in what he has termed “ubertrends”: trends that change human values. He is the author of three books, the most recent of which is “Ubertrends – How Trends and Innovation Are Transforming Our Future“. In addition, he is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco.

His motto is, “I help you catch the next wave, before it catches you”.

One such wave, he warns, is a growing “scam wave” accompanying the acceleration of AI.

“We’ve crossed a dangerous threshold,” Michael says, as he explains how well AI can “fake” voices and, in the wrong hands, wind up swindling individuals and organizations out of thousands, or even millions, of dollars.

“It’s all part and parcel of technology,” he continues. “It comes with a lot of great benefits, but it also comes with a lot of great dangers.

“We just need to be prepared, you know?”

Michael shared some of the ways to be prepared and possibly avoid getting “scammed”, talked about his background and discussed ways artists and “arts people” can stay relevant amid the AI surge.

On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:

• Michael’s journey as a trend watcher;

• A definition of Michael’s concept, of “Ubertrends”, and some of the Ubertrends he examines;

• The “scam wave” which Michael sees happening, as AI accelerates;

• One of the current scams associated with AI;

• Some of the precautions he recommends, against this particular AI scam;

• Some of the ways AI scams are affecting the creative industries (and what we can do about it!);

• One possible key to spotting a voice fake;

• How artists and “arts people” can adapt, as AI gets more adept at creating in their areas;

• Considerations for the future, as AI affects all industries;

• What Michael sees coming as “the biggest revolution ever”, and how it may help protect against AI-related scams in the future;

• Where to find Michael’s (free) white paper, and information on his new Ubertrends Academy.