A Futurist’s Handbook for Hollywood (Part 2)
PART 2: Technological Impacts and Scenarios
Welcome back to A Futurist’s Handbook for Hollywood, where we examine the technologies impacting our world, our industry and our stories. We are back in the bamboo forest. Its robust subterranean root system, symbolizing our emerging technologies, has sprouted and is growing rapidly. On the week of publication both Google and OpenAI revealed demos of their multi-modal AI assistants — the media (and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman) comparing them to the lifelike AI companion in ‘HER’. (*Update) And in a plot twist, ‘HER’ actress Scarlett Johannson reveals she turned down an offer from OpenAI to the voice the AI, however the voice created was still extremely similar, causing Johannson to obtain legal counsel. OpenAI also announced a deal with Apple to integrate Chat GPT 4o into Siri and train on Reddit conversations.
The forest is growing fast and unchecked.
“Every aspect of technology we use has a bright side and a dark side, and that’s the way it has always been. It’s always a double-edged sword.” — Margaret Atwood
The root system, comprised of the seven sectors of technology discussed in Part 1, has come to life, intertwining and reshaping the ecosystem. This section examines what the forest — our near future lives — could look like by breaking it into different domains impacted by these emerging technologies and illustrating scenarios. Some of these scenarios are speculative, while others already exist in developing forms or in lesser-known corners of the world. In all scenarios, there is a playground rich with possibilities for stories in TV, movies, extended reality, and gaming, reflecting and informing society’s shifts, both positive and negative.
Our Seven Sectors of Technologies:
AI and Machine Learning (🤖) Quantum Computing (🔮) Biotechnology (🧬) Nanotechnology (✨) Materials Science and 3D Printing (🏗️) Advanced Connectivity (🌐) Blockchain and Web 3 (🔗)
What Part 2 offers:
EIGHT DOMAINS OF IMPACT (w/ many links): The Future of ‘Home’ (🏙)️, The Autonomous Life (🕹️), The Future of Work & Education (💡), The Body as a Wonderland (🦾), Environmental Protagonists (🌍), Entertainment Reimagined (🕶️), The Evolving Landscape of Conflict (⚔️), Space and Deep Sea Exploration (🚀🌊)
A CHEAT SHEET SUMMARY (you’re welcome)
THE DOMAINS
1. 🏙️ The Future of ‘Home’
Envision this: a city, alive and connected, anticipating and adapting to human needs while reflecting a harmony with nature. Self-repairing buildings and roads, traffic flows of shared e-vehicles, both flying and terrestrial, and drones are optimized by intelligent systems, making room for more trams, bikes, and pedestrian walkways. Car ownership? A thing of the past. Mixed-use buildings with community rooftops and gardens, crafted from eco-friendly bio-adaptive materials, conduct and store energy and grow local produce. Lush, drought-tolerant greenery cools expanded public spaces, integrated into the cityscape. Large communal facilities support at risk populations during ‘smoke and heat days’. An advanced water capture system collects water during storms. Flexibly sized housing is optimized, affordable, showcasing new models of ownership of domicile.
The Promise of ‘Smart Cities’ This ‘solarpunk’ urban utopia might seem far-fetched, but with cities forced to upgrade infrastructure in response to climate impacts and energy needs, why not harness technology for a beneficial (and beautiful) redesign? Adding substantial greenery and green spaces, also in the form of living walls, is another climate mitigation tactic to cool streets and building.
Another pressure point to redraw cities will be rising populations, partially due to the expected migration of millions of climate refugees (‘climate haven’ cities could grow by 10% because of this). Cities will also need to be adaptive to the quickly evolving sector of ‘work’ and what the needs of ‘workers’ are at any given time. The infrastructure will also need the bandwidth and power stations to support the AI agents that will function autonomously and as our assistants. To note, these AI agents are a key factor in a traditional smart city design as they automate and respond dynamically to the needs and movements of the inhabitants and to the surrounding environments.
Privacy Concerns in a ‘smart world’. However, this ‘smart’ sustainable design comes at a cost: privacy. As the Internet of Things (IoT) weaves into the urban fabric, ubiquitous sensors and 3D scanners (courtesy of LiDAR and NERF advancements) will track your every move, all in the name of operating the city. If you’ve been concerned over the intrusive power of big tech (ie. the ‘surveillance economy’), a ‘smart city’ will need to have strict oversights imposed on how much personal data a company can collect and how it is used and shared (see ‘Autonomous Life’).
Real-World Examples Several ground-up smart cities are already in development, touting sustainable design and efficiency-optimizing technologies. Indonesia is relocating its capital to Borneo with a smart development design in order to flee Jakarta’s climate woes. Korea is building a floating city. In the U.S., billionaire Marc Lore’s Telosa takes shape (probably) in the Nevada desert, while ‘California Forever,’ a tech-backed 60,000-acre community near San Francisco, promises affordable housing and sustainable living (though critics argue otherwise). Google’s Sidewalk Labs’ former smart neighborhood in Toronto was nixed due to privacy concerns, but ‘Quayside’ emerges with a focus on community engagement and regulation. For a speculative take, check out Liam Young’s PLANET CITY. (And on the negative side is The Line, a promised eco-friendly AI powered city in Saudi Arabia, however reports indicate that the government’s tactics to ensure the development of this area are allegedly murderous.)
