In 1980 over half of humanity lived in extreme assessment of progress on one’s own goals
poverty, now it is less than 10%. Many are having and objectives (as Finland is implementing).
some of their love and belongingness needs along
with self-esteem needs met by social media. So,
THE
future generations could live in a self-actualization
“GLOBALS GENERATION”
COMING OF AGE IN 2050
economy, making a living by doing, experiencing,
creating, and sharing with others around the
It is possible for members of the “Globals
Generation” to wake up in 2050 to the sound of
their personal AI/Avatar’s selection of the right
sounds and fragrances to make the transition from
sleep to waking a thrilling experience. Then this
cyber partner projects holograms of the coolest
create totally new species. Or will we be incapable
of coming to international agreements and just
let thousands, if not millions, of new species grow
beyond their original environments and migrate
around the world leaving future generations at
into
narrow
thinking
unwilling
to
And then members of this future generation can unemployment trends and decide to change
insert AI contact lenses to enter alternative virtual education and learning, create global re-training
realities to explore a variety of income earning and freelance jobs data banks and programs in
activities from around the world that also furthers cooperation with business, unions, governments,
their self-actualization without anxiety due to a and individuals? Will children born today learn
guaranteed daily income. Possible? Maybe. how to earn income via the Internet without
The quality of life for future generations will be
potential
technological
assistants will be as available as mobile
above. If so, future generations could have high phones are today;
unsure what to believe; hence, clinging to their increasingly hot temperatures, and change
known groups of similar beliefs, and stuck in their in insect related disease patters;
love and belongingness needs, unable to more
improve the prospect of the “Globals Generation”
•
•
genetics, electronics or other means) and
non-augmented citizens.
•
Establish data bases by labor, business, and
government to include forecasts of Next
Technologies (NT), future job skills, and
learning.
artificial narrow intelligence and artificial general brains could be augmented by smart contact intelligence? With a governance system to enforce lenses connecting them to the internet and their to evaluate future financial feasibility of
those standards? Or will we be incapable of coming personal AI/Avatar seeking out new experiences universal basic income.
to international agreements and allow AI to grow and income sources for what they want to do indiscriminately leaving future generations at the anyway.
•
•
Create
alternative
cash-flow
Most people will spend more money on
experiences (in virtual reality as well as
physical realities) than on things or physical
Study how to prevent future conflict between
technologically augmented humans (via AI,
AI will make the majority of our daily decisions
from investments to activity schedules;
coming of age in 2050 are:
•
Majority of meat conception will not require
animals;
future generations could have a great life! Their
objects; and
•
A significant percent by 2050 will have some
basic income giving them freedom to explore
their potentials in the self-actualization
economy as civilization increasingly merges
human
consciousness
and
technology
globally.
projections
Leaders in the S&T communities should
devote more effort to making current science
psychologist
Abraham
discovered that there is a hierarchy of needs that
healthy people progress through as they mature
and governance systems for synthetic biology? from basic survival needs, love and belongingness,
Not just gene editing that changes capabilities of self-esteem,
an individual of a species, but synthetic biology Possibly society is also going through this
that combines genes from difference species to hierarchy.
and
eventually
and future technology understandable to
Maslow
Similarly, will we create international standards
HUMAN FUTURES
•
toward self-actualization.
example, will we create international standards for
20
Effects of climate change will be indisputable
in coastal city flooding, natural disaster costs,
retraining requirements to support lifelong
control and understanding?
•
robot
flooded with information pollution leaving them With good answers to these and other questions,
famous
Brain and perception augmentation along
the kinds of international decisions mentioned
having a conventional job?
The
•
with personal AI/Avatars and micro
determined in part by decisions we make today. For
mercy of AI that eventually grows beyond human
learning styles, so that almost anything is
cooperate with others; and hence, unable to create Technology 2050: Scenarios and Actions to help
anticipate
semantic web that adapts to individuals’
anytime around the world;
control and awareness?
we
Nearly everyone will be connected to the
just reinforce what we think, further isolating Some actions suggested in the forthcoming Work/
Will
•
understandable and accessible, anywhere,
the mercy of microbes that grow beyond human experiences possible for the today’s schedule.
“Globals Generation” of 2050, such as:
But it is also possible, the narrow AI systems will
unemployment rates, fear of the “other” and
THE MILLENNIUM PROJECT
some conditions seem inevitable for our future
world activities found by their personal AI/Avatars.
groups
By Jerome C. Glenn, CEO
Whatever decisions are made or not made today,
self-actualization.
the general public.
•
Increase focus on developing creativity,
critical thinking, human relations, philosophy,
entrepreneurship (individual and teams), art,
self-employment, social harmony, ethics,
and values, to know thyself to build and
lead a meaningful working life with self-
HUMAN FUTURES
21