It turns out that the future is known and available for all. At least, according to a new book from McKinsey (No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends).
What can you expect in the coming couple of decades?
1) Cheaper energy storage (batteries) which will transform transportation and energy systems.
2) Genomic analysis tools will lead to dramatic health improvements and life extension by 2025.
3) Advanced materials as engineers learn to manipulate things on a molecular level.
4) Autonomous vehicles. Why drive when you can play Go Fish?
5) Renewable energy. The sun will account for more than all other forms of electric power generation combined by 2050.
6) Robots. Well, duh!
7) 3-D printing. Why buy shoes when you can print them?
8) Mobile Internet. Are you reading this on a PC? What’s a PC?
9) Automation of knowledge work. By 2025, computers could do the work of 140 million knowledge workers.
10) Internet of things. Today, 99% of physical objects are not connected to the Internet. Soon, almost everything will be.
11) Cloud. Soon, every new startup will have the same IT backbone and scalability and reach as the largest corporations.
12) Advanced oil and gas recovery. The world carbon market will transform as fracking releases gas from rocks.