Joseph Raczynski - Futurist - Digital Transformation
Joseph Raczynski is a global leader in leveraging emerging technologies to improve economic competitiveness, equity, and business resilience. He delivers actionable and forward-thinking technological intelligence with a focus on future trends guidance shaping the world. His focus is on Thought Leadership, Operations, Communications, Product, and Customer Success.
His primary focus is around the future of technology, speaking globally about Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Cryptocurrency, DAOs, NFTs, and the Metaverse, Cybersecurity, ChatGPT, and LegalTech. He also writes about economic, political, and global technology trends as they impact the crossroads of our personal and professional lives. He has been quoted hundreds of times in over a dozen languages. Joseph hosts Technology Snippets Today a video podcast series, exploring cutting edge technology and innovation. He served as a mentor with the Columbia | IBM Blockchain Accelerator and is a presidential committee appointee to the American Bar Association, Center for Innovation Governing Council, and serves as a corporate liaison to the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned a dual degree in Economics and Sociology and holds a Masters in eCommerce and an MBA.
JOSEPH RACZYNSKI | FUTURIST | DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION | OPERATIONS | CONSULTANT | THOUGHT LEADER | TECHNOLOGIST | INVESTOR | EDUCATOR | CUSTOMER SUCCESS | FINTECH | LEGALTECH | START-UPS
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Feel free to reach out for technology presentations, consultations, or engagement on digital transformation, operations, and customer success.
Contact: Joseph Raczynski
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CREDIT:
Pictures taken from various press outlets and event PR.
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Gallery: Joseph Raczynski
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Quotes: Joseph Raczynski
Media Quotes
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Presentations: Joseph Raczynski
The Impact of AI on Legal & Corporate Business
60 Mins
Artificial Intelligence has devoured our attention recently. Since OpenAI released ChatGPT in November of 2022, every industry is grappling with its impact. Beyond ChatGPT, people are working to understand AI and how it may affect how we work, learn, interact together, and live. In this presentation, we do a deeper dive on the following:
An Explainer: What is AI and why it is it becoming so important?
Briefly outline various components of AI – in plain language
Delve into Generative AI - LLMs (Large Language Models and Multimodal AI)
Discuss the primary applications being used:
OpenAI and ChatGPT
Google Bard
Zoom Summary
Microsoft Copilot
What are the near and long-term impacts?
How can we better understand this space for our internal and external customers
Breaking Down AI - The Underlying Language and Technology of Artificial Intelligence
60 Mins
AI is the buzziest of buzz words these days. It pops up in almost every legal technology discussion as well as how lawyers’ practice and how law firms operate. The question is, do we really understand how AI works? This discussion will break down everything about AI for all parties, from uncovering the current state of AI in Legal to understanding how AI works behind the scenes in the industry. We will have an open forum around the following topics:
Current State of Technology
Artificial Intelligence
Technology
Practice
Difference between NLP & AI?
Sentence Diagrams?
Different linguistic levels & how we analyze and model them
Words
Phrases
Sentences
Discourse/conversation
Exponential Technology & Artificial Intelligence
60 Mins
Data explosion is all around us. In order for humans to be expert in something over the next several years they will need tools to augment what they know to make better decisions. In this discussion you will get a better understanding of what is happening around us with technology and what impact it will have on the Legal Landscape. We will dive into the following subject areas:
Exponential Technology
The Tide of Worldwide Technological Change
Law Firm Impact from Exponential Technology
Disruption
Who are the players - what impact they may have on law firms?
The Metaverse and the Dawning of Asset Tokenization and Digital Contracts
60 Mins
Are you ready for this? Probably not, but please bear with me, because the legal implications will be enormous.
