I’m giving you permission to pretend. Imagine you have a time machine and can transplant yourself 25 years into the future. We’re envisioning ourselves in the year 2050, and just like Marty McFly in Back to the Future II, we are exploring a world unlike anything we’ve ever seen. What has changed from 2025 to 2050? Where are we, personally and professionally? And is that Jaws shark still fake-looking??
Now, back to reality. While we don’t have a time-altering DeLorean, and no one knows what 2050 will bring, we can do everything possible to prepare ourselves for the future, especially as professionals.
Here are some of my thoughts as I look ahead into 2025 and beyond:
- Context matters now, and it always will.
Communication is critical for daily life today, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. In fact, it probably will continue to expand. People need people. People continue to find ways to interact with people near and far. The big wrench in this is with the expansion of AI and its continued development and ability to masquerade as a person. Will people utilize bots to fulfill our need for interaction? Context matters, and often today, people can see the difference between human behavior and AI behavior. But that might get harder and harder…and soon.So, how can we interpret context, and why does it matter so much? When talking human-to-human, we need to understand and look for subtle differences. Emotional subtleties are vital in understanding the context of human behavior. AI uses data and learned behavior to adapt to situations. When writing, we will continue to need to play into changing, evolving emotions of human behavior to develop and maintain relationships that aren’t face-to-face.
- AI might make us dumber.
I’ve already seen this first-hand. There is someone I know that I would describe as ‘sharp’ if nothing else. They are quick-witted and intelligent. However, their dependence on AI has seemingly caused their once-powerful cognitive muscles to atrophy. Like many others, they have seen the improvement technology has made in their ability to get work done and do it quickly. So, being the intelligent human they are, they use it whenever possible to maximize output. However, in just a year, they have relied on it for everything, lessening their critical thinking ability. What will that mean for us and the atrophy of our brains as technology and AI advance and our reliance on it strengthens? We’ve seen it before. GPS has made humans worse at learning and remembering geographical directions. Spell check has made humans terrible at spelling. And calculators in our pockets (aka on our cell phones) have made humans awful at simple and basic math. Let’s be conscious of our ability to think and work as technology gets better. We can’t lose this race. - Early onset dementia?
Okay, hear me out. I am not a doctor or a scientist; this has no research backing; it is just a hunch. But I can proudly say that my ‘hunches’ are often on target. Just as I mentioned about our brains atrophying in the point above, I wonder, if we don’t use our brains and continue to learn and develop, will that lead to widespread early onset dementia? An article from the Neurology Center for Epilepsy and Seizures is interesting and similar to my hypothesis. They suggest offsetting negative impacts on the brain and increasing brain health by limiting screen time when possible and incorporating more outdoor activities into our lives. I’m in! - Ethics will continue to develop for business.
I consider myself somewhat of an expert in business ethics. I’ve coached business leaders, given talks, and written articles on the subject. So, what do I expect for businesses in the future when it comes to ethics? There will likely be an increased focus on business ethics and public accountability. With all information available instantaneously, I think that the free market will favor more ethical and honest companies. Let’s face it: there is more transparency in the inner workings of companies these days. And that isn’t changing.Companies will also need to be honest about their use of AI. That’s not necessarily a bad thing…AI has a time/place/use that is positive. However, I think there will be a reckoning in corporate America where we will know the place of AI and use it ethically for the good of a business’s employees and customers.
Since we don’t have a time machine, we will all have to experience the future together as it happens. But my hope for this year and the next 25 years is that we will work together, move forward with the best of intentions, and continue to better ourselves daily. That’s our best hope for an ideal future.
Do you have predictions on what we can expect to experience over the next quarter century? I would love to hear them!
