This is the future: 2030, 2040, 2050 and beyond. Reporting from multiple timeline challenge distances. Opportunities and achievements are shown here, but the future also hosts a dark side.
This blog reports back from the future, from multiple Timeline-Challenge Distances (TCDs), in erratic order. These TCDs indicate how near or far an innovation, activity, or event is time wise and challenge wise. For a given TC distance, it can be achieved relatively quickly by investing a huge effort in the associated challenge; or if the challenge is mainly ignored then the outcome takes a longer time. Society can choose which paths it wishes to travel down, and how fast it wishes to go.
TC distances: short (1 to 7 years); medium (7 to 14); long (14 to 21); beyond (>= 21). "Beyond" falls into the era dominated by artificial intelligence, which includes ideas, science and innovations that were not foreseen by (most) humans.
All entries are shown by default, unless you select one or more of the following tags.
The majority of genetic diseases and cancer can now be cured by AI and robotics.
Although the technology now has the potential to cure these diseases, the health and longevity gap widens significantly between the super-wealthy and the poor.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science AI NanoMatlBio Robot TransHuman People
A wide band multi-spectrum camera is developed that can see through just about everything!
TCD ~ beyond
Tags: Science ICT Machine
Automated construction in space creates orbital items around the Earth, Moon and Mars, and bases on the Moon and Mars.
TCD ~ medium to long
Tags: AI Robot Machine Space
The rate of clutter in low Earth orbit, and extrapolations that implied a further 100,000 satellites were on the way, created a rethink and an innovative solution.
A limited number of orbiting space platforms have been constructed in orbit. It is intended that these will host most future orbital devices. This means fewer orbital paths have to be tracked, and rocket launch window opportunities will remain viable in the future. Each platform provides the basic infrastructure that old satellites included: orbital stability, solar power, and communications. Platforms provide managed services to all constructive organisations that wish to benefit from space ventures. Robots play a significant role in platform construction and operation.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: ICT Robot Machine Space
The first global, automated, pandemic protection system is built.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science ICT AI NanoMatlBio Environment People
For the first time, clean zones in some urban areas see traffic emissions fall to low levels, resulting in air quality levels that meet WHO guidelines.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Transport Environment
With all these supporting innovations and extensive automation people start to ask "what is my purpose?"
TCD ~ medium
Tags: People Purpose
Innovation comes to the rescue in the form of a renewable energy network for energy generation, storage, and distribution.
Features include: solar, wind, wave, tidal, geothermal, hydroelectric (including pumped), chemical batteries, green hydrogen, super-capacitors, and ambient temperature superconductors for long distance electricity connections. Carbon (dioxide) is also sequestrated from the air to produce valuable products, chemicals and fuels - using renewable energy sources. (See also, related activities in space.)
TCD ~ short, medium and long [an evolving solution]
Tags: NanoMatlBio Machine Energy Environment
Innovation shakes up urban transport.
See the above link, and the supporting technologies.
TCD ~ long / beyond
Tags: ICT AI NanoMatlBio Robot Machine Transport
Radical changes take place in farming and food production.
In traditional farms and vertical farms, robots, sensors, and AI have a significant role: automating the entire process from seed planting, watering, nutrition, inspection, environmental optimisation, (weeding and pest control in fields), harvesting, packaging, delivery, and waste recycling. However, even these innovations are at threat from another technology: laboratory grown food, or cultured food.
TCD ~ short to medium
Tags: Science ICT AI NanoMatlBio Robot Machine Environment
(1) Teachers are widely assisted by AI; then (2) AI dominates education.
TCD ~ (1) short; (2) medium
Tags: AI People
Robots and AI dominate scientific research.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science AI NanoMatlBio Robot
Creative thinking (and creative anything) by humans became redundant - AI could do it much better, faster and properly evaluated.
TCD ~ short
Tags: AI
Energy consuming "crypto currencies", like BitCoin were abandoned, and replaced with digital coins that represented real, useful, work done - such as the generation of renewable power, and the mitigation of climate change.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Energy Environment
It was finally recognised that logging (followed by replanting) was not a sustainable forest process. Innovations came to the rescue to harvest wood sustainably and to use wood in innovative ways.
Innovations quickly restored old forests, and created new forests in unexpected places. The pace of this contributed, significantly, to the mitigation of climate change - and helped to manage water systems better, and increased the availability of food in some areas that had suffered starvation in the past.
TCD ~ short to long
Tags: Science AI Robot Environment People
Robotic brain surgery can now identify and remove individual cancer cells. This has been achieved using microscopy, spectroscopy and AI.
See the link.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science AI NanoMatlBio Robot Machine People
The pace of change due to radical innovations is having a significant impact on unprepared businesses and organisations.
