Daniel Lamarre
Executive Vice-Chairman & Former CEO of Cirque du Soleil | Co-Founder of C2 Montréal | Bestselling Author of Balancing Acts | Creative Leadership Expert
Rahaf Harfoush
Digital Anthropologist & NYT Bestselling Author | Executive Director, Red Thread Institute | UN AI Advisory Body Member | On AI, Digital Culture & the Future of Work
Rahaf Harfoush is a digital anthropologist and New York Times bestselling author who studies what technology is really doing to human behavior. Executive Director of the Red Thread Institute and a member of the UN's AI advisory body, she brings anthropology and evidence, not hype, to the future of work. On stage, she helps leaders cut through AI noise to grasp the human and cultural consequences, and thrive within them.
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Rahaf Harfoush biography
Rahaf Harfoush is a digital anthropologist, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the world’s leading voices on what technology is actually doing to human behavior. Where most experts focus on the tools, she studies the people, using anthropology, behavioral research, and nearly two decades of fieldwork to reveal how AI, algorithms, and always-on digital culture are reshaping how we work, lead, create, and live.
Futurist speaker Rahaf Harfoush is the Executive Director of the Red Thread Institute of Digital Culture and holds some of the most influential advisory roles in global technology policy. She was named to the United Nations’ High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, sits on France’s National Digital Council, and served on President Macron’s commission on AI’s impact on democracy. A Visiting Policy Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute and a Research Affiliate at Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, she began her career on Barack Obama’s pioneering digital media team in 2008 and later helped identify world-changing startups as Associate Director of the Technology Pioneer Programme at the World Economic Forum.
Anthropology, Not Hype
Harfoush’s approach is grounded in evidence rather than prediction, which is why her insights hold up long after the latest hype cycle fades. She is the author of three books, including Hustle & Float, one of the first major works to name “hustle culture” as a creativity-destroying system, and The Decoded Company, a New York Times and USA Today bestseller that won a Gold Axiom Award. Her research centers on three questions: how we learn in an age of infinite, AI-generated information; how leadership must evolve into what she calls the “Ecosystemic Leader”; and how our bodies physically respond to digital stress and burnout. Recognized by Thinkers50 and named one of the most innovative women in France, she teaches at Sciences Po in Paris and is currently writing a new book on humane productivity in the age of AI.
As a speaker, Rahaf Harfoush helps audiences move past the noise of AI headlines to understand the human and cultural consequences leaders too often ignore until they become problems no tool can solve. She speaks on innovating at AI speed, the future of work and leadership, burnout and creativity, and building healthier relationships with technology. Audiences leave with a rare, research-backed clarity about the forces reshaping their organizations, and practical strategies to thrive within them.
Rahaf Harfoush Speaking Videos
Micro Influence, Entrepreneurship & The Future of Protest: Rahaf Harfoush at TEDxWallStreet
Digital DNA: Rahaf Harfoush at TEDxESCP
Rahaf Harfoush Keynote Topics
Harfoush explores how generative AI is transforming innovation, creativity, and collaboration, along with the ethical dilemmas that come with it. She helps organizations understand how to integrate AI in ways that strengthen rather than weaken human capability, warning that teams which outsource too much thinking risk losing the very judgment, creativity, and problem-solving skills leaders say they need most.
As technology accelerates and uncertainty grows, Harfoush argues that leadership itself must evolve. She introduces the "Ecosystemic Leader," a hybrid model blending adaptability, strategic foresight, and deep expertise, and shares research-based, human-centered approaches to decision-making and team dynamics that keep leaders effective amid constant disruption.
Drawing on her influential book, Harfoush dismantles the myth that relentless hustle produces better work. She reveals what the obsession with output actually costs organizations in innovation capacity, describing burnout as "a thief" that steals energy, empathy, and confidence, and offers evidence-based strategies for protecting creativity and building sustainable high performance.
Harfoush unpacks the hidden physical impact of our digital lives, from how social media manipulates dopamine and adrenaline to how the nervous system responds to constant connectivity. Audiences gain a deeper awareness of how their digital habits shape their well-being, plus practical tools to counteract digital exhaustion and reclaim focus, calm, and clarity.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Rahaf Harfoush
Why Rahaf Harfoush?
Booking Rahaf Harfoush gives audiences a genuinely rare perspective: a digital anthropologist who studies not the technology but the humans using it, backed by nearly two decades of fieldwork and some of the most influential advisory roles in global tech policy. A New York Times bestselling author, Executive Director of the Red Thread Institute, member of the UN's High-Level Advisory Body on AI, and Thinkers50-ranked thinker, she offers evidence over hype, insight that stays relevant long after the latest AI headline fades. She is especially valuable for leadership teams that have absorbed every version of the AI hype cycle and want something more durable and human. Thoughtful, engaging, and rigorously researched, she is an ideal speaker for events on AI, the future of work, innovation, leadership, and digital well-being. To bring Rahaf Harfoush to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Rahaf Harfoush?
Rahaf Harfoush is a Canadian strategist, digital anthropologist, and New York Times bestselling author focused on the intersection of emerging technology, innovation, and digital culture. She is the Executive Director of the Red Thread Institute of Digital Culture, a member of the UN's High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence and France's National Digital Council, and a policy fellow at Oxford and Cambridge. She began her career on Barack Obama's 2008 digital campaign team and has authored three books, including Hustle & Float and The Decoded Company.
What is a digital anthropologist?
A digital anthropologist studies how technology shapes human behavior, culture, and society, examining not the tools themselves but the people who use them and the consequences for how they think, work, and relate. Rahaf Harfoush applies this lens to AI, social media, and workplace culture, using behavioral research and fieldwork to explain the human and cultural effects of technology that leaders often overlook until they become serious problems.
What topics does futurist speaker Rahaf Harfoush cover?
Rahaf Harfoush speaks on innovating with AI, the future of work and leadership, burnout and creativity, digital culture, and the science of digital stress and well-being. Her keynotes suit events on technology, AI, innovation, leadership, HR, and the future of work, especially audiences seeking evidence-based insight rather than hype. To book Rahaf Harfoush as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Rahaf Harfoush as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Rahaf Harfoush as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Rahaf Harfoush's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Rahaf Harfoush or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Rahaf Harfoush speaking fee?
Rahaf Harfoush speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Rahaf Harfoush to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Rahaf Harfoush.
How can I contact Rahaf Harfoush?
We only work with Rahaf Harfoush on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Rahaf Harfoush and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Rahaf Harfoush speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Rahaf Harfoush for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Rahaf Harfoush for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Rahaf Harfoush is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Rahaf Harfoush for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