The Future of Housing and Transportation The future of cities also encompasses evolving suburbs and neighborhoods. Skyrocketing housing prices and climate change-driven insurance hikes are some of the driving factors to have priced out younger generations from the American Dream of home ownership. But, demographics shift as more people opt for child-free adulthoods and are redefining traditional purchasing habits, such as co-buying with friends. As Baby Boomers downsize or seek healthcare-adjacent housing, will their mass exodus stabilize prices? Or will climate resilience pressures keep costs high?
The very notion of home ownership may change as climate instability redefines ‘asset value.’ But, AI-designed sustainable homes and 3D printing technology are emerging as innovative solutions to address housing shortages and affordability issues, creating eco-friendly and cost-effective living spaces for future generations.
The future of transportation is set for remarkable shifts beyond flying vehicles (though those are on the horizon!). Autonomous vehicles, including self-driving cars, buses, and trucks, are coming to market (though safety is still a concern). The shift to electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles continues, driven by advancements in battery technology and hydrogen fuel cells. Smart infrastructure will feature intelligent traffic management and connected roadways. Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems, using small automated pods, offer flexible, on-demand travel, while magnetic levitation (Maglev) trains provide ultra-fast, frictionless travel between cities (LA to Palm Springs just broke ground). There was hope for Hyperloop systems and their high-speed trains in near-vacuum tubes, but the technology has faltered as of late. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) introduces electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for intra-city flights, and shared mobility services like car-sharing, bike-sharing, and ride-hailing apps are transforming urban transportation by reducing vehicle ownership and emissions.
The Tech at Play: Smart cities will be drafted with Quantum Computing (🔮) handling complex data, brought to life by AI and Machine Learning (🤖) for dynamic management, built with Materials Science (🏗️) and Biotechnology (🧬) innovations for sustainable infrastructure, and interconnected via ICT (🌐) for seamless operation. Blockchain (🔗) will ensure secure transactions and data integrity, even supporting the foundational infrastructure of cities built from scratch.
2.🕹️ An Autonomous Life: The Internet of Everything
Envision this: Your daily chores are so 2022. Instead, e-drones deliver your packages, self-driving share cars or PRTs arrive and whisk you away with a simple voice command, and your fridge restocks itself directly from Whole Foods. And if you actually go to the grocery story, your AI assistant will help you chose which avocado will ripen the fastest. Your schedule and inbox is run by your AI assistant (who rarely makes a mistake and never gets tired) and perhaps your digital double even acts on your behalf in the virtual realm. If only it could when your doctor pings you to stop eating so many Girl Scout cookies, your health sensors have alerted him to elevate sugar levels in your bloodstream…
The Rise of Intelligent Assistants A decade ago, I was captivated by an MIT ‘Twelve Tomorrows’ story depicting a life entangled with smart home devices. The fridge and delivery apps not only brought groceries but also reported health data to insurers. Sneaking a burger? The smart toilet would snitch. This prescient tale hinted at our IoT-driven future, now unfolding.
With Generative AI, real-world ‘Jarvises’ aren’t far off. In fact, both Open AI and Google have revealed the demos of their ‘HER’ type AI assistants. Already on the market devices like Rabbit and Humane let us control existing apps through AI, driven by voice commands. This reality touts liberation from mundane tasks, freeing up time for creativity and personal pursuits… or so the big tech companies promise.
Automating the Workplace In offices (and their future iterations), smart sensors will optimize comfort and efficiency; they will automatically adjust cooling and light if a room is occupied, turning the systems down if not, adjusting for ‘mood’ where facial expressions are analyzed. They will restock supplies and offer predictive maintenance before a machine or piece of equipment breaks. They will offer elevated safety monitoring. And of course, a host of AI tools in the workplace enhance productivity, work flow (and oversight).
The Potential of AI Robotics AI-driven robots are no longer just a dream. Sam Altman hinted that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), where AI surpasses human capabilities, will emerge when AI models are integrated into robots, enabling physical interaction with reality — called Embodied AI. Many companies are quickly developing or accelerating their robotics tech because of the proliferation of advanced AI. While full intelligence may be distant, these robots could prove crucial, particularly in healthcare, supporting an aging population. Synthetic friends, ie. AI empowered Humanoid Robots, could certainly become a new sector of society, like emotional support pets are now.
The ‘Internet of Everything’ means that every element you come in contact with has a form of computer intelligence that allows it to interact with you, and more importantly, a network. Your pet dog could have a ‘smart collar’ that is trained on its behavior and barks thus allowing the collar to translate and ‘speak’ to you. The same could go for your favorite ficus plant needing more water. Where will it stop?
