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Hello, friends! Welcome to the show "Path to a
Billion." Today, we’re diving into the future! No, not on a spaceship, but through the lens of
futurology. The topic of today’s episode is “Futurist.” Who is that? No, it’s not a comic
book hero, but someone who studies and predicts the future. Yes, it’s a real profession!
Ready to look beyond the horizon? Let’s go! Who is a Futurist?
A futurist is someone who analyzes current trends and uses them
to forecast what the future holds. And no, they don’t sit with a crystal ball, staring at it
like it’s a Black Friday sale. Instead, they study science, technology, and societal processes to
make educated predictions about what lies ahead. Take Ray Kurzweil, the chief futurist at
Google. In 1999, he predicted that by 2020 artificial intelligence would be actively
developing, and he was right! Though if he had also predicted that AI would learn to create
memes, we would have been even more impressed.
Key responsibilities of a Futurist: Analyzing Current Trends.
A futurist observes what’s happening now in science, economics, technology,
and society. Think of them as a superhero keeping an eye on everything at once—except instead
of saving the world, they’re saving us from unexpected surprises in the future.
Creating Future Scenarios. These aren’t scripts for a movie but various
possibilities of how the future could unfold. Will we have a utopia with flying cars or a dystopia
with long queues for e-scooter charging stations? Advising businesses and governments.
Futurists help companies and governments make informed decisions based on potential future
scenarios.
So, if a company suddenly decides to grow tomatoes on Mars, the futurist will tell them
how realistic that is within the next 50 years. What areas do Futurists focus on? Technology.
How will AI, robots, and virtual reality evolve? Will we attend meetings wearing augmented
reality glasses, or will we stick to Zoom calls? Economy.
Which industries will thrive, and which will disappear? Will we witness a crypto-utopia,
or will there be a shift back to cash? Social changes.
How will our habits, lifestyles, and work change? Will we vacation on
virtual Maldives or still choose real beaches? A futurist is someone who helps us look
into the future so we can be prepared for it.
Their role is not just to predict, but
to inspire the creation of a better world. And now, it’s time to look at some
real predictions from futurists. Thomas Frey predicts that by 2030, 2 billion
jobs will be lost to automation. It's time to learn how to control robots so
as not to be left without work IBM uses futurists to forecast the future
of quantum computing. They analyze when these computers will be capable of solving
complex problems so they can invest in their development at the right time. And not
be left with just regular calculators. Michio Kaku, a renowned futurist
and theoretical physicist, predicted that by 2030, people
will be able to control objects with their minds thanks to advancements in
neurotechnology. Let's see, let's see… That’s all for today! Thanks for
joining us! Don’t forget to check out the link in the description
to the application “X Empire.”
