Leading Technology Futurist Joins HPU as Artificial Intelligence Expert in Residence
HIGH POINT, N.C., June 9, 2026 – New York Times bestselling author Daniel Burrus, who is considered one of the world’s leading technology futurists and artificial intelligence strategists, has joined High Point University’s Access to Innovators Program. He will share his expertise in AI, global trends and disruptive innovation with students as HPU’s AI Expert in Residence.
His appointment reflects HPU’s commitment to providing students with direct access to world-class innovators and thought leaders shaping the future of business and technology.
Over the past four decades, Burrus has built a reputation for accurately predicting the future of technological changes, including AI, and their impact on business, government and education. Since 2015, he has served on HPU’s National Board of Advisors, which is comprised of Fortune 500 CEOs, thought leaders and distinguished visionaries who have impacted the world in significant ways.
As HPU’s AI Expert in Residence, Burrus will work with students, faculty and business leaders to explore the practical applications of AI, anticipatory leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing world. Through lectures, discussions and collaborative initiatives, he will help prepare future leaders to anticipate change, identify opportunities and thrive in an increasingly AI-driven economy.
“Artificial intelligence is one of the most transformative forces of our time. I’m honored to join HPU and help students develop the anticipatory mindset needed to lead in a future defined by accelerating technological change,” Burrus said. “The accelerating growth of AI is what I call a ‘Hard Trend,’ making HPU’s focus on life skills more valuable to every student as each year unfolds. We live in a human world that is based on relationships, and good relationships are based on trust that is earned through shared values. As AI advances, it will assist and augment much of the work of humans, but it’s the human-centered life skills that will enable personal and professional growth for all.”
Burrus serves as a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 executives from leading corporations, defense contractors and the education sector, helping to guide them on AI and technology-driven innovation. He is a founding member of the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Services Futures Group, as well as CEO of Burrus Research, a research and consulting firm that tracks emerging technological, social and business trends.
Burrus created the Anticipatory Organization® Business Model, and the Hard Trend Planning and Innovation Methodology, which has been embraced by leading organizations worldwide. The methodology separates “Hard Trends” based on future facts that will happen from “Soft Trends,” based on assumptions which might happen.
He is also the creator of the Anticipatory Organization® Transformation Accelerator learning system, a proven framework that helps organizations identify future certainties, anticipate disruption, accelerate innovation and transform change into competitive advantage. The program provides leaders with practical tools and methodologies to develop an anticipatory mindset, drive innovation and create sustainable growth in a rapidly changing world.
In addition, Burrus has founded six companies, four of which became national leaders in their first year. He is the author of seven books, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal bestseller “Flash Foresight” and “The Anticipatory Organization.” He has written for the Harvard Business Review, Wired magazine and LinkedIn, where he has nearly 1.2 million followers. He has delivered more than 3,500 keynote speeches across the globe.
“Daniel Burrus embraces change and a world in constant flux as opportunity,” HPU President Nido Qubein said. “Likewise, we at HPU seek to instill this entrepreneurial mindset in our students as we prepare them not for the world as it is, but for the world as it’s going to be.”
Burrus joins several other thought leaders from the tech world in the Access to Innovators Program, including:
- Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder and HPU’s Innovator in Residence
- Marc Randolph, Netflix co-founder and HPU’s Entrepreneur in Residence
- Teena Piccione, former Google global transformation and operations executive, former North Carolina chief information officer and HPU’s Data Expert in Residence
- Sean Suggs, former president of Toyota Battery Manufacturing and HPU’s Technology Executive in Residence