An introduction speech by Riri Satria - FGD on the Technology, Disruption, and Change Management

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The wave is coming faster than we ever imagined.

Most of us today carry a smartphone in our pockets. I invite you for a brief moment to really look at it. Not just as a device, but as a symbol of our time. What you are holding is not merely a phone. It is a camera. It is a computer. It is a navigation tool, a music player, a notebook, a bank, even a gateway to the world.

Not so long ago, all of these were separate technologies. Telephones were for communication. Cameras were for capturing images. Computers were for work. Today, they converge into a single object. Smaller, more powerful, more intimate. This is what we call technological convergence.

The same story unfolds in photography. Many of us grew up admiring DSLR cameras, solid, mechanical, almost poetic in their complexity. Then came mirrorless cameras, smaller bodies, fewer mechanical parts, smarter systems. Components once separated are now merged. Efficiency increases, speed accelerates, and boundaries disappear. Again, this is the convergence at work.

This phenomenon is described powerfully by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler in their book "The Future Is Faster Than You Think". published in 2020. The book delivers a striking message converging technologies are transforming businesses, industries, and our lives faster than we ever predicted. Research consistently shows that each wave of change arrives sooner than the previous one.

But let us be very clear, this is not merely a technological issue. This is a cultural issue. This is a civilizational issue.

The main engine behind this convergence is digital technology. Its impact is fast, broad, and often disruptive, not only to business models, but to the way we live, think, and relate to one another. For Generation X and Y, this transformation feels dramatic and sometimes unsettling. For Generation Z, convergence feels natural; they were born into it, and yet, even for them, the process is far from finished.

Looking ahead, convergence will become even more massive. Devices connected through the Internet of Things (IoT), combined with artificial intelligence (AI), will blur the lines between the physical and the digital world. Our lives may increasingly resemble what Chris Skinner describes in his book "Digital Human" a new phase of humanity shaped, assisted, and challenged by digital technology.

At this point, technology can no longer be separated from humanity.

The idea of the “digital human” is not about machines replacing people. At its core, technology exists to ease human labor, to replace humans in dangerous tasks, and to enable us to do new things. Machines should take over what is risky, repetitive, and routine, so that humans can focus on what is deeply human, thinking, imagining, creating, empathizing.

Yet reality is more complex. Clerical and routine jobs are disappearing. Toll booth operators, for example, have been replaced by automated systems. This forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth, where humans must move beyond routine thinking. We must develop higher-order thinking skills, creativity, judgment, interpretation, and wisdom, rather than relying on tasks that machines can easily perform.

I personally hold a strong belief, that human intelligence is above artificial intelligence.

AI is powerful, yes! But it is still a tool. Not an end result. It requires human intention, human values, and human responsibility. Those who fail to develop themselves may find their abilities gradually surpassed by machines. But creativity and innovation, the highest expressions of human intelligence, remain extraordinarily difficult to replicate.

Civilizations have always changed. From the beginning of history, transformation has been the only constant. And throughout these changes, literature and the arts have played a quiet but vital role. They may not grow economies, invent medicines, or build advanced technologies, but they preserve humanity itself. They remind us who we are, especially when the world moves too fast.

As Diamandis and Kotler remind us, the future is faster than you think. Our civilization is shifting driven by technological convergence. Not everything changes, of course. There are noble values we must preserve. But many aspects of life do change, and profoundly so. The smartphone alone has reshaped how we communicate, work, love, and even think.

And yet, despite all this progress, one truth remains, human creativity is irreplaceable. The real challenge ahead is not technological capability, but human wisdom how we use technology without losing our humanity.

As Joseph Weizenbaum once warned, “Computers will do what you tell them to do, but that may be very different from what you had in mind.”

In today’s digital and cyber era, within minutes, a single post can make the world stare in amazement for two very different reasons. The world may be amazed by brilliance by a diamond that shines. Or it may be stunned by foolishness by digital trash that nauseates more than it inspires.

The question is simple, yet unsettling, which one are we contributing?

I often say that change is inevitable. Civilization advances because of change. But humans respond to change in different ways. Some reject it. They see change as a threat to comfort, status, or identity. They resist, they fight, and often they lose.

Some merely watch it. They neither resist nor embrace it. Slowly, they are left behind, wondering how the world moved on without them. Some adapt and benefit. They prepare their ships before the wind arrives. They see change as a gift. And finally, some create change. They reshape civilization itself. Their ideas shock the world. They believe today must be better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today.

Behind all meaningful change lies not only knowledge, but wisdom.

In science and innovation, knowledge and technical skill are essential. But when ideas meet society, wisdom becomes crucial knowing when, how, and whether something should be applied. Without wisdom, scientists become arrogant. Without wisdom, leaders impose rather than inspire. Knowledge without wisdom creates conflict, not progress. Science and wisdom must walk together.

So when we talk about technological change, we are, in truth, talking about mindset, paradigm, culture, and humanity. Not everything must change, but we must be conscious of what does, and why.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how I see our moment in history. The wave is coming faster than expected. The question is not whether it will arrive, but whether we will ride it with wisdom, creativity, and humanity.

Thank you.

-- Riri Satria ---