Imagining the future in a world shaped by exponential technologies
Join us at the third SingularityU Germany Summit conference in June 2018 and learn more about Future Studies.
If we imagine the future, technology always plays a central role in how the world will change over the next decades. Although it will not change over night some of the exponential technologies we know today will have a huge impact on the way we live and interact as humans tomorrow.
Let’s look at some scenarios how technologies such as AI, biotech, IoT and Robotics will shape our every aspect of our future.
AI — Humans worst enemy or blessing?
As Steven Hawking put it:
“Success in creating effective AI, could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just don’t know. So we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it.”
Already today shows, how fast humans can loose control of their own creations: For example, when Facebook had to pull the plug on the two artificially intelligent programs, that started chatting to each other in a language only they understood. Exactly because of stories like these the question whether or not it could be possible that robots in the future will take over or even eradicate humans are not completely absurd. Nevertheless the awesome power that could destroy us could also result in the exact opposite. AI and smart machines will allow the world to run itself. With everything automated, there will be no room for errors, no delays, and no accidents. It’s this possibility — that a machine intelligence could create a world of abundance for every human that AI designers will continue to work on these advanced systems.
Biotech, IoT, Wearables — The possibility of a long and prosperous life
Many emerging technologies promise to improve our health, extend our lifespans, and generally make the world a safer place. Biotech, genetics, Internet of Things and smart wearables will all contribute in making us more efficient and healthier. Technology will be seamlessly integrated in our lives or even part of our bodies to help us better control our health, optimize our performance and bend the laws of nature. Nevertheless there are a lot of ethical implications we as humans still need to understand and implement.
Robotics and Automation — The Future of Work
With automation already taking over human jobs what will the future of work look like in the near future? Many of these fears can be traced back to a study from the University of Oxford from 2013. This made a much quoted prediction that 47% of jobs in the US were under threat of automation in the next two decades.
Although a lot of jobs, especially in the manufacturing industry, will be taken over by robots, one can also see it as a liberation to human kind from jobs that are not necessarily enabling humans to fully embrace their potentials in the first place. To put it more radically: The age of robots, automation and exponential technologies could actually lead to a world, where humans become human again. Imagine a desirable future, where work does no longer exist solely to earn a living, but provides the space, time and lifelong learning opportunities for individuals to pursue meaningful and purpose-driven responsibilities that profit back to society.
Nevertheless looking into the future and trying to predict how exponential technologies will affect our lives one always has to consider the social, political and economic impacts of not only the technology but also trends like climate change, new political alignments and the shift of power from the USA and Europe to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). Considering how the future will be shaped by exponential technologies always requires to keep in mind the the ethical, social and political landscape of today and tomorrow.
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Paul Saffo is a Silicon Valley-based forecaster with over three decades experience helping corporate and governmental clients understand and respond to the dynamics of large-scale, long-term change. He will be speaking about Future Studies & Forecasting at the Summit on June 4 & 5 in Berlin!
