The Incredible Pace Of Technology

Each day I search the technology sites to see what is going on. Most times I see a few things that are attention getting but today I was struck by a couple of articles I found which really epitomize how close we are to a "science fiction" world.

This will have serious implications upon humanity. The world we are presently in will not be around a decade from now. I would imagine we see 40-50 years progress over the next decade.

It is the incredible pace which makes me buy into the idea that "this time is truly different".

There are a lot of topics which see "far out". What is truly remarkable is that many of these are not closer than people think. The convergence of technologies is making the pace move ahead quicker than expectations.

Space travel received a huge boost the last decade with the dominance of private companies that entered the sector. SpaceX is one of the leaders in the field of rocket development which has a variety of impacts on many different facets.

Of course, to attain the "Science Fiction" stage, we need to have people actually up in space. This is not trained astronauts but everyday people.

How far away is this?

According to one company, we could be looking at a space hotel in the middle of the next decade. The Von Braun Station is designed to host 400 people providing the same amenities as any luxury hotel. It will come complete with its own artificial gravitation which will enable people to operate like they do on Earth.

https://in.mashable.com/science/6385/worlds-first-ever-space-hotel-with-artificial-gravity-will-launch-in-2025

Another area that is seeing rapid acceleration is in the area of drug development. A group in China was able to find 6 substances in 3 weeks that blocked an enzyme responsible for fibrosis. They used Artificial Intelligence to achieve a result that normally can take decades while costing billions.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3025553/ai-may-help-speed-drugs-development-and-could-have-immense

Finally, we are starting to see the 'Jetsons' become a reality.

Flying vehicles long found a home with science fiction writers. The idea of having a transportation system which was in the air dates back decades. The reality was far different with the technology always being decades away.

Drone technology is changing all of this. Instead of operating from a place of taking big and making it smaller, innovators are going the other way. We now see the idea of taking drones and making them bigger.

This accelerated the progress of the entire industry bringing it to the point where individuals might be hailing their first flying taxi within a decade. That will certainly move us into the science fiction realm.

https://singularityhub.com/2019/08/28/youll-take-your-first-ride-in-a-flying-car-within-a-decade/

All of this technology has huge financial implications. The pace is such that jobs are at risk. Many feel that other jobs will arise, which is certainly true. However, it is unlikely jobs will be created at the same pace they are lost. Also, the fact that automation is accelerating means that what jobs are created will most likely required specialized training. This is outside the scope of most who are losing their jobs in droves.

That said, the opportunities are enormous. We cannot envision the amount of wealth that will be generated by some of these breakthroughs. I am a firm believer that we will see global GDP, as poor an indicator as it is, explode over the next 15 years. Productivity due to AI, quantum, robotics, and assorted other advancements will be like we never saw.

Just consider how much the space travel industry might be worth.

One of the keys to all of this is who is in control and benefiting from said technology. Under our present system, there are only a few who are able to profit from it. Those at the top are able to monopolize the opportunities.

Cryptocurrency and blockchain might provide access to people that otherwise would be barred. Obviously, financial surplus is out of the reach for most people. Providing people with more access could hasten the pace of innovation since more money is available for research and development.

We are seeing a lot of technologies that can impact billions of people. Getting the rest of the world on the Internet (something that is suppose to take place in large scale in 2023) is a big step in this direction. The pace of distribution increases in the digital realm.

The ability for billions to contribute while also profiting from what they create will greatly expand all of this. We saw it with video due to the advent of inexpensive camera technology plus a site like Youtube.

We will see this repeated many times over the next couple decades.

The pace of progress is only increasing.

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