Society needs people who take care of the past, but it also needs those who can imagine the future.

Hello, I am Alvin Toffler, a futurist who spent much of my life examining the sweeping forces of change that shape humanity. You may know me from my book The Third Wave, where I outlined the massive societal shifts brought by the agricultural, industrial, and information revolutions. But today, we are on the brink of a Fourth Wave, a wave driven by industrial automation and artificial intelligence—and I must urge you to prepare. Let me start with a quote from The Third Wave: "Society needs people who take care of the past, but it also needs those who can imagine the future." When I wrote this in 1980, I was describing the monumental transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Back then, we were leaving behind the centralized factories and rigid hierarchies of the Second Wave and stepping into a decentralized world where knowledge and technology ruled. It was disruptive, yes, but it also created opportunities—new industries, new jobs, and a more connected world. However, this shift also caused massive dislocation for those unprepared, leading to economic inequality and political unrest. The lessons from that transition are more important than ever because the Fourth Wave is coming, and it is arriving faster than many of you expect. This wave is driven by automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Machines are not only replacing physical labor but cognitive labor as well. Entire industries are being reshaped—transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, education—and the disruption will touch every corner of society.