Every sector is seeing rapid change. Organisations that failed to envisage these changes are becoming ineffective, inefficient, and irrelevant. Those organisations that envisaged the future, and implemented better, relevant, solutions continue to survive. A significant tipping point has been reached where half of businesses now fail because they failed to proactively respond to these changes.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science ICT AI NanoMatlBio Robot TransHuman Machine Transport Energy Environment Space People Purpose Process
Widespread AI systems educate people on the facts of science and expose the myths.
Choosing to believe myths and ignore science has resulted in adverse consequences and deaths! This is why AI systems have been deployed to educate the uneducated, with regard to science, facts, and myths.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science AI People Purpose
Accessible IT devices finally arrive. They are able to support the young, elderly and disabled.
Accessible devices were inspired by the open reference model for the Cognitive Coprocessor. Simple user interfaces support users that struggle with cognitive overload, such as that typically encountered on old fashioned web pages. A few physical raised buttons, with braille, allow the blind and those with limited finger dexterity to operate the device. Many units are AI enabled, and that allows intelligent interactions plus verbal communication. Simple menus on the large text screen allow people with poor eyesight and/or limited cognitive ability to interact effectively with the device. AI is able to manage and support the daily activities of its user.
TCD ~ short
Tags: ICT AI People
Flying cars fly themselves. (But they do not become a mass commuting solution.)
TCD ~ short
Tags: Transport
Space solar power drives in-space construction and operations. It also helps with some energy requirements on Earth, and slightly shields the Earth enough to mitigate global warming.
TCD ~ medium (climate mitigation ~ long)
Tags: Energy Environment Space
The demand for conventional computer programmers falls, due to AI tools performing that role quicker; but demand for quantum computer programmers and circuit designers rises rapidly (until AI takes over).
TCD ~ medium
Tags: ICT AI People
Ambient temperature superconductors are deployed as long distance electricity connectors.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science Energy
Typically, a new vehicle produces no toxic emissions and is able to drive itself. (Cars, lorries, trains, ships, planes, etc.)
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Transport Environment
3D printers have demonstrated their ability to print just about anything, including biological parts. Now a functional space based device has also been printed.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Machine Space
Space is now occupied by robots, probes, telescopes, satellites and rockets from most developed nations.
Most space based construction is now conducted by robots and 3D printers. The old risky space walks have been replaced by avatars (or Astrobots). See also: Space Future Gallery.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Robot Machine Space
Nanotechnology is helping super-capacitors to become more effective.
These excel the old fashioned chemical batteries in most respects: safety, peak charge and discharge currents, charge time, longevity, environmentally friendly, and now energy storage capacity.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science NanoMatlBio Energy
Synthetic, genetically created, "lifeforms" are used in manufacturing.
These are able to assemble physical structures, create electronic devices, and make meta-materials. In some areas they are more capable than 3D printers.
TCD ~ long
Tags: Science NanoMatlBio Machine
Hand held medical scanners are now able to diagnose many health problems.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science ICT AI NanoMatlBio Machine People
Most urban dwelling people, in developed nations, now regularly see robots.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Robot
Various chip technologies have emerged that use artificial, and real, neurons to build AI systems.
TCD ~ short
Tags: AI NanoMatlBio
Brain chips with limited functionality have been implanted to help restore some abilities in those with specific health problems.
Successes have been achieved in various areas, e.g. hearing, sight, paralysis, and depression.
A greater understanding of the human brain leads researchers to speculate that detailed sensory monitoring, and memory reading and modification, might not be possible - because of the unique complexity associated with each individual. However, lab rat experiments demonstrated that researchers could implant simple fake memories.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science ICT TransHuman
AI achieves professional status in many fields - including those thought "impossible".
TCD ~ short
Tags: AI
People can talk to others in languages that they do not know - thanks to AI.
TCD ~ short
Tags: ICT AI People
A quantum AI system has been developed to model human cells in detail. This is accelerating medical research and leading to cures and treatments for various health problems.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science AI NanoMatlBio People
AI has an amazing ability to read emotions, detect lying, and derive health parameters.
Several of these amazing tasks are achieved just by the AI looking at you, and listening to you.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science AI People
Intelligent agents (AI) offer a more robust product than the old bug ridden software era.
Now that the development, and improvement, of AI has been delegated to self improving AI, applications (mainly in the form of AI agents) provide a more robust product: resistant to failure, error, and hacking. [Of course, nothing is perfect.]
TCD ~ medium
Tags: ICT AI
Chips smaller than 1 mm square are widely available, driving the Internet of Things; and monitoring many things.
Micro chips can grab power from their ambient environment; but little effort went into thinking about how they might litter and pollute the environment.
TCD ~ short
Tags: ICT Environment
One of the largest sources of data generation comes from the analysis of the human genome and proteins.