Imagine, if you will, a world resembling our physical one, but completely virtual, immersive, colorful, all-encompassing one with land, rivers, houses, farms, people, animals, full cities, stores, businesses, concerts, and everything else contained in our physical world. Sauntering down a bustling city street, minus the smells, is as easy as walking on a moon that orbits an earthlike place. Platforms with full replication of our physical world are being built through a wearable device to create this Metaverse. You may ask, why? That seems ridiculous! Fourteen years ago, before the iPhone launched, we didn’t imagine the myriad of things we could accomplish by simply touching a piece of glass faced tech today. It would have been a leap of faith to see where we sit now. This is that next leap.
In the Metaverse, people will interact, transact, have ownership of assets, have relationships, build things and companies, create IP, have copyright issues, advertising, crimes may happen, insurance will be developed, and a massive host of other IRL (In Real Life) things that all will require legal to be involved. Not to mention the scaling of DeFi (Decentralized Finance) which has begun. Clearly this is a burgeoning market. While I have been engaged in this space for several years, the publication of a white paper by ReedSmith on the Metaverse underlined its importance for the legal industry. This was shared with me earlier in the year prior to publication. It is a worthy read if you wish to continue down the rabbit hole.
Understanding the Metaverse
The underlining technology shift
Legal implications
Opportunity and Risk
DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs - FinTech & LegalTech Collide
60 Mins
How much would you pay for this “hoodie” jpeg, picture to the left? Nothing? Maybe $20?
It was free to anyone who wanted him a CryptoPunk (#7129) in 2017. Well, it sold six months ago for $100,000. Now it is valued at $1,000,000. One of the reasons the NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are becoming very expensive is because institutions are now investing in them – seen as the future of unique contractual digital art ownership. The financial world is on the precipice of significant change and these are just the early days of how legal will be involved.
DeFi (Decentralized Finance) is moving the needle on porting all things from our current financial paradigm to a code based model with greater transparency and governance.
In this discussion we talk about:
DeFi
NFTs
DAOs
The legal impact of new contracts built on code
Future Work - Preparing Now for the Landscape in the Decades Ahead
60 Mins
In this talk, I look into the crystal ball and see how technology will transform our lives over the next 50 years. Breaking down the major themes we all shall encounter.
Geopolitical dynamics
Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
Data, ethics and trust
Our changing environment
Cryptocurrency - Everything You Need to Know in Legal
60 Mins
Financial technology, as manifest in the world of cryptocurrencies, is becoming a bigger part of everyone's lives, both personal and professional. Information professionals need to be able to understand and communicate effectively the following
How these technologies work
What are the impacts on banking and securities law and regulation
The short, intermediate and long term implications for commerce in general.
In addition, it is vital that all legal professionals have a deeper understanding of the these technologies so that they can identify career opportunities. Information professionals need to be able to move beyond the theory of these technologies and understand the practical application of them so that they can better do research in relation to financial technologies and cryptocurrencies.
Emerging Technology
60 Mins
The world is progressing at an exponential rate. By 2040, it is predicted that for $1,000, you will be able to buy a computer capable of processing information as fast as the combined brains of all 9 billion people expected to inhabit the planet. Imagine the impact this computing power will have on financial operations, data management, and business workflows. Technological progress at this scale will undoubtedly transform industries such as FinTech, LegalTech and companies of all sizes, redefining how we work with documents, conduct searches, interact with internal and external information and manage complex workflows.
In this presentation, we’ll explore the effects of these major emerging technologies on business operations and information systems. Together, we’ll dive into an open forum around the following topics:
Processor Differentiation
Artificial Intelligence & Agentic AI
Open Source AI
Blockchain Technology & RWAs
Data Analytics
Robotics
VR/MR/AR
Blockchain
60 Mins
It is predicted that Blockchain technology will impact nearly every industry in a dramatic way over the next several years. What initially began as the underlining technology behind Bitcoin has boomed into something that the top 50 banks in the world are embracing to improve efficiency, security and transparency in the market. There is little doubt that law firms will be early in the adoption of this technology to better automate process and provide better services to their clients. The Smart Contract is the first area that will be leveraged in this space. In this presentation you will see what effect Blockchain technology and the Distributed Ledger will have in Legal. We will have an open forum around the following topics:
What the Heck is Blockchain?
