# Gerd Leonhard

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{{Short description|German futurist and writer}}
thumb|Gerd Leonhard, 2011'''Gerd Leonhard''' is a German [futurist](/source/futurist), speaker and author who specializes in the debate between humanity and technology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Futurist Gerd Leonhard talks to Business Insider about cryptocurrency, the professions that will disappear over the next 20 years, and why he quit Facebook|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/gerd-leonhard-artificial-intelligence-cryptocurrency-jobs-why-he-left-facebook-2018-5|website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Machines 'will have the power of a human brain by 2025' - Gerd Leonhard|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-01-15/local-news/Machines-will-have-the-power-of-a-human-brain-by-2025-Gerd-Leonhard-6736151783|website=The Malta Independent}}</ref> He currently{{as of?|date=July 2021}} lives in [Zurich](/source/Z%C3%BCrich), Switzerland.{{cn|date=July 2021}}

Born in [Bonn](/source/Bonn), Germany, Leonhard studied theology at the [University of Bonn](/source/University_of_Bonn) before migrating to the United States in 1982 where he studied at the [Berklee College of Music](/source/Berklee_College_of_Music) and later established a career as a professional musician, arranger and composer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alumni Pioneers Advancing In Cyberspace|url=https://www.berklee.edu/bt/131/net_results.html|website=Berklee Today|language=en}}</ref> He also set up an early internet business in music, which provided first-hand insights into technology disruption and inspired his first book, co-authored with [Dave Kusek](/source/Dave_Kusek), The Future of Music in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sander|first1=Matthias|title=Zukunftsberatung ist wie gute Science-Fiction|url=https://www.nzz.ch/gesellschaft/zukunftsforschung-beratung-think-tank-ld.1322684|website=Neue Zürcher Zeitung|date=19 October 2017 |language=de}}</ref>

Leonhard evolved his futurist practice, applying these insights to multiple other industries and social environments.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stott|first1=Juliet|title=From car insurance to banking, a new digital age is dawning|url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/mar/31/car-insurance-banking-digital-age-simpler-life-apps|website=the Guardian|language=en|date=31 March 2018}}</ref> Influenced by classic futurists such as [Alvin Toffler](/source/Alvin_Toffler), Leonhard's work also shows the influence of science fiction authors such as [Arthur C. Clarke](/source/Arthur_C._Clarke) and [William Gibson](/source/William_Gibson).

In 2016, he published ''Technology vs. Humanity'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Book review: 'Technology vs. Humanity'|url=https://iapp.org/news/a/book-review-technology-vs-humanity/|website=International Association of Privacy Professionals}}</ref> a manifesto for digital rights and an investigation into the many areas of life currently impacted by technology disruption without regulation or policy.<ref>{{cite web|title=The coming clash: A review of Technology vs. Humanity by Gerd Leonhard|url=https://business.sprint.com/blog/coming-clash-review-technology-vs-humanity-gerd-leonhard/|website=Sprint Business|date=12 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Armstrong|first1=Paul|title=Technology Vs. Human - Who Is Going To Win? An Interview With Gerd Leonhard|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/paularmstrongtech/2016/08/17/technology-vs-human-who-is-going-to-win-an-interview-with-gerd-leonhard/#5db7e23049cd|website=Forbes|accessdate=14 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> Leonhard has expressed views critical of [transhumanism](/source/transhumanism) and technology centralization. Emphasizing a European tradition of humanist values and philosophy, Leonhard pursues a path of technological balance as evidenced in earlier eras such as the Italian Renaissance. His Open Letter to the Partnership on AI was published in the British magazine [Wired](/source/Wired_(magazine)) in October 2016, calling on technology leaders at [IBM](/source/IBM), [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft), [Google](/source/Google), [Facebook](/source/Facebook) and [Amazon](/source/Amazon_(company)) to embrace digital ethics in the emerging era of cognitive automation.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Leonhard|first1=Gerd|title=An open letter to Microsoft and Google's Partnership on AI|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/open-letter-to-ai-partnership|magazine=Wired|accessdate=15 April 2018}}</ref>

== References ==
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==External links==
*[http://www.futuristgerd.com Official website]

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Category:Living people
Category:University of Bonn alumni
Category:Berklee College of Music alumni
Category:Futurologists
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gerd Leonhard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerd_Leonhard) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerd_Leonhard?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.