What is the shape of things to come? From the weather to the markets to the next big thing in technology or the arts, we all want to know how the world will look tomorrow.
Predicting the future is an uncertain endeavor at best, but that doesn’t keep us from trying. And with ever greater access to information, instant communication, new forms of collaboration and crowd-sourcing, our predictions are becoming more frequent, more outrageous, and more accurate.
We know, for example, that cars will soon drive themselves. That our sight and speech – eventually our brains – will interact more directly with, and effectively control, our computers. Which will in turn become much smaller and be worn on – or inside – our bodies. This will all have a profound effect on how we live – how we think, how we work, how we learn, heal, enjoy.
What used to be science fiction is now fact. But what’s next? What is the future beyond the future? What disruptive technology is now just an idea bouncing around a young engineer’s mind? Who will create the next online sensation that again changes how we talk to each other? What new music will emerge from a garage somewhere to rock the world’s dance floors or unnerve the academy? Who are tomorrow’s great artists and innovators? How are they working; how do they create? And how will they get their creations to market in a world where the game changes, almost daily?
The future? Ask the next generation.