This analysis allows AI to learn which health problems have a cause associated with specific genes and the way proteins fold. It has been successful in the treatment and prevention of most health problems (that fall into this category) - providing the individual has access to a funded service.
TCD ~ short / medium (depending on the specific illness, and personal privilege)
Tags: Science AI NanoMatlBio People
Just about everything is now connected to the Internet.
Sensors monitor the environment, pollution, buildings, streets, traffic, people, machinery, robots, manufacturing, agriculture, deliveries, energy production, and even devices in Earth orbit. This generates massive amounts of real-time data (or Big Data), which is used by AI to learn patterns, make predictions, and control systems. It allows systems to be optimised.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science ICT AI Robot TransHuman Machine Transport Energy Environment Space People
Virtual reality (VR) suits and head gear bring new physical sensations. Sometimes the users forget they are in VR.
These advanced aspects of immersive VR are very popular in some demographic groups. For those groups it is more popular than movies, games and social media. (What could possibly go wrong?)
Fanatics combine this technology with body implants (to sense and stimulate).
Brain implants follow; removing the need for some of the VR peripherals. This application is illegal in most societies, but as with drugs that does not stop everyone.
TCD ~ short (body implants ~ medium; brain implants ~ long / beyond)
Tags: ICT TransHuman People
Artificial intelligence and quantum computing (AI-QC) work in tandem to produce outstanding performance across many applications.
Photonics allow QC to scale up to billions of qubits, and for multiple units to be networked. This provides the opportunity to simulate physics and chemistry, to find new meta-materials, medicines, and cures for many health problems. This has the potential to revolutionise science and innovation. The key to rapidly unlocking these opportunities was AI - because most human computer programmers did not understand how to make use of quantum computing. AI designed most of the quantum circuits, and even incorporated QC co-processors into the following generations of AI hardware. The synergistic benefits of AI and QC rapidly accelerated progress - at a rate that surprised many in the computing industry (especially when they lost their jobs).
TCD ~ medium
Tags: Science ICT AI NanoMatlBio People
Quantum computers (QC) demonstrate outstanding performance in a few applications.
A limited number of qubits and a limited knowledge of how to apply QC mean that few applications make use of QC, underselling its future potential. Work continues on technologies to make QC much more scalable.
TCD ~ short
Tags: ICT
Massive computing infrastructure built to power realistic virtual world.
Inspired by the idea of the Dyson Sphere, Zxelvin Must Enterprises (ZME) builds a massive structure out in the asteroid belt. It is very thin but it covers a vast, and growing, area to capture solar energy. This powers AI-QC super computing networks that simulate life on Earth, in every detail. To limit the amount of computing power required, some fudges are used at the atomic scale. One aim of this is to model scenarios that allow solutions to many challenges to be found. Virtual World produces new science, medical solutions, and many innovations, at a cost.
TCD ~ beyond [or now?]
Tags: Science ICT AI Space
Bio-electronic trees boost wireless communications and IoT.
Nanotechnology merges with biology through advanced synthetic genetic engineering, to produce trees that act as intelligent environmental sensors and communication relays. Now urban and rural areas can boost their communications by simply planting this new species of tree. Sapling growth is accelerated in automated factories. The end result looks much nicer than the old fashioned mobile phone masts.
TCD ~ beyond
Tags: ICT NanoMatlBio Environment
The enterprise of Zxelvin Must creates Moon Face Alpha.
Three extensive bases are developed on the Moon, with large arrays of efficient black solar panels. Zxelvin determined that a good look from Earth would meet with widespread public approval, so collectively these areas were designed to look like a smiley face with two eyes and a mouth. The deployment and operation of the bases is highly automated. People live underground, shielded from the risks of hazardous radiation from the cosmos.
The smiling mouth powers mining operations, and the rail gun that launches materials into space.
TCD ~ long
Tags: AI Robot Machine Energy Space People
A new word emerges, which means deliberately misusing science facts to mislead; or unintentionally misunderstanding the science.
This was a significant problem in the past, but now AI has a significant role in explaining science, its findings, and what that means. Only fools, and those without access to the Internet, are now tricked by scifollocks.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science AI
A new word emerges, which means extrapolating science far beyond contemporary conclusions. It might result in science fiction, or lead to a good idea; or be scifollocks.
TCD ~ short
Tags: Science
Many have been surprised that it came so soon: the end of employment for most types of jobs.
The futurologists of the past keep a low profile, and when challenged they deny that they said new types of jobs would be created to sustain employment levels. Some traditional and new jobs exist, but few people are employed. All corporate factories, facilities, and their supply chains are highly automated. Maintenance jobs exist; as do jobs in local, off-grid, and undeveloped communities.
TCD ~ medium
Tags: AI Robot Machine People
Fri 19 May 16:06:15 BST 2023
