To explore our first chapter of the 2050 project, I’m going to drill down on three questions or areas that seem to have the most movement right now:
- How will the human brain function by 2050? How much of it is the biological brain as we know it, and how much will be aided by an AI layer? What impact will that have on neurological disease i.e. Parkinson’s? Will brains be able to communicate with other brains using thought alone?
- What will it mean to age, or be old in years, in 2050? A tremendous amount of work right now is focused on the greying population and how to make someone who’s grown old not feel old. This is a crucial question as the developed world faces drastically aging populations without working-age populations to replace them. The United Nations projects that by 2050, 32 countries will have a greater share of senior citizens than Japan — well known for its population decline and preponderance of seniors — does now. (Note to self: Try out Cyberdyne exoskeleton at CES)
- What ‘superhuman’ powers will humans be capable of? Will humans function without sleep? How will our attention spans be able to be lengthened?
Future Human 