Four Continents, Four Conversations: Lessons on Building Futures
Image credits: Anna Sullivan | Unsplash
In the span of just a few weeks, I found myself speaking on four continents, at four very different events, to four distinct communities—each grappling with the future in its own way. From biotech to healthcare, synthetic biology to AI, the conversations spanned industry, regulation, geopolitics, and speculative technologies. The venues ranged from intimate and collaborative to bold and theatrical. The questions I received were sometimes skeptical, sometimes wildly ambitious … but always deeply human.
Mexico: Collaborative Curiosity
In Mexico, I joined a hands-on, multi-day event where I introduced participants to the coming biotech revolution from near-term business opportunities to far-horizon challenges to what it means to be human. The tone was collaborative, practical, and alive with “what-if” energy, across industries.
Colombia: Systems that Serve
In Colombia, I took the main stage at a major healthcare conference, speaking to frontline workers, regulators, and R&D leaders. Their questions cut straight to impact: How do we build systems that actually serve people?
Italy: Strategic Risk Assessment
In Italy, I spoke at a geopolitics-focused summit for business leaders, where synthetic biology was treated as both an economic advantage and a strategic risk. The conversation was sharp, high-stakes, and filled with uncertainty.
UAE: Confident Acceleration
And in the UAE, I stepped into a high-gloss AI summit hosted by a leading tech company. There, the mood was one of excited and confident acceleration. These were folks who see “future shock” as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
What Connects Us Across Borders
Image credits: Jackie Alexander | Unsplash
This whirlwind tour left me with the powerful realization that the future isn’t unfolding evenly. The way we talk about biotech, AI, and innovation is deeply shaped by local culture, institutional roles, and lived experience. What counts as opportunity in one region may register as risk in another. What sparks excitement for one audience might raise red flags for another.
And yet, across all these rooms, I kept hearing echoes of the same deeper questions: Who is this future for? Who gets to shape it? And how do we make sure it brings more opportunities for peace and prosperity?
Every room changed me.
In some, I was reminded how powerful it is when people feel seen by the future: when they recognize their communities, challenges, and dreams in the stories we tell about biotech, AI, and other tech. In others, I saw how easy it is for innovation to become disconnected from the lived realities of those most affected by it. The “advances” that feel like liberation in one region or industry can feel like existential threats in another.
Building the Next Chapters Together
The Louvre Abu Dhabi | Image credits: Agnieszka Stankiewicz | Unsplash
One thing stood out above all: culture shapes how we meet the future. Whether people feel curiosity or fear, excitement or unease, often comes down to whether they believe they have agency in shaping what comes next. In some places, people leaned forward with possibility. In others, the future felt like something being done to them, opaque, imposed, and unsettling. That difference matters.
I completed this speaking tour with more humility, more questions, and more urgency to center trust, cultural context, and real-world impact in every conversation about emerging technologies. It’s not enough to forecast what’s coming. We have to shape it with care, compassion, curiosity, and courage. And we have to do it together.
Curious for a deeper dive? You can explore my detailed reflections here:
💡 What Leaders Around the World Need to Understand About AI, SynBio, and Building Better Futures (Key Takeaways from the 2025 Kearney CEO Retreat in Italy)
💡 Lessons from Cartagena: Connecting with 1,000+ Changemakers, Harnessing AI, and Building a Hopeful Future of Health (Key Takeaways from the 2025 ANDI Foro De Salud in Colombia)
💡 What’s Next for (Open)AI? A Fireside Chat with Sam Altman (A fireside chat highlight from the G42 Supercharged Summit in UAE)
A Few Snapshots from Four Conversations, Four Continents
About Tiffany
Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She is an expert in biotech, health, & innovation.
For a full list of topics and collaboration opportunities, visit Tiffany’s Work Together webpage.
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