Why are we seeing this occur now?
What is Happening Now for Law Firms in this Space?
Where will Blockchain take off in the Legal Industry?
What the Future May Look like with Blockchain?
Blockchain 2.0
60 Mins
Blockchain has been talked about the last several years as a hypothetical. It is now being used. In this discussion, we will cover what Blockchain is and how it is starting to creep into the Legal landscape. The initial focus is on the state of blockchain in Legal. We will also touch on some of the seminal concepts with Blockchain including encryption, smart contracts, permissioned blockchains and DeFi. Lastly the conversation will discuss specific industries that Blockchain is starting to disrupt. We will have an open forum around the following topics:
Quick Recap of How Blockchain Works
Breaking Down Encryption
Blockchain 2.0
Timeline and growth of the industry
Regulation
State of Blockchain in Legal
Enterprise Blockchain
Smart Contracts
Different Industry Impacts
Auto
Supply Chain
Port Security
Real Time Tax
Future of Blockchain
These are presentations are offered globally. Please reach out for pricing.
Digital Identity
60 Mins
In an increasingly more complicated world filled with Fake News, organizations are threatened nearly every day by hackers and with the pilfering of our personal and private information from organizations like Facebook, controlling our identity is of the utmost importance. And with the coming deluge of applications and IoT devices, identity is the foundation for how we will interact with each other and these intelligent devices. As the Legal Industry adjusts, what impact will this new form of identity have on eDiscovery, transactional and general litigation? The changes ahead to the legal world, as we redefine what it is to be - electronically, will be immense.
The Pending Crisis of Identity
Discuss the Forms of Identity
Tokenization & Future of Identity
Legal Implications
Definitions around what identity will look like from a legal perspective and how that impacts both the business and practice of law.
Fundamentals of Cloud Computing
60 Mins
The 21st Century has yielded a fundamental change in computer technology: the cloud. This technology is near-ubiquitous in today’s world and increasingly an inexorable part of how lawyers do their jobs. Not exclusive to an IT department, the cloud as a concept is one that is fundamental to many aspects relevant to attorneys. In this presentation you will learn about what consists cloud computing, how the law treats cloud computing, and how lawyers use the cloud by discussing the following topics:
The Cloud as a concept
Public v. Private Clouds
Single Tenant v Multi Tenant Hosting
“as-a-service” models of cloud technology
Financial and Security Concerns of the Cloud
Data Privacy Challenges
US laws governing cloud technology
The Legal Platform & APIs
60 Mins
With the proliferation of thousands of LegalTech start-ups around the world, all focusing on various components of solving issues with the business or practice of law, the movement is to a Legal Platform. The integration of hundreds of tools into a seamless interface and leveraging APIs is the future. This enables security, interoperability, and workflow management. The walls of legal providers are coming down, so you can work better, faster, and smarter. In computer programming, an application programming interface (API) is a set of subroutine definitions, communication protocols, and tools for building software. How will law firms, corporations and government agencies leverage these new platforms and integrations for their own success?
The current state of LegalTech
What is a Legal Platform?
Digging deeper - what the heck is an API?
Examples in the World
Legal Examples
The importance and direction of APIs and Legal Platforms
What this means to you
Innovation
30 Mins
Law firms are innovating how clients are served simultaneous with the legal industry undergoing multiple transformations in the years since the 2008 Recession. This is due to macro-level changes in the legal industry, exponential advancement in technology, and reflections of these realities in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. This CLE surveys the entirety of this topic, identifying some of the multiple definitions and manifestations of “innovation” conceptually. This CLE discusses the following topics and their impact on the legal industry:
Industry data chronicling post-Recession innovation strategies and resulting financial effects
New legal services business models and legal service delivery methods
The role of data analytics and legal technologies
Innovation efforts regarding the ABA and state model rules of professional conduct.
