What will they think about us in 2085?

Summary

The speaker contemplates the future, speculating on societal changes such as synthetic pregnancy, motion capture replacing touchscreens, acceptance of polygamy, autonomous vehicles, and the decline of combustion engines and cash. They also predict a shift away from eating mammals and the obsolescence of certain technologies like smart homes and the quantum internet. The script ends with a promotion for the Imprint app, offering a new learning method with a special offer.

Takeaways

• 🤰 Pregnancy in the future might be handled differently, with synthetic uteruses becoming the norm for pre-term babies and potentially for all pregnancies.
• 📱 Touch screens are predicted to be replaced by motion capture technology, leading to the disappearance of keyboards and handheld devices in favor of augmented reality.
• 👥 Enforced monogamy is expected to fade as governments stop dictating adult relationships, with polygamy becoming more widely accepted.
• 🚗 Autonomous vehicles will likely make human-driven cars illegal except for emergencies, as humans will be seen as the primary cause of accidents.
• 🚗 Combustion engines will become obsolete due to inefficiency, but synthetic fuels may still be used in certain industries like aviation.
• 🍗 Eating mammals could become outlawed and seen as morally repulsive in the future, with a shift towards alternative sources of protein.
• 💰 Cash is predicted to go extinct due to its cumbersome nature, with privacy concerns being addressed through other means.
• 🩺 Full body scans may become a standard part of daily health checks, with households owning ultrasound devices and AI sorting out health details.
• 🚚 Delivery services will be revolutionized by drones, overcoming legal hurdles regarding flight regulations.
• ✈️ Supersonic planes are expected to make a comeback despite ecological concerns, driven by human desire for speed.
• 🏠 Smart homes may become less relevant with the advent of the robot revolution, as robots can perform tasks that smart homes automate.
• 🕶️ Full-blown virtual reality is likely to remain niche due to a lack of compelling use cases.
• 🌐 The quantum internet is not expected to take off, as it may be seen as an impractical or misunderstood concept in the future.

Q & A

What does the speaker speculate about the future of pregnancy?

The speaker speculates that growing a fetus in a synthetic uterus will become the norm in the future, initially for very pre-term babies and then gradually for earlier stages of pregnancy.

How does the speaker envision the replacement of touchscreens?

The speaker believes that touchscreens will be replaced with motion capture technology, which will also eventually lead to the disappearance of keyboards and handheld devices.

What does the speaker think about the future of Augmented Reality (AR)?

The speaker thinks AR is the future, as stated by Zuckerberg, but acknowledges that the technology is not yet there and may take around 20 years to fully develop.

What changes does the speaker predict regarding relationships and monogamy?

The speaker predicts that developed nations will stop enforcing monogamy socially or legally, allowing adults to have relationships without government interference, as long as no one is harmed.

How does the speaker foresee the future of driving with autonomous vehicles?

The speaker believes that once autonomous vehicles become common, it will be recognized that humans are the main cause of accidents, leading to self-driving becoming illegal except for emergencies within about 20 years.

What is the speaker's opinion on the future of combustion engines?

The speaker thinks combustion engines are too inefficient and are doomed to die out. However, synthetic fuels like petrol, kerosene, or propane may still be used, especially in aviation.

What changes does the speaker anticipate in the consumption of meat?

The speaker anticipates that eating mammals will eventually go out of fashion and be outlawed, with people in the future considering it morally repulsive, although this change may take a century.

Why does the speaker think cash will become extinct?

The speaker believes cash will become extinct because it is cumbersome to use and there will be other ways to maintain privacy, possibly through technological advancements.

What does the speaker think about the future of full body scans?

The speaker thinks it's crazy that we don't have a way to look inside our bodies regularly and predicts that having an ultrasound device or better methods in every household will become standard for daily health checks.

How does the speaker see the role of delivery personnel changing?

The speaker sees delivery personnel being replaced by drones and landing places for them, with the main hurdle being legal regulations regarding who is allowed to fly where.

What does the speaker predict about the return of supersonic planes?

The speaker predicts that supersonic planes will make a comeback, regardless of ecological concerns, because of human desire for faster travel.

What are some technologies the speaker believes will not happen or fade into obscurity?

The speaker believes that smart homes will be overshadowed by the robot revolution, full-blown virtual reality will remain a niche, and the quantum internet will fade into obscurity due to a lack of understanding and practical use cases.