Peter Singer Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerPeter Singer

Strategist at New America, a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, Founder & Managing Partner at Useful Fiction LLC

A New York Times Bestselling author, described in the Wall Street Journal as “the premier futurist in the national-security environment” and “all-around smart guy” in the Washington Post, he has been named by the Smithsonian as one of the nation’s 100 leading innovators, by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues, by Foreign... Read More

Biography

New York Times Bestselling author, described in the Wall Street Journal as “the premier futurist in the national-security environment” and “all-around smart guy” in the Washington Post, he has been named by the Smithsonian as one of the nation’s 100 leading innovators, by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues, by Foreign Policy to their Top 100 Global Thinkers List, and as an official “Mad Scientist” for the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.

No author, living or dead, has more books on the professional US military reading lists. His non-fiction books include Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military IndustryChildren at WarWired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st CenturyCybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know and most recently LikeWar, which explores how social media has changed war and politics. It was named an Amazon and Foreign Affairs book of the year and reviewed by Booklist as “LikeWar should be required reading for everyone living in a democracy and all who aspire to.”

Peter Singer is also the co-author of a new type of novel, using the format of a technothriller to communicate nonfiction research. Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War was both a top summer read and led to briefings everywhere from the White House to the Pentagon. His latest is Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution. It has been described by the creator of Lost and Watchmen as “A visionary new form of storytelling—a rollercoaster ride of science fiction blended with science fact,” and by the head of Army Cyber Command as “I loved Burn-In so much that I’ve already read it twice.”

Popular Talks by Peter Singer

  • How to Use The Power of a Story Well Told
    How do we better share new ideas and influence target audiences? How do we better understand and prepare for the future? How do we comprehend new trends and technologies? One answer may be to enlist the power of the oldest communication technology of all –story. Described in the Wall Street Journal...
  • LikeWar: How Social Media has become weaponized, and what we need to know about it
    Terrorists livestream their attacks, Presidents win elections over social media, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but share prices, public health, and even the very fate of nations. The result is that the Internet has blurred into a new kind of battlespace that plays out on...
  • How Ukraine Won The #LikeWar
    For years, Russia was the most feared player on the Internet, shaping everything from elections to the pandemic. But when it came time for its most audacious operation of all, Ukraine turned the tables on the supposed master of information warfare, which not only drove global sympathy, but has had...
  • The CyberThreatscape: What are the Key Trends in Cybersecurity
    From ransomware to the collapse of cyber deterrence, a series of new threats are changing the cybersecurity landscape. A best selling author described by the Wall Street Journal as “one of Washington’s pre-eminent futurists,” and a consultant for groups that range from the CIA and the Chairman of the Joint...
  • NextTech: The Future of Technology, Security, and Threats
    Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, The Internet of Things, Social Media, and a new geopolitical competition; the 21st century is being shaped by a range of exciting, and scary, new trends and technologies. Described in the Wall Street Journal as “the premier futurist in the national-security environment,” and a consultant for groups...
  • Burn-In: The World of AI and Robots Turns Real
    Robots, Artificial Intelligence, an Internet of Things. The next decade will see a range of exciting new technologies that all seem drawn from Science Fiction become our reality. They will drive a new industrial revolution, but also create political, economic, and security trends that will remake our world, challenging us...
  • Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know
    There is no issue more important and yet less understood today than Cybersecurity. Our entire way of life, from communication to commerce to conflict, fundamentally depends on the Internet. The cybersecurity issues that result literally challenge everyone: politicians who wrestle with issues from cybercrime to online freedom; military generals protecting...
  • Imagining the Future: Ghost Fleet and Its Real World Lessons
    Peter W. Singer is a best selling author and consultant for groups that range from the US military to Hollywood, whose recent book Ghost Fleet (ghostfleetbook.com) broke new ground in creating the genre of what has been called “useful fiction.” It blended the style of a technothriller with nonfiction style...