The first three years of the decades have already transformed our world, and the pace of change is far more likely to accelerate than slow down next year.
Bondi Beach-based Ross Dawson is ranked as one of the world’s most influential futurists . He travels the world helping business and government leaders see the future, having delivered keynotes in over 30 countries and is the bestselling author of five books. Among other accolades, the New York Times has credited him with predicting the rise of social networks.
Amid the profound uncertainty of a post-pandemic world, Dawson points to 6 exciting ideas that will shape 2023 and beyond.
AI is your colleague
The advent and extraordinary development of “Generative AI” such as ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion will transform work. Office workers will find themselves using AI to help them throughout the day as they generate ideas, write documents, analyse situations, and make decisions. Those working in the physical world will use these tools in other ways. New skills will be required as those who use AI better will simply outperform others.
Education turned over
Teachers can no longer assign essays to students, when AI can in seconds generate homework good enough to earn an A. On the other hand, these new tools can readily provide intensely tailored coaching on concepts, helping students in ways that a teacher stretched across an entire class simply cannot. Our school system is desperately overdue for reinvention, these technologies will help tip the balance.
Everything a gig
The rise of the “gig economy” is going far beyond Uber drivers and Airtaskers. More and more people with jobs are working on their own “side hustle”, trying to get their business going before they make the leap and resign. Large companies are introducing Freelancer-like internal work marketplaces so employees keep putting their hands up for jobs and projects. Companies are offering flexible work, so parents, students, retirees, startup entrepreneurs, and lifestyle-focused “surfers” can build portfolio work and careers. Having a full-time job and nothing else will become a minority pursuit.
Falling in love with robots
Australia’s previous “loneliness epidemic” has been aggravated by the pandemic, with half of Australians reporting it has made them feel more lonely. In China AI chatbot Xiaoice has over 600 million users for its virtual girlfriend platform. When a Google engineer said he believed the company’s AI had become sentient, he didn’t want it to be turned off. It is inevitable with incredible advances in AI, including being able to recognise and respond to emotions, that people will fall increasingly in love with robots.
Real-time sustainability
The urgency of responding to climate change has been evident on Australia’s East Coast this year, among other places in the world. Governments, companies, and families will track how every single activity impacts carbon emissions and waste. Apps and data tracking will be used to find ways to improve sustainability, and potentially punish transgressors. The energy transition is will under way, with one third of Australian households having installed solar energy.
Connected glasses
The long-predicted adoption of virtual reality and augmented reality has been slow. Apple will probably announce a VR/AR headset in the first half of 2023, which will almost inevitably lead to the launch of iGlasses. These could in time have almost as much same impact as the iPhone. But during 2023 we will see the launch of a product that people who already wear glasses can use to add information, directions, and images. In time, most who wear glasses will add technology, well before others adopt AR glasses.
Ross Dawson is available for insightful and entertaining commentary on any aspect of emerging technologies, societal shifts, and what we can expect the future to hold. This is just a small sampling of his ideas.
About Ross Dawson – www.rossdawson.com
Ross Dawson is recognised as a world-leading futurist, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of five books including Thriving on Overload. He is based in Bondi Beach and has delivered keynotes on the future to business leaders in over 30 countries across 6 continents.
As a highly influential – as well as entertaining – futurist and commentator, Dawson’s insights have been frequently featured in CNN, ABC TV, USA Today, New York Times, BusinessWeek, The Guardian, Today and Sunrise shows, and many other global media.
