Mind phones, healthy 135-year olds, superintelligent AI that sets us lessons, motherhood at any age: David Wood's 2045 timeline will cheer you up
Our great friend, regular contributor and futures optimist David Wood recently presented his contributions to the Future of Life Institute’s “World-Building” competition. Above is his video version of three waves of change - turbulence, transformation, transcendence - and below is a timeline to 2045 (one of the requirements of the competition).
Fascinating, focussing on the possibilities rather than dangers of biotech and AI, enjoyably arguable. And in the midst of the current moment, something to (mostly) look forward to.
2022
US mid-term elections result in log-jammed US governance, widespread frustration, and a groundswell desire for more constructive approaches to politics.
The collapse of a major crypto “stablecoin” results in much wider adverse repercussions than was generally expected, and a new social appreciation of the dangers of flawed financial systems.
Data point: Number of people killed in violent incidents (including homicides and armed conflicts) around the world: 590,000
2023
Fake news that is spread by social media driven by a new variant of AI provokes riots in which more than 10,000 people die, leading to much greater interest a set of “Singularity Principles” that had previously been proposed to steer the development of potentially world-transforming technologies.
G7 transforms into the D16, consisting of the world’s 16 leading democracies, proclaiming a profound shared commitment to champion norms of: openness; free and fair elections; the rule of law; independent media, judiciary, and academia; power being distributed rather than concentrated; and respect for autonomous decisions of groups of people.
Data point: Proportion of world population living in countries that are “full democracies” as assessed by the Economist: 6.4%
2024
South Korea starts a trial of a nationwide UBI scheme, in the first of what will become in later years a long line of increasingly robust “universal citizens’ dividends” schemes around the world.
A previously unknown offshoot of ISIS releases a bioengineered virus. Fortunately, vaccines are quickly developed and deployed against it. In parallel, a bitter cyber war takes place between Iran and Israel. These incidents lead to international commitments to prevent future recurrences.
Data point: Proportion of people of working age in US who are not working and who are not looking for a job: 38%
2025
Extreme weather – floods and storms – kills 10s of 1000s in both North America and Europe. A major trial of geo-engineering is rushed through, with reflection of solar radiation in the stratosphere – causing global political disagreement and then a renewed determination for tangible shared action on climate change.
The US President appoints a Secretary for the Future as a top-level cabinet position. More US states adopt rank choice voting, allowing third parties to grow in prominence.
Data point: Proportion of earth’s habitable land used to rear animals for human food: 38%
2026
A song created entirely by an AI tops the hit parade, and initiates a radical new musical genre.
Groundswell opposition to autocratic rule in Russia leads to the fall from power of the president and a new dedication to democracy throughout countries formerly perceived as being within Russia’s sphere of direct influence.
Data point: Net greenhouse gas emissions (including those from land-use changes): 59 billion tons of CO2 equivalent – an unwelcome record.
2027
Metformin approved for use as an anti-aging medicine in a D16 country. Another D16 country recommends nationwide regular usage of a new nootropic drug.
Exchanges of small numbers of missiles between North and South Korea leads to regime change inside North Korea and a rapprochement between the long-bitter enemies.
Data point: Proportion of world population living in countries that are “full democracies” as assessed by the Economist: 9.2%
2028
An innovative nuclear fusion system, with its design assisted by AI, runs for more than one hour and generates significantly more energy out than what had been put in.
As a result of disagreements about the future of an independent Taiwan, an intense destructive cyber battle takes place. At the end, the nations of the world commit more seriously than before to avoiding any future cyber battles.
Data point: Proportion of world population experiencing mental illness or dissatisfied with the quality of their mental health: 41%
2029
A trial of an anti-aging intervention in middle-aged dogs is confirmed to have increased remaining life expectancy by 25% without causing any adverse side effects. Public interest in similar interventions in humans skyrockets.
The UK rejoins a reconfigured EU, as an indication of support for sovereignty that is pooled rather than narrow.
Data point: Proportion of world population with formal cryonics arrangements: 1 in 100,000
2030
Russia is admitted into the D40 – a newly expanded version of the D16. The D40 officially adopts “Index of Human Flourishing” as more important metric than GDP, and agrees a revised version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, brought up to date with transhuman issues.
First permanent implant in a human of an artificial heart with a new design that draws all required power from the biology of the body rather than any attached battery, and whose pace of operation is under the control of the brain.
Data point: Net greenhouse gas emissions (including those from land-use changes): 47 billion tons of CO2 equivalent – a significant improvement
2031
An AI discovers and explains a profound new way of looking at mathematics, DeepMath, leading in turn to dramatically successful new theories of fundamental physics.
Widespread use of dynamically re-programmed nanobots to treat medical conditions that would previously have been fatal.