Privacy and Security in an IoT-Driven World However, this convenience raises significant privacy concerns. As technology integrates into our lives, countless sensors discreetly track every action and choice, potentially giving corporations unprecedented insights into our personal lives. Again, I suggest reading Shoshanna Zuboff’s ‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’ (Hollywood has captured covert surveillance well ons screen, think “Enemy of the State,” and FOX’s “Person of Interest.”)
The Tech at Play: AI (🤖) drives the intelligence behind autonomous systems, AI chips are manufactured thanks to Nanotech (✨) while Materials Science (🏗️) ensures hardware durability and efficiency. ICT (🌐) facilitates real-time communication among IoT devices, with 6G and edge computing paving the way.
3. 💡 The Future of Work and Education: A Digital Renaissance or Battle Royale?
Envision this: Classrooms and workplaces are no longer contained by walls, instead they are vibrant digital forums where ideas and innovations connect and flourish globally. AI mentors tailor education and learning, while AI tools and assistants handle menial tasks, leaving teachers with genuine student interaction and workers with meaningful endeavors. Education is free, continuous, and reflective of our dynamic world, and employment pays a livable wage supported by Universal Basic Income…
The Impact of AI on Jobs and Education …But the reality since Chat GPT-3’s debut in November 2022 starkly contrasts this utopian vision. We’ve witnessed job losses attributed to AI’s efficiencies, especially in the tech industry. The educational landscape has shifted, with AI altering assignment grading and college application evaluation; teachers and professors struggling to define parameters. A Sci-Fi magazine halted fiction submissions due to an overload of AI-generated content. AI’s influence extends to job application screenings and potentially even interviews. And as we’ve discussed in Part 1, Generative AI poses a creative and existential threat across artistic domains, especially where artist content and likeness (voice, images) have been used in training sets without consent or compensation.
Moreover, news production is increasingly automated, leaving only a handful of editors to manage the output of AI bots. The trending headlines on X (Twitter) are now generated by its AI, Grok.
Navigating Uncertainty in Career Paths The full extent of AI’s impact on work and education remains an enigma. With constant job disruptions, humans will need continuous retraining and even support at the federal level to mitigate these rapid disruptions. The IMF head predicted that 40% of jobs around the world will be impacted by AI in the next two years. This is stark and concerning. However, the tools of AI will enable new companies to form with only a handful of employees, even just one (Sam Altman predicts the rise of the single entrepreneur unicorn). And it doesn’t preclude multiple new fields of work to emerge. Just as a newspaper editor in 1905 wouldn’t have understood what a newsfeed or social media manager was, we can’t yet imagine the new career fields in the future. (The same will go for jobs in entertainment.)
Edu-what… Just as the future of work is undefined, the future of education shares the same chaotic DNA. We will always need to be educated, for our moral and neural development as a human being, and later to be equipped with knowledge and skills to perform a job. But how will this change? Covid protocols began the early shift towards digitized education. Will artificial intelligence will be able to be our external brain? Perhaps, as JP Rangaswami discussed in this episode of “The Futurists”, teaching ethics like universal human dignity and stewardship will be valued much like teaching calculus today. And as this quick acceleration into an AI world reveals, learning should never stop; especially as the need for critical thinking and understanding of our sci-tech based systems increases.
Amidst this sea of uncertainty lies a silver lining. We have the agency to shape our future of work and education through AI legislation if we act fast (the EU has already enacted the EU AI Data Act). This is our chance to be involved with the evolution of our society. And this can also be guided by the stories we choose to tell.
The Tech at Play: AI and Machine Learning (🤖) personalize digital experiences, while ICT (🌐) provides the global connectivity backbone. Materials Science (🏗️) contributes ergonomic and durable tech, enhancing digital interactions.
4. 🦾 The Body as a Wonderland: Longevity, Personalized Medicine, and Transhumanism
Envision this: You start your day greeted by your smart wearable’s gentle chime. It suggests you decrease the recommended amount of B-12 you should take based on your overnight biometrics. As you sip coffee tailored to your genetic makeup, it’s not just about taste — it’s precision-engineered for your metabolism, you consider your next virtual check-up, where you will be discussing with your doctor using CRISPR technology to fine-tune a certain strand of your DNA, to prevent a disease that you have the marker for. You explored the virtual 3D landscape of your heart via your HoloLens when you had your last appointment. Longevity isn’t hoped for — it’s engineered.
The Potential of Gene Editing and CRISPR The biotech revolution is underway, and it’s easy to overlook amidst the AI hype. But with mRNA tech (the basis of COVID vaccines) and CRISPR gene editing, we’re mastering the code of life itself. CRISPR Cas-9, inspired by bacteria’s billion-year-old abilities, allows scientists to snip DNA like scissors, enabling gene edits that could eradicate diseases like sickle cell, HIV, Huntington’s, and cystic fibrosis. A CRISPR-modified pig kidney was just transplanted into a human this year.
