The Trends Scorecard · graded in public
In June and July 2026 Jim went back through more than two decades of his keynote predictions and graded them, industry by industry, against what actually happened: the hits, the misses and the ones that arrived late.
The final verdict · July 9, 2026
"You don't get to claim you can see the future if you're never willing to be graded on the past." — Futurist Jim Carroll Over the last little while I did something most futurists carefully avoid. I went back through twenty years…
Read the article ↗Industry by industry
Each scorecard is the original article at its original address.
"The trends always said where manufacturing was headed. The future went to those who listened — and got to work." — Futurist Jim Carroll For 20+ years, I've stood on stages around the world telling manufacturing audiences what…
Read the scorecard ↗"The future of human health isn't waiting to be discovered. It's waiting to be implemented." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is my Trends Scorecard series, where I go back into my own archive, dig up the predictions I actually made…
Read the scorecard ↗"The future of energy was never about a bigger smokestack or more coal. It was always about the panel on your roof and the battery in your garage." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is part of my Trends Scorecard series, where I dig…
Read the scorecard ↗"The future of the automobile was never about a better engine - it became a computer on wheels.Tesla built it, but BYD is now cashing the check." - Futurist Jim Carroll This is part of my ongoing Trends Scorecard series, where I…
Read the scorecard ↗"The future doesn't reward what you learned. It rewards how fast you can learn next." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is part of my Trends Scorecard series, where I dig back through my own archive of predictions and grade them…
Read the scorecard ↗"The world's oldest profession became its most advanced. Tomorrow's farm runs on robots, sensors, and code." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is part of my Trends Scorecard series, where I go back into my own archive, dig up the…
Read the scorecard ↗"Retail was never about the store. It was always about the shelf coming to you." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is the Trends Scorecard series, where I go back into my own archive, dig up what I actually predicted years ago, and…
Read the scorecard ↗"Insurance spent centuries pricing the past. The future belongs to those who can price the present." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is the Trends Scorecard series, where I go back into my own archive, dig up what I actually…
Read the scorecard ↗"The future of construction is intelligence made physical — smart materials, robotic precision, and data-driven design." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is the final entry in my Trends Scorecard series, where I go back into my own…
Read the scorecard ↗"The bank branch was never the point. The future of finance is code — and it's being written by everyone but the banks." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is part of my ongoing Trends Scorecard series, where I go back into my own…
Read the scorecard ↗"Tradition is what keeps golf worth playing. New players are what keep it alive." — Futurist Jim Carroll This is a special one in my Trends Scorecard series. Usually I grade the predictions I made for an industry. This time the…
Read the scorecard ↗The full series, newest first: Trends Scorecard category ↗
Pattern recognition you can check
The same research discipline goes into every keynote.
