Delphi Economic Forum | Delphi, 2026

At the Delphi Economic Forum 2026, Thinking the Unthinkable designed and led a high-intensity, 30-minute workshop aligned to the Forum’s central theme: “The Shock of the New.” Convening global leaders across politics, business and policy, the session focused on how converging disruptions are already reshaping economic and societal stability.

Nik Gowing opened with a clear provocation: the “shock of the new” is no longer theoretical. It is being felt in real time, and what Thinking the Unthinkable has long warned about is now being openly acknowledged.

What we achieved

What followed was a rapid, candid exchange that surfaced deep concern about the scale and speed of change. A recurring theme was the language of “revolution.” General Angus Campbell, Former Australian Chief of Defence, warned: “Historically massive dramatic unemployment leads to revolution… that is something no one necessarily is thinking about.” He described AI as “truly revolutionary… the biggest, most dramatic change since the industrial revolution, and it’s going to happen very quickly.”

Stanford AI expert Alvin Wang Graylin reinforced the immediacy of disruption: “The technology is no longer the limiter… it is already exceeding human capabilities in most cognitive tasks.” He added a stark projection: “About 65% of companies are going to use displacement… this is coming and it is very sizable.”

Simon Fraser, Chair of Chatham House, highlighted the systemic implications: “The structures we have in place… are going to face extraordinary challenges which they were not designed for.” He was blunt about institutional readiness: “There is a willingness to think about it… [but] a total incapacity… to deal with it.”

Across the discussion, tensions emerged between optimism and realism. Some argued that human adaptability will prevail; others pointed to political inertia, institutional fragility and the risk of societal instability if disruption outpaces response. As Nik framed it during the session, much of what is being discussed is not just “unthinkable, it is unpalatable.”

Impact

Thinking the Unthinkable turned a short workshop into a live stress test of leadership thinking. It created space for unusually frank contributions from senior figures, surfaced shared but often unspoken concerns, and reinforced a critical conclusion: the shock is already here. The real question is whether leadership systems can respond before instability becomes unmanageable.