Personalized Medicine and Targeted Therapies Synthetic biology has been ramping up since J. Craig Venter created the first synthetic bacterium in 2010. It has far-reaching impacts, from biofuels to engineered organisms for environmental cleanup and using synthetic DNA for data storage. Sequencing the first human genome (two sets of 3 billion base pairs of amino acids A, T, C, G) cost $1 billion in 2003 (after taking 13 years), while now it costs under $1000. As sensors become ‘smarter’ many of them will be embedded in our bodies, allowing for real time health monitoring. (Not to be repetitive, but as health data becomes more abundant, securing who can access and share it becomes crucial.)
AI is revolutionizing drug discovery and small molecule therapeutics by accelerating the identification of drug candidates and predicting their effectiveness. Machine learning analyzes vast datasets to uncover patterns, leading to the discovery of new therapeutic targets. AI can also simulate interactions between small molecules and biological systems, optimizing drug design and reducing development time and cost. Nanotech will allow for precision delivery of custom tailored drug therapies.
We’re also witnessing advancements like 3D printed replicas of organs and mice with extra legs due to gene deactivation in embryos. These developments are both thrilling and alarming in their potential.
The Quest for Longevity and Life Extension Advances in longevity science, where aging is treated as a disease to be ‘cured,’ are driven by massive private funding. OpenAI’s Sam Altman invested $180 million into Retro Biosciences in 2023 and also partnered with Moderna to fast-track 15 new products (Altman certainly has a hand in how our future is being shaped). Controversial biologist Aubrey de Grey has been platforming aging as a disease since the 90s, and there’s a stable of successful podcasts in the bio-hacking genre. A new sector called ‘AgeTech’ is emerging as Boomers and Gen Z enter their elder years. At the extreme end is cryogenics, with companies like Alcor already having preserved (through freezing) 224 patients to await the day when science will have the tools to awaken and cure them.
Augmenting Human Capabilities with BCIs and Nanotech Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are wireless nanotech connecting a brain to a computer. Some are invasive, implanted in the brain, some devices are threaded through blood vessels. Initially conceived of to assist patients with paralysis and neurological conditions, BCIs will offer wild new ways to interact with technology, merging physical and digital realms. Blackrock, Synchron, and Neuralink are significant players in this space. Materials science and nanotech are integral to this development — for example, tiny solar cells embedded in your eyes could cure blindness.
Ethical Debates Surrounding Human Enhancement Our understanding of biology is being upended. How we will augment our bodies and brains in the future is unfathomable but something that will no doubt occur, especially as ideas of gender and form become more fluid. Michael Levin’s work suggests our non-brain components can be trained, anticipate, make mistakes, and experience placebo effects, showing that cognitive neuroscience lessons go beyond neurons. On the fringe is ‘Spirit Tech’ — BCIs and biofeedback tools assisting in meditation and even enabling spiritual transcendence. As the population shifts towards a collective response to climate change, this tech may become mainstream, perhaps intersecting with VR gaming. (A fun fiction take on this is Ramez Naam’s NEXUS series).
The Tech at Play: Biotechnology (🧬) enables precise genetic editing, Nanotechnology (✨) provides targeted drug delivery, AI (🤖) facilitates personalized treatments, and Materials Science (🏗️) develops biocompatible implants and BCIs. ICT (🌐) connects these innovations for cohesive healthcare solutions.
5. 🌍 Environmental Protagonists: Mitigation, Adaptation, and Regeneration
Envision this: In the heart of sprawling agricultural lands, towering vertical farms stretch towards the sky, their walls adorned with vibrant greenery. These innovations use AI to optimize crop yields, with sensors monitoring soil moisture, nutrient levels, and plant health in real-time. Massive solar panels and wind turbines dot the landscape, providing clean energy to power these farms and nearby communities. Water flows through an intricate network of irrigation systems, recycled and purified through natural wetlands. Drones buzz overhead, surveying fields and delivering targeted treatments to plants. Nearby, stormwater capture systems collect rainwater, and carbon removal rigs extract CO2 from the atmosphere. In the open fields, autonomous tractors and harvesters, guided by GPS and machine learning, operate efficiently. Wildlife corridors wind through the farmland, with bees from on-site apiaries buzzing through wildflower zones. Teams of Climate Corps workers are on their way to manage nearby forests, ensuring sustainable land use and conservation.
Yet another hopeful scenario of how the world around us could change in reaction to climate. How this will actually play out is still up in the air but the pressure for change is a certainty.
Technological Solutions for Climate Change Look at Dubai in April 2024: they experienced two years’ worth of rain in 24 hours. Many point to the Middle Eastern countries’ utilization of ‘cloud seeding’ for this anomaly, or perhaps it’s merely climate change and warming temperatures (clouds hold more moisture when warm). These significant extreme weather events will necessitate storm and floodwater capture systems. Droughts will necessitate large-scale desalination plants to turn seawater into potable water. Carbon extraction rigs, and wildfire prevention and suppression tech will also become widely used. We’re also only a few climate emergencies away from widespread awareness that our existing food production and energy infrastructures are outdated, depleted, and unable to sustain a growing population. Our forests and oceans, our greatest carbon extraction weapons, need not just protection but enhancement (also as havens for biodiversity).
