By analysing data from various sources, foresight methods help make sense of today's world, make assessments about the world of tomorrow, and proactively answer to the opportunities and challenges that will define the future. In this introduction, we will discuss why foresight is necessary and how it helps you keep up with continuous change.

From data modelling to science-fiction prototyping, futures intelligence utilises a wide range of methodologies, each fit for different purposes. In our webinar, Futures Platform’s Content Director Dr Tuomo Kuosa discusses the four different types of Futures Intelligence, their use cases and the methods to obtain them.

Although it is no news anymore that AI is better than us humans at spotting patterns across large data sets, machine intelligence is still not advanced enough to understand correlation and causality, which are among humans’ strong suits. Joining these two forces can help organisations streamline foresight processes and save time.

How can the results of foresight work be communicated to management and stakeholders in an impactful way? What forms can foresight deliverables take, and how often should they be delivered? In the first Futures Clinic session of the year, Futures Platform’s Foresight Strategist Ira Stening and a team of senior advisors from the Norwegian Tax Administration discuss how to bring foresight into action through foresight deliverables.

From ageing populations and circular economy to the emergence of new payment methods, tax offices worldwide face multiple disruptive changes re-shaping their future operational environments. The Finnish Tax Administration has successfully integrated continuous foresight practice into its processes to better serve its clients.

When there are no historical analogies to look back to, scenario planning can help us better understand and plan for a multitude of possible futures. In addition to enhancing efficiency, an established scenario planning process will empower organisations to proactively shape the future through strategic decision-making.

As uncertainty about the future increases, wild cards and science fiction are gaining popularity among various organisations to foster future preparedness and visionary thinking. Exploring possible futures supported by free imagination is a cornerstone of versatile foresight practice.

Horizon scanning is the phase of gathering future-related knowledge, which is the first stage of the larger foresight process. It is about being vigilant concerning the changes in one’s environment. The main focus in this category of Futures intelligence is on discontinuities, emerging issues, and weak signals of change.

Scenarios help to expand the time horizon, aid in looking beyond the usual extrapolations and improve thinking about the potential unexpected developments. Being descriptions of possible, probable or preferable futures, they help organisations prepare for various contingencies and plan accordingly.

Much of what we can know about the future at the present moment is based on the directions and interactions of megatrends, trends and change drivers.

Futures intelligence is a key component of all successful decision making, strategy work or innovation. It provides its users with analytical knowledge about future changes, trends and their potential impacts. This is the first part of our Futures Intelligence blog series.

The uncertainties surrounding the US elections have led to increased volatility, urging organisations in various industries to reassess their operations in the face of potential policy and regulatory shifts. Foresight methodologies offer various collaborative and interactive tools that can help organisations make sense of the key changes, manage risks and discover new opportunities.