Ra-Ra-Rasputin.. Future Predictions.

[GreyCat]

The job losses to AI could be quite incredible. Anything that can be done on computer can be done by computer. The interesting one to watch will be the legal system. AI barristers, judges, etc? Will laws be written by AI?

Possibly.... but perhaps not as much as we think. Some middle-class jobs of possibly limited value (e.g. some lawyers) but the basics- the core work- will be required still. Hairdressing, picking up the bins, clearing plumbing and so on..... basics.

Interesting responses so far - far more , cultural and societal than I was expecting.

I guess I was wondering more " applied applications " , Do you think we will have driverless heavy haulage on the roads?
Pilots removed from Aircrafts?
More 'smart' houses?
Vorpal bladed bushcraft Knives?
Real Jurassic park? Bring Dinos back?


Or will Ten years be too short a time frame? I remember watching Maggie Philbin promising me a robot butler back in the 80's and the closest we seem to have gotten so far is a Roomba.

Smart houses: probably no more than now.

Driverless trucks: no. It's almost impossible to make freight trains driverless, not a hope for trucks. Driverless trains only work where the environment can be wholly controlled e.g. in tunnels- otherwise sticky things like trespassers and the weather get in th eway. Chaotic, unprodictable- which AI is not good at but people are.

Pilots removed from planes- no, same reason. Logistics, baked in ways of operating, and the thing is, you don't change the risk- just move it to the programmers/AI trainers from the pilots.

Also.... the dirty little secret of AI is the high electrical energy use. Datacentres already use a LOT of energy and indeed there is talk of some reactivating old nuclear power stations to meets their energy needs. AI uses even more power.

In a world where electrical power becomes more costly and scarce, the "pitch forks" will come out. Given that our energy grids are fundamentally vulnerable, I can't see a world where AI takes resources at the expense of heating, light and food for the majority being practicable. As an ex-magistrate friend of mine has commented, there's a casual level of violence in some parts of society, and rouse it at your peril. Bread and circuses only works to a point......

Human nature will, I think, in the end save us from the worst excesses of AI- albeit the way it happens may not be particularly pleasant.

It's really all down to human nature, otherwise no-one in the world today would be hungry, thirsty, cold or homeless. The basic tech isn't the issue- its the implementation.

GC

 

[Danceswithhelicopters]

With the current self inflicted trade war allied to some pretty unignorable demographic shifts in age distribution I think we will see a major economic crash in the next year.

Let's meet up in 2026!

 

[TeeDee]

With the current self inflicted trade war allied to some pretty unignorable demographic shifts in age distribution I think we will see a major economic crash in the next year.

Let's meet up in 2026!

Ignoring the geopolitical stuff do you mean ref the demographic shifting , a more aging population? and with Birth rates in the western world predicting to stall / lessen - making the pyramid of population thinner at the base for the next few decades?

I wonder what that from an applied technology aspect would see come to fruit? I could imagine an increase in exoskeleton type wheel chair devices allowing wheelchair bound individuals 'walk'.

See a possible increase in AI chat bots being used by the lonely - whatever their age as Loneliness seems a creeping silent ( no pun ) epidemic.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Ignoring the geopolitical stuff do you mean ref the demographic shifting , a more aging population? and with Birth rates in the western world predicting to stall / lessen - making the pyramid of population thinner at the base for the next few decades?

I wonder what that from an applied technology aspect would see come to fruit? I could imagine an increase in exoskeleton type wheel chair devices allowing wheelchair bound individuals 'walk'.

See a possible increase in AI chat bots being used by the lonely - whatever their age as Loneliness seems a creeping silent ( no pun ) epidemic.

The classical "age pyramid" that we were taught in geography class (right... economics was not taught at all, never mind to O level in my school) has been shifting in shape for decades.

Japanese inventors have been working on exoskeletons for at least a couple of decades, too; the stated aim was to allow older people to be more physically active, but the example applications that I remember were so that they could continue to fetch and carry groceries in 7-11s and to work in fields on tiny farms producing high-value goods (melons at £50 a pop, for example).

 

[TeeDee]

The classical "age pyramid" that we were taught in geography class (right... economics was not taught at all, never mind to O level in my school) has been shifting in shape for decades.

Japanese inventors have been working on exoskeletons for at least a couple of decades, too; the stated aim was to allow older people to be more physically active, but the example applications that I remember were so that they could continue to fetch and carry groceries in 7-11s and to work in fields on tiny farms producing high-value goods (melons at £50 a pop, for example).

Do Melons pop?!? Only in high pressure high altitude air cabins surely?

 

[Ozmundo]

The future of stand up comedy.

 

[Paul_B]

There seems to be steps being taken to study and utilise mycelium in computer tech. I've not read up on it too much, so not sure what direction it's going in. But, it's not a huge leap of the imagination to envisage a living computer. Perhaps it's another step in the road towards interfacing the human body with computer/mechanical technology.

Some researchers used a slime mould to model efficient transportation networks. Same for logistics networks. Apparently with the existence of higher levels of food (big cities) and lower levels in other areas the mould detected where to go and most efficient route around the complex network. 'Food' is a good indication of demand for slime mould.

Apparently it did the complex calculations on this made by a supercomputer in a third of the time!

 

[Chris]

Some researchers used a slime mould to model efficient transportation networks. Same for logistics networks. Apparently with the existence of higher levels of food (big cities) and lower levels in other areas the mould detected where to go and most efficient route around the complex network. 'Food' is a good indication of demand for slime mould.

Apparently it did the complex calculations on this made by a supercomputer in a third of the time!

This does confirm some suspicions I have about our local town planners.

 

[Paul_B]

I think some time in the future the older generation will understand and accept the modern world they complain about was what they had a hand in creating and apologise. This will be repeated with read generation shift until we learn to actually make the world into what works for everyone. Whatever that is.

In reality when each generation takes over from the next they'll mess the world up in new ways under the misguided POV that they're doing things better!

PS I have the same POV as parents. Each new generation of parents try to do the parenting thing better than their parents. Learning from their parent's mistakes only in doing so they make their own, new mistakes. Which results in their kids being as messed up as they were by their parents.

Sorry for being so negative.

On a brighter side, we will finally accept cyclists as valued members of society and provide high quality infrastructure just for them like in the Netherlands and other countries do right now!

I am a dreamer. So I predict a shortage of surplus kit at some point after planet wide peace outbreaks and nobody finds a use for it as there's no armies and wild animals are no longer hunted because we eat home lab grown meat and home grown vegetables that are far superior to anything farmed or hunted commercially. Rich people decide virtual reality hunting is more fun anyway as they actually hit their targets when shooting or catch the fox on a hunt every time (with a cheat of course).

 

[TeeDee]

This does confirm some suspicions I have about our local town planners.

Lizard people . right!?

I knew I wasn't the only one that must have spotted it...

 

[Glow_worm]

I think some time in the future the older generation will understand and accept the modern world they complain about was what they had a hand in creating and apologise. This will be repeated with read generation shift until we learn to actually make the world into what works for everyone. Whatever that is.

Interesting point this. When I was a child I was frequently told by adults that the world was a better place when they were young and everything nowadays had gone downhill. It was always in a tutting, scolding manner, as if it were my fault. Erm I wasn't the one who allowed it to happen or worse, played a part in making it happen.

As I got older I started pointing this out to people, but they never take kindly to it.

Which leads in nicely to the irony of the human life cycle and learning process. Young ones think they know it all, despite having no worldy experience, and old ones think they know it all having amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience of a world which no longer exists....