#2 Got This Thing For Free
Technology seems to move at the speed of light. One minute, we were rewinding old cassette tapes, the next, we're downloading our favorite tunes from the internet. Just as we look back now in awe at the amazing innovations over the past few decades, so too will generations to come. The tech gadgets we use today could very well make it onto a "retro tech" list by 2050.
One thing that's almost guaranteed is that the world will have more robots...
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According to those at the FDM Group, a global tech and business talent solutions company, if we think AI is intelligent now, we ain't seen nothing yet.
"AI systems may increasingly learn to complete more and more tasks without constant human supervision. AI systems may communicate and negotiate with other AI systems, and robots may enter physical environments to work side by side with humans," the site reveals.
If you've ever wondered whether a robot might one day steal your job, it's not unlikely. But if you end up keeping your job, don't be surprised if you end up sharing an office with a robot. According to the FDM group, advances in robotics, computer vision, sensors and autonomous systems could allow machines to increasingly operate in physical environments alongside humans.
FDM's team says that some humans are already working alongside robots, with 542,000 industrial robots installed globally in 2024 alone. "There were also 4.66 million industrial robots in operational use worldwide at the end of 2024," they add.
So what would these robots be doing besides possibly making as a much-needed cup of coffee? According to the experts, they'd typically perform highly repetitive tasks, work alongside employees in factories, operate in warehouses and logistics networks, assist healthcare workers and potentially take on more responsibilities in homes.
"Autonomous vehicles and delivery systems could also change how people and goods move," they add.
When it comes to medicine, Professor Steven Bramwell at the London Centre for Nanotechnology says that by 2050, we should expect the lines between machines, electronics and biology to be "significantly blurred". He told the BBC that this means we could see nanotechnology implants to "monitor your health or aid communication."
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Meanwhile, Professor Roger Highfield, Science Director of the Science Museum, told the BBC that each of us could have what he calls a "digital twin" come 2050. These, he explains, are virtual versions of a physical object, updated using real time data.
"He imagines a world where each of us could have 'thousands of simplified twins', using them to explore how 'different medications or lifestyle changes affect your unique biology,'" reports the BBC.