Takeaways for attorney workflows
Cybersecurity & Dark Web
60 Mins
We are all aware of, and probably have experienced first-hand, the effects of an unwanted data breach. Maybe you were forced to change an online password, acquire a new credit card number or you lost important files corrupted by malware. At best, these incidences have been hassles. At worst, entire identities and fortunes can be compromised.
Now, consider your law firm and its clients. What effects would a data breach have on the work-product, attorney/client privilege and financial stability of these organizations?
Status of law firms, corporate, and in-house security
Actions to mitigate security risks
What is happening for Clients & Law Firms, Corporations and In-house?
What are the biggest threats?
Presentations
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Podcast
Podcast: Joseph Raczynski
Two Podcasts - Tech Snippets Today, with Joseph Raczynski or choose Technology, Trends, Exploration with my AI Bots
Wireless Power
2020
Wireless power will illuminate lights and charge your devices without, yes, wires. Using electromagnetic waves, our smaller, and later larger components, will no longer require cords plugged into the wall for power. It will start with phones and smaller everyday devices and later grow to lights, larger screens, and move onto the electric car.
Drones
2020
You will be receiving small packages via drone at your house. Certainly by this year these devices will fill the sky with photographers, capturing impressive angles previously only caught by helicopter or plane. These quad-copters will eventually be utilized by delivering emergency goods like a heart defibrillators or rescue buoys to those in need. When the highways in the sky are regulated for drone traffic later in the 2020's, shipments will be a common occurrence.
Digital Currency
2025
There will be a world currency – Bitcoin or like cryptocurrency. With the blockchain revolution about to take hold on a massive scale, which is the creation of secure, transferable assets via the internet, one key aspect will be the "privatization" of money. Both government agencies and private institutions can both create value using a 'tokenized' system based on blockchain technology. So you will eventually see a "Digital Dollar", or likely China, Russia or Iran doing this first. A company or a government agency will create a digital asset that can be sent around the world with easy in seconds, for low-no fee, and likely without using a bank - but could be far more traceable than cash, depending on how the currency is initiated.
Autonomous Vehicles
2025 - 2035
Your car insurer will incentivize you to NOT drive your car as driverless cars dominate. Starting in the cities first, slower ride-shares will allow for the picking up and dropping off of people by cars without drivers. On the highways you will see larger trucks without drivers delivering goods across their respective continent.
In 2035 it will be illegal for humans to drive. At this point, statistics will prove out that humans make far more errors when driving and on some roads, it will be illegal for humans to operate the cars without computer assistance. For those people that enjoy their driving, designated tracks and roads will be available - more for sport and leisure.
Cable Companies
2025
Cable TV will not exist. As content becomes digitized through a multitude of outlets, control over how people receive this content will expand. Creative individuals will begin to create professional content to be consumed by anyone globally via mobile devices and eventually virtual reality headsets. The options for content will only expand and decentralize the traditional model as next generation access 5th Gen comes into play.
Power Companies
2025
Massive power companies will be almost unnecessary – sub stations will reign. If you live in a sunnier than not area, your roof will be a cheap power source. Your home will get a batter to store the energy earned throughout the day. Increasingly roads will also supply cheaper power to cities and towns around the world.
Law Firms
2025
Many of the Am Law top 200 law firms will no longer exist. Considerable consolidation of law firms will likely happen in the 2020's. As technology takes hold and some firms do not adjust by leveraging newer, cheaper, and more efficient means, their best practice areas will be picked up and the other portions might fade away.
Higher Education
2030
A significant number of traditional colleges will no longer exist. As online learning takes flight, having the multitude of ever dollar skyrocketing universities and colleges around the world will be seen as less attractive and valuable. The ability to bottle lectures by the best teachers online, at a fraction of the cost, because of scale, will dominate. It is only a matter of time when people elect to stop paying significant sums of money for the colleges of yesteryear.