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  • Published: 28 August 2017
  • ISBN: 9780143110378
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $45.00

The Inevitable

Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future



The New York Times bestseller-- a guide through the twelve technological imperatives that will shape the next thirty years and transform our lives

“A quintessential work of technological futurism.” – James Surowiecki, strategy + business, “Best Business Books 2017 – Innovation”

From one of our leading technology thinkers and writers, a guide through the twelve technological imperatives that will shape the next thirty years and transform our lives

Much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable, driven by technological trends that are already in motion. In this fascinating, provocative new book, Kevin Kelly provides an optimistic road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives—from virtual reality in the home to an on-demand economy to artificial intelligence embedded in everything we manufacture—can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces. Kelly both describes these deep trends—interacting, cognifying, flowing, screening, accessing, sharing, filtering, remixing, tracking, and questioning—and demonstrates how they overlap and are codependent on one another. These larger forces will completely revolutionize the way we buy, work, learn, and communicate with each other. By understanding and embracing them, says Kelly, it will be easier for us to remain on top of the coming wave of changes and to arrange our day-to-day relationships with technology in ways that bring forth maximum benefits. Kelly’s bright, hopeful book will be indispensable to anyone who seeks guidance on where their business, industry, or life is heading—what to invent, where to work, in what to invest, how to better reach customers, and what to begin to put into place—as this new world emerges.

  • Published: 28 August 2017
  • ISBN: 9780143110378
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $45.00

About the author

Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly helped launch and edit Wired magazine. He has written for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among many other publications. His previous books include What Technology Wants and The Inevitable, a New York Times bestseller. He is known for his technological optimism. Currently he is a Senior Maverick at Wired and lives in Pacifica, California.

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Praise for The Inevitable

Praise for The Inevitable

"This book offers profound insight into what happens (soon!) when intelligence flows as easily into objects as electricity."
--Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail

"Kevin Kelly has been predicting our technological future with uncanny prescience for years. Now he's given us a glimpse of how the next three decades will unfold with The Inevitable, a book jam-packed with insight, ideas, and optimism."
--Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One

"As exhilarating as the most outlandish science fiction novel, but based on very real trends. Kevin Kelly is the perfect tour guide for this life-changing future."
--Mark Frauenfelder, Boing Boing