How technology, climate, healthcare, and society will change in the next 50 years

The future anticipates immense potential, complex challenges, and certain risks

“The future has never been more uncertain.” -Susan Fourtané, science and technology journalist, Lux Ad Futurum

---

My Dad and I used to discuss technologies such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, artificial intelligence, new materials such as graphene and its applications and much more. Sometimes, he noted “I won’t be around, but good luck.” That was usually before we moved on to another topic or someone or something interrupted our little discussion moment. Many times I wondered why he consistently said “I won’t be around, but good luck.” He passed away three years ago. And now, I finally understand what he meant each time.

The following summary is based on industry expert insight and forecasts, recent data, and my own reporting over the last 20 years on science and technology innovation and future trends, I have compiled some of the changes we may expect over the next 50 years.

Climate and the environment

Pretty much everything else depends on the future of this planet, so I thought it makes sense to start here.

It’s likely the planet will warm up beyond 1.5 °C by ~2028, fueling more extreme weather including heat waves, storms, droughts, and rising seas unless aggressive cuts in emissions happen. This also means that economic shocks tied to climate impacts could slice global GDP by up to 50% between 2070-2090 if mitigation stalls. By 2050, ~150 million people may live below high-tide levels, with up to a billion facing annual coastal flooding risks. We’ll leave through more extreme weather and sea-level threats.

Health and Longevity

One of my favourite topics when it comes to future innovation, prediction, and the future of medicine, and one I’ve been reporting on for the last 20 years.

Those waiting for an organ donor for a life-saving transplant will be able to quickly lab-grown organs that could replace traditional transplants within a few decades. This will be possible thanks to advances in bioprinting and other bio-technologies. This is tightly linked to “Longevity escape velocity,” technology keeping us indefinitely healthy, which is speculated around 2030-2035. Why the link? Well, people will live longer which basically means there won’t be too many natural organs around available for transplant, you see?

Healthcare is one of the industries where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is better applied and is the most useful at collaborating with humans in order to speed up diagnostics and treatment. AI-driven, personalised diagnostics, robotic surgery, and telemedicine will massively reshape healthcare. Industry analysts had predicted AI-driven medical diagnostics to become mainstream by 2030. However, healthtech leaders I have recently interviewed on this topic agree that the technology is here and mass adoption is expected to happen much sooner. At the pace AI is evolving, I agree five years is now too long for this timeline. Diagnostics and treatment will definitely become more accurate and faster. Expect deeper insight, personalised medicine, longer lifespans, and even reversal of aging.

Artificial Intelligence and automation

This is an extense topic and one I’ve also followed and extensively reported on for the last 20 years together with robotics.

Narrow AI, the current AI you either love or hate, is set to surpass human levels in many domains by mid-century at the very latest. Just like I said above, the technology is moving faster than expected and predicted which means the timelines are shrinking. This means the next level of AI, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), might emerge in full swing around ~2045-2075. Or, much earlier, I would say. OpenAI, Softbank, and Oracle are building the Stargate AI mega factory in Abilene, in West Texas, working at a 24/7 speed. The end product is intelligence, artificial intelligence. Stargate will house data centres and GPU (advanced AI chips, which are little electronics powering the AI technology used by ChatGPT, for instance). I’ll discuss the different types of AI soon; I believe at this point everyone needs to know what is coming since it will affect everyone on the planet.

AI will eliminate many repetitive jobs (those who use AI to write should understand that writing, especially poetry and fiction, is not a repetitive task, it’s a creative one), at least 40% of repetitive jobs will be displaced by 2050 or earlier. New roles will be created, some of which have already started to emerge, and some others don’t exist yet but will emerge at due course. This is a transition time with a lot of unpredictability.

New governance, AI ethics, and regulation frameworks will be vital to manage AI’s risks and equitable benefits. The risks are real and will happen to a certain extent. AI is not a toy, as many seem to believe. Automation will disrupt more and more jobs and we see this happening already now. Lifelong learning will be essential.

Space and infrastructure

Space is another industry where AI is going to dramatically accelerate the extraterrestrial future. Elon Musk through his multi-companies has been a pioneer towards multiplanetary species and so we can expect Moon bases, asteroid mining rigs, orbital solar plants, and Mars settlements within ~50 years or less. Solar power beamed from orbit and space manufacturing and infrastructure will mature. Of course, there will be a new space race competition which together with remuneration will intensify.

Living and working off-Earth, genetic enhancements, and cognitive augmentation will change humanity's scoop.

Biotechnology and human augmentation

Biotechnology is supercharged by AI. CRISPR-curated cures for genetic disorders, regenerative medicine, lab-grown tissues and organs, and neural implants are all becoming mainstream during these coming decades. Brain-computer interfaces (BCI), neuromorphic chips, and AR glasses will blur human-machine boundaries. Neuralink has already successfully implanted a chip in a human brain giving a man a new life, demonstrating the technology is already ready.

Energy and materials

Transitions to renewables such as solar, wind, and fusion, carbon capture systems, and circular-economy production will accelerate. Mechanical breakthroughs including 4D printing, nanoscale 3D printing, and neuromorphic hardware will accelerate industry transformation.

Transportation and urban life

There will be a near-total shift to electric vehicles, many autonomously driven, and airborne taxis entering premium markets. I have already seen airborne taxis exhibited in tech conferences quite many years ago, so yes, people, they are real and they are coming to land somewhere near you. But first, they are coming to the Asian markets because that’s where these airborne vehicles are most advanced. Smart cities with integrated Internet of Things (IoT), biometric payments, and seamless connectivity will be ubiquitous.

Society and economy

More digital currencies, co-living elder care communities, and income models such as Universal Basic Income (UBI) may respond to mass automation and housing crises. UBI could be a response to job displacement due to AI and automation and other technological advancements. There have been a few pilot programmes in various cities and countries to assess its potential impact.

The global population is expected to rise from ~8 billion to ~9.7 billion by 2050, peaking near 10 billion in the 2080s. That is too far for me to assess and I won’t be around, so good luck to those who will.

Tech-enabled cultural divides may grow, raising new concerns around surveillance, data abuse, and privacy.

The future anticipates immense potential, complex challenges, and also certain risks. Which of these shifts interests or concerns you most?