Equally theoretical physicist, futurist and science popularizer Michio Kaku works at the forefront of science and technology to understand the future.
A Harvard and Berkeley graduate, he spent 25 years as a professor of theoretical physics at City College of New York.
His main goal was to unite the laws of our Universe into a large "theory of everything" - to this Albert Einstein devoted most of his career. Yes, this may seem like an overwhelming task. But Kaku's fundamental contributions to string field theory have brought physicists closer than ever to solving it.
In short: his work has a real scientific basis. This base makes his vision of the future unique.
Challenges of the future
When most people look into the future, they imagine a world in which flying cars soar high above us, and diseases are treated through gene correction.
But for Kaku, one of the innovations stands out in a special way, eclipsing all the others - drones.
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In an interview with Futurism magazine at the World Government Summit in February, the topic was at the fore.
Kaku has warned about the dangers of military drone systems for years. The threat posed by military drones is undeniable, he argues. “The only immediate danger today is the automatic killing machines,” Kaku said.
Those who predict a future full of robots like the Terminator, armed with superior artificial intelligence, are missing out on real and imminent danger. “This won't happen for another hundred years, so I'm not worried,” he says.
And here's what really should make us think, according to Kaku:
We have drones that are controlled by people and give them the command: "Kill this target." In the future, the drone will recognize a human figure and will have permission to kill a target. One day it can go to the extreme - mistakes. A short circuit will occur, and the machine will simply start shooting these human figures, regardless of any commands. Automatic killing machines are the only thing we have to worry about right now, not tomorrow. Other than that, we really don't have to worry about robots taking over power.
Michio Kaku's perspective on the future
Here are some of Kaku's predictions on other topics.
Extraterrestrial life: "During this century we will come into contact with extraterrestrial civilization by listening to their radio messages."
Development of artificial intelligence: “Simple tasks performed by humans are beyond the capabilities of robots. But after a few decades they will become as smart as mice, then like rats, then like cats, dogs and monkeys. In this case, they can become dangerous and even displace people towards the end of the century."
Colonization of extraterrestrial worlds: “We need to provide insurance, a backup plan. The dinosaurs did not have a space program and therefore are not here today. Nobody says we have to leave Earth and go to Mars, but settling on Mars is a definite opportunity."
Bitcoin: “You can't stop virtual currencies. As for the question "how much are things", things cost exactly what you are willing to pay for them … so this is a gamble. This is speculation. As for my personal attitude to this - this thing has no productive capacity. Bitcoin is not a manufacturing industry."
Driverless cars: “As transport goes digital over the next decade, driverless cars, guided by GPS and radars, will appear on our highways. The terms "traffic accidents" and "traffic congestion" will become obsolete. Thousands of lives will be saved every year."
Dmitry Volkov