Sustainable Agriculture There is a need for new agricultural practices as the population grows and climate becomes irregular and unpredictable. Swaths of land will be needed for solar and wind energy capture. We could even heed the plan of the late biologist E.O. Wilson’s ‘Half Earth’ — rewilding 50% of the planet (powerfully fictionalized in KSR’s ‘The Ministry for the Future’). California’s announcement to use its woodlands to fight the climate crisis and President Biden’s Climate Corps advancement echo this sentiment.
Preserving Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration Culling plastics from the ocean will be another important focus, both for the health of our marine ecosystems and our own, but even more critical is monitoring the ocean’s oxygen levels. With unprecedented warming, oceans are becoming acidic — a death sentence for marine life — and an impediment to the ocean’s role as a carbon sink. As the planet faces escalating climate change impacts, a concerted effort must leverage technology to mitigate effects across lands and seas.
The Role of Citizen Science and Collaborative Efforts LITERALLY, EVERYTHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. We need a collective effort that bridges borders and beliefs to make the necessary changes to mitigate and prepare for our climate crisis. We can all be citizen scientists, we are inherently curious and are just as much a part of nature as any other species. Listening to and supporting Indigenous voices is crucial, as they’ve been effective land stewards for thousands of years.
AI (🤖) optimizes resource use, Materials Science (🏗️) develops sustainable materials and energy-efficient tech, Nanotechnology (✨) enhances solar panels and batteries, and Biotechnology (🧬) creates climate-resilient crops. ICT (🌐) facilitates global collaboration and data sharing for coordinated climate action.
6. 🕶️ Entertainment Reimagined: Metaverse, Gen AI and beyond
Envision this: With a simple command, your living room transforms into the bridge of a starship, complete with holographic displays and AI-driven interactivity. Lightweight Augmented Reality glasses bring this immersive experience to life, where you and your friends, appearing as avatars or holograms, navigate a galactic adventure together in real time, the room adapting dynamically, responding to your actions and decisions. Virtual landscapes blend seamlessly with the physical world, allowing you to walk through ancient forests, dive into underwater realms, or soar above futuristic cities, the narrative changing based on your biometric settings — did we mention this ‘experience’ runs on the blockchain and was designed and generated by your teen son?
The Evolution of Entertainment The current entertainment landscape has already ruptured, not because of the Metaverse (yet), but due to streaming, big tech infiltration, social media, COVID shutdowns, strikes, mergers, cost-cutting, and AI pressure. Gaming thrives while Hollywood is in survival mode (even A-list talent packages are being dropped!). And we are poised to see even more drastic changes across the entertainment domains. Uncertainty and even chaos reign at the moment, but therein lies potential.
Immersion Strikes Back When we think of future entertainment scenarios, The Metaverse and virtual worlds first come to mind. In its current form, the Metaverse is a limited walled-garden ecosystem (e.g., Meta Horizon) offering VR games and experiences, often using haptic toggles. Adoption has been slow but as AI tools start bolsters ‘the experience’ (making it more interactive and customizable) and the hardware becomes less cumbersome to wear, this will shift. Augmented Reality (AR) and it’s umbrella term eXtended Reality (XR), where virtual worlds layer over reality, has already gained a big following in the world of gaming (most technologists tend to be more bullish here). Most notable is the success of Pokemon Go. And this has just been through phone screens. Google’s new Gemini AI demo snuck in a pair of AR glasses (I always knew ‘Google glass’ was just ahead of its time ;)).
Spatial computing is the newest term connected to this space made mainstream by Apple. The Vision Pro hybrid headset aimed at virtualizing your desktop and creating immersive sweeping environs for your entertainment apps has raised the quality bar but struggles with adoption due to its price point. (As Prof. Scott Galloway insists, a headset will never have mass adoption because it makes the user less attractive — an interesting argument.)
But what all of this points to is an immersion and merging of virtual worlds with our own. We have the ability to create anything in these virtual worlds and, as opposed to the spectacle being on the Imax screen brought to you by Christopher Nolan and Warner Brothers, it can and will be created for a personalized immersive environment, connected by low latency 6G connectivity and powered by AI tools accessible to the masses.
Advancements in Gaming and Live Events Gaming continues to rake in profits, well poised to incorporate 6G’s low-latency streaming for an already mobile multiplayer experience and even high-res holograms. Game engines like Unreal Engine have made playable worlds more lifelike, also used to generate movie VFX and pre-visualization of entire scenes. But in the future will it still take 20 months for a studio to produce the next Call of Duty? There is little doubt that AI capabilities will hyper-charge the current workflow, from asset creation to rendering immersive story world landscapes to ‘intelligent’ NPC (Non playable characters) and more dynamic game play by offering more interactive story options.
