- Global futurist on AI, leadership, and the future of work
- Author of The Future is Now and Future Hackers
- Delivered 340+ talks across nearly 90 countries
Matt O’Neill is a futurist, author, and keynote speaker focused on how leaders and organisations adapt to artificial intelligence, technological change, and shifting expectations of work.
He has delivered more than 340 talks and workshops across nearly 90 countries, working with leadership teams on four continents to help them make sense of what is changing and what still matters. His work draws on experience building and running marketing, communications, and forecasting businesses, as well as more than a decade of working with distributed, gig economy teams and emerging AI tools.
Matt is best known for his practical approach to the future of work, leadership, and technology. Rather than distant predictions, he concentrates on the next five to ten years, helping organisations understand what is already underway and how to respond with confidence. His two books, The Future is Now and Future Hackers, explore how people and companies can stay effective as automation, data, and new business models reshape everyday working life.
He speaks at conferences and delivers bespoke seminars and workshops for leadership groups across sectors, including banking, education, retail, manufacturing, media, software, and professional services. Clients such as Shell, Macquarie, Sage, Crédit Agricole, Warburtons, SugarCRM, and Randstad RiseSmart have engaged him to support strategic thinking, learning programmes, and organisational change.
Matt’s work is anchored in a belief that technology should serve people, not replace them. His methods combine foresight, behavioural insight, and clear decision-making, giving leaders a structured way to interpret weak signals, assess risk, and decide what should remain human in an AI-enabled organisation.
Audiences leave with frameworks for spotting change signals before they become crises, clarity on balancing AI capabilities with human judgment, and practical tools for building future-ready skills within their current teams.
Book Matt to equip your organisation with confidence and concrete strategies for an AI-driven workplace.
Matt's Showreel and Videos
Topics, Sessions and Talks
What We Must Never Give Away To AI
Matt O’Neill explores how organisations risk losing judgement, responsibility, and agency as artificial intelligence becomes more capable and widespread. He cuts through hype and fear to focus on the small set of human principles that must remain in the hands of leaders, even in highly automated environments. Matt’s grounded, practical style gives decision makers a clearer sense of where to trust machines and where to draw the line.
Controlled FIRE: Foresight Interpret Realise Engage
Matt O’Neill introduces a disciplined way for organisations to spot change before it becomes a crisis. Using his FIRE framework, he shows how leaders and teams can identify meaningful signals, interpret what they mean, and decide where to act rather than react. The session blends strategic scanning with human insight, giving organisations a repeatable way to cut through noise and move forward with more confidence.
Matt O’Neill examines what leadership looks like when change is constant and artificial intelligence is reshaping roles, expectations, and pace. He looks at how leaders can offer clarity, empathy, and direction without pretending to have all the answers. Through practical frameworks and real-world examples, Matt shows how to create environments where people feel both supported and challenged as work continues to evolve.
Matt O’Neill looks ahead to the skills, structures, and mindsets organisations will rely on as AI, automation, and new business models accelerate. He explores how humans and machines will increasingly work together, and what leaders need to build internally to stay adaptable. The session focuses on growing future-ready capability from within, while keeping organisations grounded in what makes people valuable.
Interactive AI: Collaboration in Action
Matt O’Neill integrates interactive AI elements into his keynote sessions, turning audiences into active collaborators. He transforms audience ideas into 3D holograms, refines sketches into professional visuals, and captures live input to create collaborative ebooks, articles, or podcasts. Matt demonstrates how human creativity, amplified by AI, produces meaningful outcomes in real time. This shared experience shows how organisations can combine human insight and technology to accelerate innovation, strengthen collaboration, and unlock practical value.
Why We Recommend Booking Matt
Matt O’Neill delivers clear, practical insights on adapting to AI and technological change, helping leaders build future-ready teams with confidence. Book Matt now to give your organisation the tools and strategies it needs to thrive in a rapidly evolving workplace.
I’ve listened to a number of futurists before, but I often walked away feeling like I hadn’t really learned anything. This experience was completely different. I was genuinely engaged throughout and have already made changes.
Stephen Swift
Ford Motor Company
Matt’s insights into why human engagement is essential for successful technological change have given us many new avenues to explore in how we talk about our work. His energy helped us create an original, thought‑provoking event that got the whole team talking. One of our best‑ever speakers – professional, polished and provocative.
EVP, International Communications Firm
Matt brought energy, insight, and fun to our AI week, engaging a global leadership audience of 400. His deep understanding of our business and culture ignited our teams', with many now actively pushing new frontiers. Highly recommended!
Simon Duckett
CIO, Sonnedix
