Futurology in most countries of the world has long been a discipline that has found practical application. Leading companies of the world actively resort to consultations of futurologists seeking to align their own business with long-term forecasts.
It was close cooperation with futurists that helped, in particular, Shell to achieve leadership in the oil sector, and Google - to get ahead of Apple in the mobile OS market. The long-term success of any company is based in no small part on the fact that it is ahead of social and technological progress in its field.
10 predictions for the next decade from Silicon Valley futurists
This month, San Jose hosted a regular seminar of the Institute for the Future, a futurological congress attended by both futurologists and businessmen. Based on its results, the nearest trends were determined, which will determine the technological program for the next decade.
1. In the next 10 years, the Internet of a new generation will appear
It is no secret that the initial concept of the Internet viewed it as a kind of free zone that would not be influenced by either commercial structures or the state as a whole. As a result, the world has received a centralized and highly vulnerable system.
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However, the situation may change in the next decade. Already, the development of technological solutions is underway that will bring the Internet closer to the original concept. Projects like Hyperboria, TOR, Meshnet and others have been actively developed after scandals with wiretapping and total espionage. Now they are gaining momentum, so that in a few years the old model of the Internet may be superseded by the new one.
2. The "Wikipedia for Manufacturers" appears
The network encyclopedia "Wikipedia" at some point destroyed the concept of a monopoly on information. Now we can expect that a similar project will appear, which will streamline all data on all types of production that exist today. As a result, the monopoly of the giants of the international level will come to an end, because any user can log on to the Internet and reproduce any production chain. Already at this stage there are all the prerequisites for this - network factories, research platforms, communities engaged in the production of components are actively developing.
3. 3D printing will revolutionize construction
The rapid development of 3D printing will literally revolutionize the concept of construction and manufacturing in general. The houses that will "print" will look different from those existing at this stage, more likely resembling "cities of the future" from science fiction films. The construction process itself will become less time consuming, as well as significantly diversify the form factors and force you to reconsider the materials used.
4. The perception of the penitentiary system will change
The main focus will be occupational therapy. Prisoners will be able to develop their own business, conduct research, etc.
5. Sharing material goods and any resources will become the norm
Recently, a huge number of startups have appeared that are based on the so-called idea of "resource sharing". In other words, if one person has a certain resource, and the other person is willing to pay to get it for temporary use, then these two people can cooperate and receive mutual benefit.
AirBnB rentals, car rentals from services like Mobility or ZipCar are the first examples of the new trend. In the near future, this direction will develop, which is quite natural, given that, in accordance with the latest research, both people and businesses usually use their own resources only by 1/10.
6. Public relations will be based on the pay-ahead model
The same "suspended" coffee in coffee houses that the previous visitor paid for - this is it. There are now many social startups that aim to incentivize users for free kindness. It is not yet known how this model will work in case of purchasing more expensive goods, but it continues to actively develop.
7. Remote work will become the norm
The number of freelancers continues to grow every day. According to the forecasts of futurologists, personal presence may soon become completely unnecessary, and the distance between people will finally lose its meaning. Fortunately, developing technologies will contribute to this.
8. A global map of the Earth's microflora will appear and will radically change our understanding of the role and functions of the ecosystem
In the event that the development of the project called Earth Microbiome Project is successful, the human understanding of the relationship existing between different levels of life on our planet will radically change. The relationship between man and the ecosystem will be redefined, as a result of which inevitable changes await most branches of knowledge. Research will be actively pursued to make it possible to manage ecosystems at the bacterial level.
9. With the help of Big Data technologies, it will be possible to model reality and predict all social processes
Thanks to the development of technology, humanity will learn to work out social processes, in particular, crises, in virtuality, which will help to avoid them in reality. Mass gamification will make it possible to design reality, calculating in advance the possibility of negative phenomena in society and in politics.
10. Creation of a neuro-map will help to empower the brain
The fact that the capabilities of the human brain today are actually poorly understood has been said many times. But only in the near future can we expect the development of technologies in this industry. In particular, the creation of a detailed neuro-map will make it possible to stimulate brain activity, as a result of which the capabilities of the human brain will greatly expand.