Live events are evolving with new tech enhancing in-person experiences (RFID wristbands syncing lighting) and revolutionizing remote access (4K live-streaming). AR, VR, drones, and holograms will amplify both in-person and remote experiences, driving demand sky-high ticket prices for top acts (as if they’re not already). The draw (and meaningfulness) of live experiences will (hopefully) never go away but the type of art created or show in the live-setting and the tools to augment and experience it with will evolve with the goal to enhance.
Decentralized Entertainment and Blockchain Innovations Decentralized entertainment is slowly building alongside VR. As I discussed in Part 1 Film3, a blockchain-based production and distribution model, is an ecosystem where projects are funded through cryptocurrencies and NFTs, giving fans ownership and influence. Financials and IP are transacted on the blockchain. Some production entities are building their own unique blockchains, with nodes administered by different ‘producers’ enabling new forms of fundraising, smart contracts and distribution.
The true metaverse is decentralized, where your digital self can transit between virtual worlds maintaining your virtual goods and currency, requires decentralized computing — no walled garden owned by corporations. But whether the virtual world is owned by Apple or run through thousands of community nodes, entertainment will be a prominent element; we humans like things gamified.
Content Creation and Hollywood As the ‘Envision this’ scenario played out, AI will democratize tools for storytelling, destabilize the existing industry and make interactive fantasy in virtual worlds possible. Midjourney’s CEO reported plans for personalized 3D spaces (Phase 1) and interactivity (Phase 2) — yes, the Holodeck is coming.
I can attest that every day there’s a new AI tool bringing robust creative abilities to whoever wields it. Do you want to custom generate a 360 immersive digital world from just a few prompts, no coding needed? There’s an AI tool for that (Skybox). Want to scan a room with your phone and create a 3D rendering on the fly? There’s an AI app for that (Luma AI). And then there are the video, audio, and music AI apps — all just powered by your prompt (and a lot of time re-generating) to create a fairly good quality short film with dialogue and a musical score. Set on Mars.
As Donald Glover just said in the Google Gemini 1.5 keynote “Everybody is going to be a director. And everyone should be a director”.
But where there in lies the friction? The anticipation of a big summer movie? The series finale of your favorite show? Does the insta-dopamine delivery of social media amplify (dangerously) when large scale immersive entertainment is at your fingertips around the clock?
This won’t happen overnight. In a more near future scenario of a Hollywood production, more AI generated planning and design will be done in pre-production, production itself will be compressed as camera and lighting set ups become more streamlined and automated from AI workflows and easily augmented in post production. Footage will be streamed to the editing bay as you shoot (already happening now) and new hardware elevates the existing camera, lighting and visual background technologies (especially with more robust volumetric LED screens). Let’s not forget the actor’s emotional performance, line delivery and lines themselves will be augmentable. As pressure to reduce budgets continues (due to a number of factors), I see these type of production practices adopted.
People in Hollywood have the right to be concerned for their existing jobs. But hopefully, we can use these emerging technologies to unlock new opportunities, new story paradigms and platforms — As futurist Sinead Bovell said (on stage at A Day of Unreasonable Conversation), “when we developed cameras, we didn’t film plays… we created cinema.”
The Tech at Play: Enhanced, immersive, customizable experiences driven by AI (🤖), adapting narratives and environments in real-time. Materials Science (🏗️) advances lightweight XR wearables and new technology hardware for production both for film and live events, while ICT (🌐) ensures robust, global connectivity for work flow and live streaming. Blockchain (🔗) has the potential to secures digital assets and identities, and build a new entertainment ecosystem.
7. ⚔️ The Evolving Landscape of Conflict: Warfare and Cyber Threats
Envision this: It’s the near future, and the battlefield is an eerie blend of stealth and chaos. Autonomous drones buzz through the sky, executing precise strikes without a single human hand guiding them. Swarms of robotic dogs patrol with unblinking eyes, while the human combatants are shrouded by invisibility cloaks powered by meta-materials bending the light around them. In command centers, generals peer into holographic maps, orchestrating battles through AI-driven simulations that predict every move and counter. Unseen cyber warriors wage a silent war, attempting to infiltrate critical infrastructures to bring them down with a keystroke.
The Rise of Autonomous Weapon Systems The dark side of tech advancement is the unchecked growth in autonomous and cyber warfare. The 2024 U.S. military budget is a staggering $886 billion as tensions with Russia and China rise. And part of that budget is going towards the advancement of AI-controlled Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS), particularly large scale drones and swarm drones (aka ‘Slaughterbots’). These systems can target and engage without direct human oversight — a terrifying prospect if an AI goes rogue or gets hacked. AI robots could also replace or complement human soldiers (Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics already have robot dogs deployed or being evaluated). The military has been experimenting with AR in his helmets (called TAR — tactical augmented reality) for a handful years, including with Microsoft’s HoloLens.
