Jens Martin Skibsted

“Immigrants are not the main threat to the industrialized world's workforce: robots are - or, rather, artificially intelligent robots are.”

“Consumers do not want a perceived cheap car; they want a car to flaunt. A car is as much about status and identity as it is about transport.”

“Humankind has mainly evolved in Africa, and we only left Africa very, very late in our evolutionary path. This means that there is very little genetic diversity among those who left Africa and very much genetic diversity among those who stayed.”

“Anyone can dream up great ideas, but an idea is nothing until it's realized, be it as a website, a physical product, an app, or a user interface.”

“Growth is not the end-all-goal of politics, but it is one of the most compelling deliverables.”

“If intelligent robots are our competitors and, to some extent, cerebrally alike - enough for us to discuss their ethical standing - why would they be above the law? Should they not contribute to our societies, too? And why would they be exempt from taxes?”

“Who needs Russian gas if we could get all the heat we need from our own surplus? Who needs Middle Eastern oil, when we can integrate limitless renewable sources in our smart grids?”

“I do think we need to at least register artificial intelligence units to be able to monitor and control them. Because we want to control them and not vice versa.”

“Design has become a universal medium for expressing ideas, raising fundamental questions, and addressing social challenges.”

“The industrialized countries that came to dominate post-slavery have caused the climate to change.”

“Democracy is not just about voting but about informed voting. If democracy doesn't have access to reliable sources of information and instead relies on social proof, then there is no way of distinguishing between junk evidence and actual knowledge.”

“Curbing pollution and global warming takes a global cooperative mindset. Development aid needs to be rethought in this context.”

“The sun doesn't always shine; the wind doesn't always blow. This is why, if we want to rely on renewables, we need intelligent systems that integrate and coordinate different sources of energy at scale so that when one is scarce or unavailable, the others can automatically compensate.”

“A true democracy starts by separating state and bad science.”

“Cities are complex and contain just about any thing or concept ever invented by humans. How the city is built, its topography, and how close you live to your work and a grocery store affects your mobility.”

“Urban mobility is a massive global challenge. The world needs people to use multiple forms of transport - a mix of biking, walking, and other low-energy forms of transportation.”