At the World Future Society conference, July 8-10 at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, a thousand of the world’s top minds and thought-leaders will examine the major issues of the twenty-first century.

World Future Society conferences are known for their substantive, interdisciplinary content. You’ll experience high energy, productive networking, informed presenters… and a good jolt to your imagination! It is your global meeting point for new ideas.

Watch a YouTube video previewing the Conference!

Did you know there is a dedicated blog full of exclusive content on the conference? Go here to read new interviews with Ray Kurzweil and Janna Anderson. The conference blog also features an op-ed by NASA scientist Dennis Bushnell.

Thinking about… Artificial Intelligence

The computer is going to make its way into our bodies and brains says inventor Ray Kurzweil. At WorldFuture 2010, Kurzweil, winner of the National Technology Medal and bestselling author, will discuss the research in his new book How the Mind Works and How to Build One. “We will soon have the capacity to understand, model and simulate the human brain and thus reverse engineer the human cortex.” Around 2030, predicts Kurzweil, humankind will create a computer capable of creativity and contemplation, an artificial intelligence indistinguishable from what we today call human intelligence.

According to inventor Stephen Thaler, a highly proficient synthetic consciousness exists today, and has been quietly thinking, creating, and churning out products for more than 30 years. Thaler’s program, The Creativity Machine, has invented new-and-improved everything from toothbrushes to warheads. At WorldFuture 2010, he’ll discuss the sociological, philosophical and spiritual implications of this enormous breakthrough.

“The possibility of a human disaster arising from the use of robots capable of lethal force is obvious,” wrote Yale bioethicist and AI expert Wendell Wallach in his 2009 book Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong. “Looming over our choices is the rather melodramatic possibility that we are in the process of inventing the human species, as we have known it, out of existence,” he warns. At WorldFuture 2010, Wallach will lay out how we, as a society, will navigate the promise and perils of technologies emerging from today’s artificial intelligence research.

Advance registration discounts will not last forever. The hotel cut-off date is 3 weeks away: June 14. Register today for WorldFuture 2010 and save $50 off the full, on-site price. Go here.

A full schedule of special events, luncheons, meet-the-authors opportunities and tours will complement a rich conference program this July in Boston. Download the full program here.

Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the World Future Society has members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities.

Sponsorship has its advantages… and its privileges.

Delegates and speakers participating in WorldFuture 2010 - the “world’s fair of ideas” - include some of the most influential and affluent people you will find gathered in one place: Some 1,000 business leaders, government officials, scientists, corporate planners, forecasters, futurists, and others are expected. Many are owners, partners, or presidents of corporations and are responsible for major purchases. They all will be focused on the major issues of the twenty-first century and how to actively create the future.

WorldFuture delegates have the financial resources for purchasing books, computers, memberships, new technologies, and all sorts of products and services that enhance their knowledge and professional work.

Media coverage of World Future Society international conferences and sponsor displays has historically been heavy. Articles have consistently appeared in the New York Times and Washington Postas well as the front pages in media as far away as India. Television coverage has included many international and U.S. networks. Sponsor displays at WorldFuture deliver a cost-to-reach ratio that is nearly unrivaled in the face-to-face realm of conference marketing.

Your Tabletop Display Includes:

• A 20% discount on a 1/6-page advertisement in The FUTURIST (a $66 savings)
• A free listing on www.wfs.org
• A discount on advertising in the conference program
• One complimentary conference registration ($345. value)

Display Options:

Conference Book Display
Publishers and other sponsors not wishing to purchase a full display may send copies of their publications for the Conference Book Display where a catalog listing all publications with publishers’ names and addresses will be available.
$55 per book or magazine

Free ‘Take-One’ Table
Are you interested in distributing other literature and not interested in a display table? Order a free Take-One section. WFS personnel will ensure that your literature is available throughout the conference.
$50 to distribute 300 copies of brochures or other pieces of up to 2 oz.
For heavier pieces, contact us for pricing.

Click here to secure your Tabletop or Book Display, or free Take-One section.

This year’s conference hotel is a AAA Four Diamond Waterfront property less than three miles from Logan International Airport, and a short cab, water taxi, or ‘T’ subway ride away from the heart of the best Boston has to offer: the Back Bay, Financial District, and family attractions such as the New England Aquarium and Children’s Museum.

The hotel offers the WestinWORKOUT® Gym, full dining in “Sauciety”, and a complimentary shuttle service to nearby recreation and entertainment venues. Onsite parking is available, for a fee.

In-between all the conference activity, know that you can relax or catch up with work in your hotel room that will feature a flat-screen TV and wireless high speed Internet access.