AI and Biotech in the Military On the helpful side, simulation training for soldiers and pilots is getting a big upgrade thanks to VR and AI. But could a real battle play out in the metaverse? Some think so. Advances in genetic engineering (biotech) and AI pave the way for dangerous bioweapons like engineered viruses. While meta-materials and nanotech are advancing self-repairing materials, actual invisibility cloaks and nanotech and new forms of protective gear. But these advancements are also enabling the development of acoustic and sonic weapons. #doubleedgedsword
The Expanding Landscape of Cyberwarfare The battleground extends into our cyberverse — foreign entities can attack military and civilian digital infrastructures (water, energy, banking, GPS). Cyber warfare is a silent battleground where information is both weapon and target. (Worries exist over a massive Cybersecurity worker shortage). Encryption is paramount in the military, protecting data and communications. And with quantum tech, the ability to crack these the encryption of all these systems is on the horizon.
And to remember, as more advanced digital tech integrates into the military, there’s a spillover into the domestic sphere, for good and ill. (The internet, after all, was a military development called ARPANET).
Ethical Considerations in High-Tech Conflict Cautionary tales should sprout in this domain. This is a new era of warfare that cannot be ignored.
The Tech at Play: AI (🤖) advanced threat identification and autonomous defense systems, (🏗️) Materials Science is developing cutting edge armor, gear and weapons, ICT (🌐) underlies the critical infrastructure for managing and protecting digital assets and communications globally. Quantum Computing (🔮) offers potential for secure communications however the threat of breaking traditional encryption necessitates cybersecurity advances.
8. 🚀🌊 Space and Deep Sea Exploration: The Final Frontiers
Envision this: As dawn breaks, a rocket launches autonomously from a sleek spaceport. It zooms into Lower Earth Orbit amongst a dense web of communication satellites, careful to avoid space debris. Nearby private space stations buzz with activity, researchers conducting zero-gravity experiments while tourists gaze out at Earth through large observation windows. The spacecraft docks at one of these stations, delivering supplies and a new part for a massive zero gravity 3D printing machine. In another module, travelers strap in for a virtual reality-enhanced spacewalk, experiencing the thrill of floating in space while contributing to scientific research. Meanwhile, on the moon, robotic builders are hard at work. Using lunar soil, they 3D print habitats and infrastructure, constructing a future colony and Mars launcher. Nearby, massive solar arrays catch the sunlight, powering lunar operations and beaming energy back to Earth through X-ray technology.
The New Space Race and Lunar Missions Some of the biggest technologically driven shifts are already occurring, just out of our Earthly view. One of the fastest-growing suburbs isn’t in Jersey but in Lower Earth Orbit. If you live in California or Florida, you’ve seen the launches: one after another on a SpaceX Falcon, dropping off myriad Starlink satellites 1200 miles up in LEO (Lower Earth Orbit) to link up with its already 5800 siblings. The satellite company currently has clearance for more than 6000 more, with an additional 30,000 on request. And this is just one of many ‘internet’ satellite companies.
These machines orbit alongside thousands of other satellites spanning spectrums of use, from communication to surveillance, weather, navigation, research, and defense. Every major country has a fleet of satellites in the air (NASA and ESA with the most prolific, with all the major superpowers having a significant presence). But because of accelerating tech, making materials and chips faster and cheaper, and with AI, smaller countries are also now developing space tech.
Space Tourism and Private Space Stations There’s also the growing domain of space tourism bolstered by Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and new player Space Perspective (among others). Alongside satellite fleets in outer orbits (GEO, MEO), space research is underway at China’s new Tiangong station, completed in 2022. From NASA, ESA, JAXA, and CSA, the Lunar Gateway — part of the Artemis multi-country multi-phased mission — is the exciting new station to stage and run missions to the moon. The multi-purpose Orbital Reef Station is one of two large private space stations being built in the second half of the 2020s, a collab of private space companies like Sierra Space, Boeing, and Blue Origin.
Dangers in Space But with all this added traffic and activity come threats of space collisions. Space debris is a very serious problem with over 100 million pieces over 1mm in diameter which could lead to the derailing of our integral communication and navigation systems that we’ve all become dependent on. As more resources are pushed into these orbits and as warfare gets more technologically driven, control of space is taking center stage (see Space Force). To mediate this potential new arena for conflict is NASA’s Artemis Accords, inviting countries to sign the accord that all space activities will be conducted for peaceful purposes and all follow a set of transparent guidelines.
The 2024 Solar Eclipse and April’s geomagnetic storm (Aurora Borealis) may have caused you to ‘look up,’ but the quickly growing space industry will start further grabbing your celestial attention.
Deep Sea Mining and Environmental Impacts We are also exploring the deep sea due to technological advancements both driving and enabling this exploration (sensors, meta-materials that withstand huge deep sea pressures, AI powered remote vehicles). The growing demand for electronics and sustainable energy technologies has increased the need for critical metals like cobalt, manganese, copper, and rare earth minerals. These metals are found in large quantities within nodules on the deep sea floor, specifically in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) — a 3,000 km area between Hawaii and Mexico, at depths of 12,000 to 18,000 feet. Sixteen companies have received permits from the controversial International Seabed Authority (ISA), though the US is not a member yet. Many scientific organizations are calling for a halt to this mining activity, citing severe risks to marine life and overall ocean stability.