Data point: Proportion of world population regularly taking powerful anti-aging medications: 23%
2032
First person reaches the age of 125. Her birthday celebrations are briefly disrupted by a small group of self-described “naturality advocates” who chant “120 is enough for anyone”, but that group has little public support.
D40 countries put in place a widespread “trustable monitoring system” to cut down on existential risks (such as spread of WMDs) whilst maintaining citizens’ trust.
Data point: Proportion of world population living in countries that are “full democracies” as assessed by the Economist: 35.7%
2033
For the first time since the 1850s, the US President comes from a party other than Republican and Democratic.
An AI system is able to convincingly pass the Turing test, impressing even the previous staunchest critics with its apparent grasp of general knowledge and common sense. The answers it gives to questions of moral dilemmas also impress previous sceptics.
Data point: Proportion of people of working age in US who are not working and who are not looking for a job: 58%
2034
The D90 (expanded from the D40) agrees to vigorously impose Singularity Principles rules to avoid inadvertent creation of dangerous AGI.
Atomically precise synthetic nanoscale assembly factories have come of age, in line with the decades-old vision of nanotechnology visionary Eric Drexler, and are proving to have just as consequential an impact on human society as AI.
Data point: Net greenhouse gas *removals*: 10 billion tons of CO2 equivalent – a dramatic improvement
2035
A novel written entirely by an AI reaches the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and is widely celebrated as being the finest piece of literature ever produced.
Successful measures to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, coupled with wide deployment of clean energy sources, lead to a declaration of “victory over runaway climate change”.
Data point: Proportion of earth’s habitable land used to rear animals for human food: 4%
2036
A film created entirely by an AI, without any real human actors, wins Oscar awards.
The last major sceptical holdout, a philosophy professor from an Ivy League university, accepts that AGI now exists. The pope gives his blessing too.
Data point: Proportion of world population with cryonics arrangements: 24%
2037
The last instances of the industrial scale slaughter of animals for human consumption, on account of the worldwide adoption of cultivated (lab-grown) meat.
AGI convincingly explains that it is not sentient, and that it has a very different fundamental structure from that of biological consciousness.
Data point: Proportion of world population who are literate: 99.3%
2038
Rejuvenation therapies are in wide use around the world. “Eighty is the new fifty”. First person reaches the age of 130.
Improvements made by AGI upon itself effectively raise its IQ one hundred fold, taking it far beyond the comprehension of human observers. However, the AGI provides explanatory educational material that allows people to understand vast new sets of ideas.
Data point: Proportion of world population who consider themselves opposed to AGI: 0.1%
2039
An extensive set of “vital training” sessions has been established by the AGI, with all citizens over the age of ten participating for a minimum of seven hours per day on 72 days each year, to ensure that humans develop and maintain key survival skills.
Menopause reversal is common place. Women who had long ago given up any ideas of bearing another child happily embrace motherhood again.
Data point: Proportion of world population regularly taking powerful anti-aging medications: 99.2%
2040
The use of “mind phones” is widespread: new brain-computer interfaces that allow communication between people by mental thought alone.
People regularly opt to have several of their original biological organs replaced by synthetic alternatives that are more efficient, more durable, and more reliable.
Data point: Proportion of people of working age in US who are not working and who are not looking for a job: 96%
2041
Shared immersive virtual reality experiences include hyper-realistic simulations of long-dead individuals – including musicians, politicians, royalty, saints, and founders of religions.
The number of miles of journey undertaken by small “flying cars” exceeds that of ground-based powered transport.
Data point: Proportion of world population living in countries that are “full democracies” as assessed by the Economist: 100.0%
2042
First successful revival of mammal from cryopreservation.
AGI presents a proof of the possibility of time travel, but the resources required for safe transit of humans through time would require the equivalent of building a Dyson sphere around the sun.
Data point: Proportion of world population experiencing mental illness or dissatisfied with the quality of their mental health: 0.4%
2043
First person reaches the age of 135, and declares herself to be healthier than at any time in the preceding four decades.
As a result of virtual reality encounters of avatars of founders of religion, a number of new systems of philosophical and mystical thinking grow in popularity.
Data point: Proportion of world’s energy provided by earth-based nuclear fusion: 75%
2044
First human baby born from an ectogenetic pregnancy.
Family holidays on the Moon are an increasingly common occurrence.
Data point: Average amount of their waking time that people spend in a metaverse: 38%
2045
First revival of human from cryopreservation – someone who had been cryopreserved ten years previously.
Subtle messages decoded by AGI from far distant stars in the galaxy confirm that other intelligent civilisations exist, and are on their way to reveal themselves to humanity.
Data point: Number of people killed in violent incidents around the world: 59
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More here (with David answering questions about his timeline here).
You can also read David’s contribution to the request for two short stories from this timeline - A day in the life of Patricia, 2045 and A day in the life of Asimov, 2045