The Future Habit
How to Gain an Edge With AI-Driven Foresight
Published on 26. February 2026
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-78590-937-5 (ISBN)
Description
We are living through an
era of extraordinary technological progress, political turmoil and social
upheaval. In the face of such change, how can we chart a course to a brighter
future? How can citizens, business leaders and politicians get ahead at a time of
seemingly perpetual uncertainty?
The Future Habit is
a practical and provocative guide for building the one capability we all need
to stay ahead of the game: a disciplined habit of working with the future.
Drawing on cognitive science, applied foresight and decades of strategic
experience, the book introduces an actionable framework for cultivating a 'future
edge' - a repeatable process of anticipating, adapting to and shaping emerging
realities.
It offers a methodical
approach to working with the future in real-world contexts - through
predictions, pre-mortems, scenario work, narrative exploration and the creative
integration of AI. Having spent years embedding foresight in companies at the
forefront of the tech revolution, the authors ensure that The Future
Habit will make a positive difference to all readers who follow its
lessons.
But this is not only a
strategic playbook: it's a generous and optimistic reassessment of our shared
tomorrow. By prompting us to expand our mental horizons and consider the
abundant possibilities of long-term thinking, the book shows that the future is
not something we predict; it's something we practise.
era of extraordinary technological progress, political turmoil and social
upheaval. In the face of such change, how can we chart a course to a brighter
future? How can citizens, business leaders and politicians get ahead at a time of
seemingly perpetual uncertainty?
The Future Habit is
a practical and provocative guide for building the one capability we all need
to stay ahead of the game: a disciplined habit of working with the future.
Drawing on cognitive science, applied foresight and decades of strategic
experience, the book introduces an actionable framework for cultivating a 'future
edge' - a repeatable process of anticipating, adapting to and shaping emerging
realities.
It offers a methodical
approach to working with the future in real-world contexts - through
predictions, pre-mortems, scenario work, narrative exploration and the creative
integration of AI. Having spent years embedding foresight in companies at the
forefront of the tech revolution, the authors ensure that The Future
Habit will make a positive difference to all readers who follow its
lessons.
But this is not only a
strategic playbook: it's a generous and optimistic reassessment of our shared
tomorrow. By prompting us to expand our mental horizons and consider the
abundant possibilities of long-term thinking, the book shows that the future is
not something we predict; it's something we practise.
Reviews / Votes
"The future is not a script to be read, but a muscle to be trained. Fortunately, you can't ask for better personal trainers than Nicklas Berild Lundblad and David Skelton. This is an unusually insightful and brilliantly practical guide to the mindset and the tools you need to be ready for whatever comes next. Even though the future is always uncertain, I can make this certain prediction: you will love this book." --Johan Norberg, author of Peak Human and The Capitalist Manifesto"In today's turbulent world, a robust process to explore possible future outcomes can be an important source of competitive advantage and preparedness. The authors provide an intelligent and accessible approach to developing a powerful habit to strengthen any business operation at any scale." --Scott Beaumont, Former President, Google Asia Pacific
"The Future Habit is a practical toolkit for navigating an uncertain and open future. Foresight isn't mystical - it's a learnable skill, and one that founders, operators and policymakers can't afford to ignore. This book gives you frameworks to experiment with what's coming. Read it." --Johannes Schildt, founder of healthcare startup Kry Livi
"To lead today is to navigate a new landscape in a violent sandstorm. The old ways of plotting a safe route in a straight line won't work here. That's why we need the future habit. Here, two of the clearest and deepest thinkers give us simple and effective tools to find our way and make the future visible. Highly recommended." --Matt Brittin, former president of Google EMEA
"In a world defined by complexity and radical uncertainty, foresight is no longer a luxury but a core duty of governance. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we explore, model and engage with the future. David Skelton and Nicklas Berild Lundblad offer a timely and practical guide to these new tools, showing how AI can make the future more intelligible, usable and actionable." --Yannis Mastrogeorgiou, special secretary of strategic foresight, presidency of the Greek government
"By systematically scanning for change, stress-testing assumptions, and comparing expectations with reality, individuals, businesses and governments can turn uncertainty from a source of anxiety into a source of advantage. In an age where AI dramatically lowers the cost of foresight, the question is no longer whether we can work with the future, but whether we make it a disciplined, everyday practice - before events force the lesson upon us." --Jimmy McLoughlin OBE, former Downing Street adviser and host of the Jimmy's Jobs of the Future podcast
"In our work as futurists we constantly search for ways to move beyond the surface-level data - from the litany of what is, to the deeper stories of what could be. The Future Habit is a wonderfully practical and pragmatic book that does just that. Lundblad and Skelton go deeper than the normal foresight approach, offering clear methods to search for the hidden narratives and metaphors that unconsciously shape our world. What is particularly innovative is how they provide a brilliant interface with AI models, not to predict the future, but to help readers engage with it more creatively and effectively." --Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity
"Nicklas Berild Lundblad and David Skelton advocate a 'future habit', and that is exactly what politics must develop now if we want to save our democracies and our prosperity. It's about the habit of thinking ahead to the future - before it hits us. It's about radically different political thinking and working. Politics should prepare for the future, not chase after it." --Nadine Schoen, co-author of New State, member of the German Parliament 2009-2025 and Deputy Chairwoman of CDU Bundestag Parliamentary Group 2014-2025
"Lundblad and Skelton have applied a keen understanding of business, politics and technology to create a lucid handbook for leaders who want to plan the future. Their remarkably readable book helps us develop a disciplined, repeatable practice of foresight to navigate an age of radical uncertainty and 'compounding shocks'. Those who follow this approach ... will master the future." --Ted Osius, former US Ambassador to Vietnam and former president & CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 163 mm
Width: 243 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
458 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78590-937-5 (9781785909375)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
David Skelton | Nicklas Berild Lundblad
The Future Habit
E-Book
02/2026
Biteback Publishing
€20.39
Available for download
Persons
Nicklas Berild Lundblad is a technology policy expert, researcher and strategist with over
twenty years of leadership experience at the intersection of law, informatics
and public policy. In these roles he has been a trusted adviser to some of the
most senior executives in AI and technology. He has served as Head of Global
Policy at DeepMind and VP of Public Policy at Stripe and held senior roles at
Google. He holds a PhD in Informatics, an LLM in ICT Law and a BA in
Philosophy. This is his second major book.
David Skelton is
a writer, strategic adviser and former technology executive with a background
in policy, regulation and strategy. He has built foresight teams, shaped
regulatory frameworks in highly complex industries and advised senior leaders
on long-range planning. He has written two widely praised books outlining the
factors that have caused dramatic change in British politics and society. The New
Statesman described him as 'one of our... most prescient social and political
writers'.
twenty years of leadership experience at the intersection of law, informatics
and public policy. In these roles he has been a trusted adviser to some of the
most senior executives in AI and technology. He has served as Head of Global
Policy at DeepMind and VP of Public Policy at Stripe and held senior roles at
Google. He holds a PhD in Informatics, an LLM in ICT Law and a BA in
Philosophy. This is his second major book.
David Skelton is
a writer, strategic adviser and former technology executive with a background
in policy, regulation and strategy. He has built foresight teams, shaped
regulatory frameworks in highly complex industries and advised senior leaders
on long-range planning. He has written two widely praised books outlining the
factors that have caused dramatic change in British politics and society. The New
Statesman described him as 'one of our... most prescient social and political
writers'.