The World In 2050

All of us have been experiencing one of the fastest evolutions in the entire planet’s existence. In less than 30 years, technology has evolved from just entertainment to saving lives.

How do you think it will be behaving in 2050?

The population will grow exponentially and the world’s economy due to the investment in technological solutions.

By 2050, the world will be a much more profoundly connected place, and the IoT will expand at an even more rapid rate. Companies will need different and modern strategies that are flexible enough to cope and adapt to a new kind of customer.

Sustainability concerns will grow and become the most critical topic of our society. If everything goes according to plan, gas emissions will decrease, and temperatures will stop increasing in the best-case scenario.

Artificial intelligence will be one of us.

Artificial Intelligence is not all about computers. It will also have an essential part in social and life sciences, helping humans live better and longer. Artificial intelligence is going to be used every day in almost every situation. It will progressively have better control than humans in what concerns human emotions. On the other hand, humans will always take advantage in the cognitive area.

In jobs requiring intuition and predicting human behaviour, such as closing a deal or driving, AI will probably be a safer choice because it will analyse people’s feelings and fears. An AI device equipped with suitable sensors will decide based on reliable calculations.

AI will not control the world, but it will be next to us, making everything better.

Travelling will also be completely different.

In the first place, travel search and booking will be as easy as buying a sandwich. Apps will provide you with tailored suggestions based on your personal data from social media and your bank account. There will be no need for check-in lines and desks on your flight day — you will have to drop your bag at an automated point in the terminal. A biometric face recognition system will read your face and access your digital boarding pass. A high-speed laser molecular scanner will check your hand luggage for security purposes.

In 2050 there will be much bigger planes, powered by electricity from renewable energy. This renewable technology will come from solar panels at the airport so that planes will be zero-carbon. Your flight experience will increase a lot. Starting with 360º panoramic windows so you can enjoy the view during your journey. Memory foam seats that remember passengers’ bodies’ structure will adapt to the most comfortable position. Smart lighting will eliminate jet lag effects and help you have a normal life after the flight. Next to your seat, you will also have an individual climate control system to adapt to your desire. However, the best part will be the holographic communications and entertainment. You will have a chance to talk to your family and friends and watch your favourite movies and shows using holographic technology.

How awesome?

But what about your actual life? What will your day look like in less than 30 years?

Let’s imagine it.

At 6 AM, your smartphone receives an email informing you that your morning meeting has been delayed. Your email service tells your smart personal assistant, Jason, to give you an extra 30 minutes of sleep and alerts you to the change when you wake up. Later, Jason wakes you up by turning on your lamp, which also monitors your sleep cycle. It’s winter, so there is a chill in the air, and it turns the heating automatically on as you are still trying to wake up.

Your electric car starts and sets your preferred interior temperature as you prepare for your four-day workweek. It also chooses the best route to your office to minimise traffic and accidents. In your car, you start catching up with emails. GPS data and parking sensors guide your vehicle to the nearest parking spot as you approach the office.

When you arrive at your office, it has already its lights and heat on, and your coffee is waiting for you and still warm. Your morning meeting is about to start, so you put your VR glasses on and suddenly you’re in a virtual conference room with all your associates from around the world.

It’s midday now, and before you eat your vegan meal for lunch, you use a cognitive computing system modelled after the human brain, so it learns from experience to make decisions. Your computer also offers you a step-by-step guide to new tasks you have never done before.

After lunch, you have an important meeting in the smart meeting room. Everything is smart, from lights, windows, the table, or even screens where you see your partners worldwide. When it ends, you forget your tablet in the conference room but quickly find it because its embedded beacon sensor can communicate its exact location.

It’s finally time for you to go home, but your smartphone alerts you to a new promotion on your favourite snacks at the supermarket, so you send your shopping list to the app, go home and wait for your groceries to be delivered.

The security camera recognises you and unlocks the door as you reach your home’s entrance. When you take a step forward, music starts playing inside your house, and it’s one of the million covers of “We Are the Champions” by Queen.

“Thanks, Jason. Nice way to be welcomed home”, you say to your smart personal assistant. Then you check if everything is ok with your basil plantation in your smart little greenhouse in your kitchen. It’s growing green and healthy, so Jason is already looking for some recipes with basil and your other favourite ingredients.

Finally, your groceries arrive, and your smart fridge updates its content.

While you set up your smart cooking robot, your bathroom starts preparing your shower by heating the space and turning on the music. You tell Jason to put on your favourite show on TV while you eat dinner made with your smart greenhouse’s basil when you finish it. “Friends”, this old show is playing, but you don’t remember it because you weren’t born when it aired.

At the end of the day, you push a single button that turns off the lights in the house, sets the home security system and moderates the thermostat to your preferred sleeping temperature.

Finally, you fall asleep thinking about your next workday. You will work on some new technology to make human brains.

Well, just another typical day in 2050.