A BRIDGE TO ABUNDANCE
BY : DR . PETER H . DIAMANDIS ENTREPRENEUR & AUTHOR
A Bridge To
Abundance
When looking at the most pressing issue humanity will face in the next 100 years , I do not believe it will stem from those typically highlighted by the media : a scarcity of water , energy , or other resources .
As described in my book Abundance , I believe in the next 30 years we truly are heading to a world of abundance where we will be able to meet the basic needs of every man , woman , and child .
Through advances in exponentially growing technologies such as artificial intelligence , 3D printing , synthetic biology , and nanotechnology , we are dematerializing and demonetizing the cost of energy , food , healthcare , and education to the point where it will be accessible to anyone on ( or off ) the planet at near-zero cost .
Over the next 20 to 30 years , I believe that our most pressing challenges will be driven by AI and robotics . Not in the style of the Terminator , though . Instead , my concern comes from the potential for significant technological unemployment .
McKinsey & Co . predicts that 45 percent of jobs today will be automated out of existence in only 20 years . While we ’ ve seen this magnitude of change in the past – America went from a land of 84 percent farmers in 1810 to under 2 percent today – what worries me is actually the speed of the coming change .
My goal through my work at XPRIZE and Singularity University is to help build a “ bridge to abundance .” To help bridge the challenges we ’ ll face over the next 10 to 30 years . In the longer term , society will adapt , and humans will partner and merge with technology to reskill , evolve , and become even better workers .
I ’ d love your ideas on how we deal with the coming challenges of technological unemployment . Please tweet them at me @ PeterDiamandis .
IMHO , the challenge is not that people will lose their buying power ( for food and healthcare ). I ’ m confident that much of the world will eventually adopt Universal Basic Income ( UBI ) programs while , at the same time , exponential technology will continue to rapidly demonetize our cost of living .
The challenge is a psychological and sociological variant . Humans don ’ t
like having nothing to do . We love challenges , and have a deep need for significance and contribution . For many , a person ’ s job title provides them with a standing in society and is part of their identity . Lose that identity and people may revolt ( some violently ) against the technology that took it away from them .
How will we tame such ( potential ) societal unrest ? Who will be to blame ? Please send me your thoughts .
This year at Abundance 360 I was joined by Tony Robbins and experts across a wide range of fields to investigate solutions and ideas .
I truly believe that advanced technologies and entrepreneurial innovation will allow us to address this issue . As I teach at Singularity University , the world ’ s biggest problems are the world ’ s biggest business opportunities . +
Dr . Peter H . Diamandis is an international pioneer in the fields of innovation , incentive competitions , and commercial space . In 2014 he was named one of “ The World ’ s 50 Greatest Leaders ” – by Fortune Magazine .
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