Many champion needing these critical materials to tackle the climate emergency and our transition to clean energy (as energy demands sky rocket due to AI), but are the potential environmental costs worth it?
The Tech at Play: Quantum computing (🔮) and AI (🤖) process vast data from deep-sea and space explorations, enhancing understanding and decision-making, plus allowing for autonomous satellites and submersibles. Materials science (🏗️) creates pressure-resistant materials. Biotechnology (🧬) develops sustainable food sources and medical treatments for long-term missions, and aids in protecting deep-sea ecosystems. Hi speed connectivity (🌐) ensures constant communication across vast distances. Nanotechnology (✨) innovates propulsion methods and life support systems for extended missions. and aids in material science developments.
🌀 The Zone of Uncertainty
Envision this…
Who can say?. The truth is that we can’t really predict anything. What will our world look like in 5–10 years, what will it even mean to be human?
As Michael Levin posits in his Noema piece:
“Terms such as life, machine, mind, sentience or robot have never been crisp categories objectively describing a living or artificial system. Instead, we should think of them as relationships — ways for each system to relate to others, all of which carry strong implications for the utility and ethics of the resulting interactions…Humans Are Stories Of Scales Of Intelligence.”
The bamboo forest is mysterious, we still don’t fully understand how plants and trees coexist and communicate — and can the same be said for technology? Will it take on its own form of consciousness?
What I can assure you is that EVERYTHING CHANGES. So how, as a species, do we recalibrate our brains, souls, nervous systems to both understand this at a cellular level and then act accordingly? We immerse ourselves in the change that is occurring, dig our hands into the soil and look at the roots to understand the forest better, knowing that we emerged from it too. And then, at least for me, we tell stories about it.
As I promised…
Cheat Sheet for A Futurist’s Handbook for Hollywood
Part 1: Seven Key Technology Sectors
- AI and Machine Learning (🤖) Basics: Systems that learn and adapt Impact: Writing, VFX, personalized content, AI-driven production workflows Concerns: Job displacement, ethical issues, data privacy, algorithmic bias
- Quantum Computing (🔮) Basics: Leveraging quantum mechanics Impact: Faster VFX, complex simulations, drug discovery, financial modeling Concerns: Security, complexity, cost, talent shortage, infrastructure requirements
- Biotechnology (🧬) Basics: Merging biology with technology Impact: Immersive experiences, health monitoring, personalized medicine, synthetic biology Concerns: Ethical questions, unintended consequences, access inequality, regulatory challenges
- Nanotechnology (✨) Basics: Manipulating materials at atomic scale Impact: New materials, enhanced effects, targeted drug delivery, environmental remediation Concerns: Health effects, surveillance, intellectual property, public perception
- Materials Science and 3D Fabrication (🏗️) Basics: Designing new materials and structures Impact: rapid prototyping, super powered meta-materials, novel design and sustainable production Concerns: Energy costs, job displacement, quality control, intellectual property rights
- Advanced Connectivity (🌐) Basics: Next-gen data networks, edge computing Impact: Sophisticated on-set tech, new business models, remote collaboration, real-time VFX Concerns: Data privacy, digital divide, cybersecurity, spectrum allocation, energy consumption
- Web 3: Blockchain and Crypto (🔗) Basics: Decentralized computing, secure transactions Impact: Transforming the existing internet, IP protection, new financing models, fan engagement Concerns: Scalability, regulatory uncertainties, user adoption, environmental impact, volatility
Part 2: Eight Domains of Projected Impact
- The Future of ‘Home’ Key Points: Smart cities, sustainable design, new ownership models, IoT integration, privacy concerns
- An Autonomous Life Key Points: The ‘Internet of Everything’, intelligent assistants, workplace automation, privacy concerns, AI ethics
- The Future of Work and Education Key Points: Job disruptions due to AI, Accelerated knowledge and productivity resources, AI legislation needed, redefining the definition of work.
- The Body as a Wonderland Key Points: Gene editing, personalized medicine, human enhancement, longevity, bioethics, accessibility
- Environmental Mitigation and Regeneration Key Points: Climate change solutions necessary throughout economic sectors, sustainable practices imperative, renewable energy options, circular economy
- Metaverse, Entertainment, and Generative AI Key Points: Immersive experiences on the horizon, decentralized models a possibility, democratized creation through AI tools, IP concerns, job destruction, digital and virtual identities proliferate
- Warfare and Cyber Threats Key Points: Autonomous weapons, bioweapons, cyberwarfare, ethical considerations, international regulations, AI arms race
- Space and Deep Sea Exploration Key Points: Proliferation of satellites, privatized space tourism, space debris concerns, renewed lunar missions, deep sea mining, environmental impacts, international cooperation needed
Thanks for reading and please share this resource. (Time to head out of the forest 🎋)
If you need to reach me for writing, directing or consulting work, please contact me at contacttaryn@gmail.com. My socials are all @ tarynoneill
