College and campus speaker Our future is up for discussion.

In What the Future?!, futurist and anthropologist Sam Rad joins students for a candid, funny, question-driven conversation about AI, work, identity, and what it means to be human.

Bring Sam to campus →Campus overview, PDF ↓
Sam Rad keynoting at GOFEST in front of a screen reading Mindset for the Future
Like what you see? Sam customizes every keynote to the room.Book Sam Rad →
What the Future?! artwork: a rocket, planets, a brain and a woman's profile around the title
Bring your big what-ifs

The questions students actually ask.

The most pressing and provocative questions shaping our future, and our present. Blending anthropology with firsthand startup stories, Sam connects emerging technologies to the choices students are making right now: what to learn, how to work, what to believe, and the kind of world they want to help build.

Will my major still matter?
Read: Should you unlearn faster than you learn? →
Will I have a robot boss?
Read: Will AI end the resume? →
Will AI rule the world?
If AI can do my homework, what am I here to learn?
Read: Is AI making us dumber, or just faster? →
How will I know what’s real?
Read: Will you have to prove you’re human online? →
What will still make me human?
The future isn't a spectator sport.
Build the curiosity, judgment, and agency to help shape it.
Bring What the Future?! to your campus.
Book Sam →
The campus experience

One day. Big questions.

A full day with Sam Rad, shaped around your campus.

One full-day rateAll programming included
The fireside chat
A lively, moderated conversation with student questions at its heart.
Classroom visits
Guest discussions connecting the big questions to your courses and disciplines.
Facilitation
Participatory sessions, small-group conversations, and future-thinking exercises.
A day on campus
Time with students, faculty, and campus communities within an agreed schedule.

The number, length, and mix of sessions are agreed in advance. Contact the booking team for the campus rate and travel arrangements.

Ask about the campus rate →
Previous campus audiences include
MITColumbia UniversityColgate UniversityEast Carolina UniversityWashington and Lee University
Recent campus visits

From the classroom to the main stage.

Sam Rad and W&L professor Jeff Schatten on stage at the George Washington Forum for Civil Discourse and Debate
Washington and Lee University · March 2024

The George Washington Forum for Civil Discourse and Debate

Sam opened the Forum's inaugural event, “AI: Will It Make Us Rich or Kill Us All?,” in conversation with W&L professor Jeff Schatten, taking student questions on AI, governance, and the skills that will matter.

“It was insightful to hear about what AI is today in relation to us as university students.”Carl Rifino, Class of 2027, in The W&L Spectator
Read the coverage
Sam Rad in conversation in front of an ECU backdrop
East Carolina University · September 2025

Voyages of Discovery Series, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences

Sam opened the series' 19th season with a full campus day: an anthropology class, an informal session with students, a reception, and the evening lecture, “Thriving in Times of Radical Change,” with audience Q&A.

“Rad's visit is so important. She demonstrates that the field of anthropology is dynamic and timely.”Ashley Harzog, Director of Alumni Relations and Outreach, Thomas Harriot College, in ECU News
Read the coverage
Around campus at ECU
Radical Next on a stool in front of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences backdrop
Voyages of Discovery poster for Thriving in Times of Radical Change, signed by Sam Rad: The future is bright
ECU Voyages of Discovery Series featuring Sam Rad, Sept. 11, 2025
Sam Rad headshot
Meet Sam Rad

She studies it. She builds it.

Sam Rad (Samantha Radocchia) is The Change Futurist: an anthropologist, four-time tech founder across AI, blockchain, and connected hardware, first-named inventor on four US patents, and author of the #1 bestseller Radical Next. Today she is Co-Founder and CEO of MISTIC Systems, a causal AI platform for strategic foresight.

She did ethnographic fieldwork inside Second Life in 2009, built a working AI clone of herself in 2020, and has briefed the UN, the World Economic Forum, INTERPOL, the Federal Reserve, and the OECD. She brings the calm confidence of a former competitive skydiver to every room.

Full bio
For event planners

Before you book.

Who is Sam Rad?
Sam Rad (Samantha Radocchia) is The Change Futurist: an anthropologist, four-time tech founder across AI, blockchain, and connected hardware, and the author of the #1 bestseller Radical Next: Reclaiming Your Humanity in a Post-Human World. She is Co-Founder and CEO of MISTIC Systems.
What is What the Future?!
A candid, funny, question-driven conversation with students about AI, work, identity, and what it means to be human. Sam blends anthropology with firsthand startup stories and connects emerging technologies to the choices students are making right now: what to learn, how to work, what to believe, and the kind of world they want to help build.
What does a campus day include?
A fireside chat with student questions at its heart, classroom visits connected to your courses, participatory facilitation sessions, and time with students, faculty, and campus communities. It is one full-day rate with all programming included; the number, length, and mix of sessions are agreed in advance.
Who books Sam for campus visits?
Speaker and lecture series, student activities and programming boards, first-year and honors programs, and academic departments. At East Carolina University she opened the Voyages of Discovery series; at Washington and Lee she opened the George Washington Forum for Civil Discourse and Debate.
Can classroom visits connect to our courses?
Yes. Classroom visits are built around your courses and disciplines. At East Carolina University, Sam joined an anthropology class and an informal student session before the evening lecture.
Can it be a single event, or virtual?
Yes. Ask the booking team about a single talk or fireside chat, in person or virtual.
Which campuses has Sam spoken at?
Previous campus audiences include MIT, Columbia University, Colgate University, East Carolina University, and Washington and Lee University.
How do we book Sam and get the campus rate?
Sam is represented by Brandy Gibson at Executive Speakers Bureau. Send an inquiry at sam-rad.com/contact for the campus rate and travel arrangements, and you will hear back within one business day. The campus overview PDF is on this page.
Bring Sam to campus.
One full-day rate, all programming included. Ask for the campus rate.
Book Sam →
Speaking materialsHeadshots, bios, the one-sheet and video for your event.Open speaking materials →