The Post-Industrial Forum

For Visionary Leaders Building the Future

A private community of senior leaders putting AI and decentralization to work, building new ventures and transforming the organizations they lead.

Apply for Membership How the Forum Works

A New Civilization Is Emerging

A post-industrial civilization is emerging, driven by AI, decentralization and exponential technologies. At the Institute these are research questions. For the leaders in the Forum, they are also this year's operating questions.

The AI Explosion
Exponential progress in AI is accelerating science, technology and creativity. Advanced AI capabilities are now universally available.
In your organization
Pilots multiply across every function, yet few add up to a new operating model.
Rapid Decentralization
Ubiquitous connectivity and ever more powerful computing push intelligence, assets, services and manufacturing to the edge. Firms and supply chains are being reshaped.
In your organization
Central teams become bottlenecks, while functions want autonomy without the duplication and risk.
Autonomous Organizations
Firms are flattening, evolving faster and becoming AI-native. AI agents will manage strategy, governance, R&D and operations, alongside humans where necessary.
In your organization
Roles, controls and career paths were designed for a world without agents.
Industries Reimagined
Legacy sectors are being restructured and new industries are emerging. Barriers between sectors are dissolving, and AI agents will manage supply chains.
In your organization
Competition arrives from AI-native startups and large platforms at the same time.
Human Flourishing
Extended lifespans, material abundance and personalized education will unleash human creativity and potential at an unprecedented scale.
In your organization
Leaders must keep trust and develop people while the work itself changes.

Multi-Trillion Dollar Industries of the Future

For founders and large enterprises alike, there are multi-trillion dollar industries to be built and scaled.

Agentic AI and the Agent Economy

AI Infrastructure and Data Centers

Semiconductors and Advanced Computing

Physical AI and Humanoid Robots

Robotaxis and Autonomous Trucking

Air Taxis and Drones

The Space Economy

Advanced Nuclear and Fusion

Grid Modernization and Energy Storage

Quantum Computing, Communications and Sensing

Cybersecurity and AI Security

Stablecoins and Tokenized Finance

Longevity and Healthspan

Metabolic Medicine

AI-Driven Drug Discovery

Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing

Brain-Computer Interfaces

Spatial Computing and Smart Glasses

Advanced Materials

Modular and Robotic Construction

Transformational Leaders Wanted

We Cannot Build Tomorrow with Yesterday's Thinking

Leaders are on a journey to understand how technology, in particular AI, is reshaping work, organizations and entire industries. The management models most organizations run on were built for a slower, planned world. Leaders need new management thinking, tools and strategies.

Post-Industrial Thinking

From Planned to Emergent
From Siloed and Static to Dynamic Networks
From People Are Directed to AI-Human Collaboration
From Human R&D to Autonomous R&D
From Brands to Agent-Facing Brands
From Slow Evolution to Autonomous Organizations

The Future Will Be Built by Post-Industrialists

Bold in vision, these leaders combine AI and exponential technologies with new management thinking to create breakthroughs.

Three founders working on a half-assembled robotic arm on a cluttered lab bench, one pointing at a laptop

Building New Ventures

Post-industrialists see ventures as AI-first and transformative from the start. Some will spawn entirely new industries.

Senior executives in a working session around a conference table while one maps ideas on a whiteboard

Transforming Market Leaders

Post-industrialists see AI transformation as the beginning, beyond which lies the platform for all future growth.

Who Are the Post-Industrialists?

Forum members lead, orchestrate and deliver transformation. They share the mindset, the mandate and the momentum.

Visionaries

CEO and Founders

Pilots everywhere, no new operating model
AI-native startups and platforms attack at once

Orchestrators

CXOs, E/SVPs

Scaling stalls between pilot and production
The board wants proof in 12 to 18 months

Implementors

S/VPs of X

Hundreds of use cases, no way to prioritize
Responsibility for delivery without authority

Mindset

Future focused
Excited about technology and science
Excited about progress and building
Connectors with a valuable network, likely to involve others

Mandate

Support of the CEO and board
Ambitious goals
Resources and budget
Decision rights

Momentum

Have already started
Have experiences to share

Mindset leads to a mandate, the mandate to action and experience. Progress earns a bigger mandate.

How the Forum Accelerates Learning

A Loop That Compounds

Each step feeds the next. What members share sparks new connections and questions, and progress earns a bigger mandate for the next cycle.

A Loop That Compounds

Each step feeds the next. What members share sparks new connections and questions, and progress earns a bigger mandate for the next cycle.

01
Connect
Build relationships with other leaders facing the same transformation.
More on Connect
02
Learn
Set learning goals and draw on cutting-edge research and practitioner experience.
More on Learn
03
Apply
Apply what you learn with peer support through your transformation.
More on Apply
04
Share
Share your experience at our Summits and public Forum events.
More on Share

Connect

Build relationships with other leaders facing the same transformation. Compare notes with peers who carry the same mandate in other industries, at events held at SRI's Menlo Park campus and online between them.