The Venue: BMW World, Munich, Germany

Is Transhumanism Our Future?

Zoltan Istvan, a notable transhumanist and former U.S. presidential candidate, kicked off the congress with a thought-provoking keynote. He painted a picture of a future where humans and machines increasingly merge. His conclusion? We may be on the brink of achieving immortality. Excitingly, my young daughters belong to a generation that may have a significantly higher chance of living indefinitely.

Addressing Global Water Scarcity

With climate change progressing, projections indicate that soon, half of the global population may lack access to clean drinking water. This daunting challenge may soon find resolution thanks to existing technology. Anna Chernyavsky from Watergen in Israel shared how they extract potable water from air using its humidity. For every kilowatt used, they produce five liters of water—practically anywhere except the Arctic. Their efforts to scale this solution could truly lead us to say, "Problem solved."

The Rise of Bot Economies in the Metaverse

Lauren Kunze, Co-Founder and CEO of Pandorabots, discussed the advent of virtual avatars, or bots, that will assist us in various tasks through screens or holograms. These bots, akin to more sophisticated versions of Siri or Alexa, will engage in numerous interactions and tasks, potentially even forming emotional connections with users.

Feeding a Growing Population

As the global population expands and land for farming diminishes, the challenge of feeding 10 billion people seems insurmountable. Stefan Scherer, Managing Director of SmaxTech, pointed out that 30% of food produced in developed countries goes to waste. Mitigating this waste could be part of the solution. Additionally, innovations in cultured meat technology, already approved for sale in Singapore, could revolutionize food production, requiring only a fraction of the resources to produce meat.

Collaborating with AI: A New Era

In the next decade, AI will be ubiquitous, especially as quantum computing becomes mainstream. While many jobs may be replaced by AI, sectors like STEM and the arts will see a rise in value. A compelling example illustrated that while human doctors achieve a 95% success rate in detecting cancer via X-rays, AI has surpassed this at 98%. However, when both collaborate, the accuracy can reach an impressive 99.5%. This suggests a future not of conflict between humans and AI, but rather one of collaboration.

Two Major Challenges Ahead

Despite the promise AI holds, two critical issues must be addressed:

1. Bias in AI Decision-Making: AI systems are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on. If biased data is used, the outcomes will reflect that bias.
2. Ethical AI Decisions: In life-and-death scenarios (like with autonomous vehicles), how can we ensure AI makes ethical choices?

Interestingly, it was noted that concerns about AI taking over in a dystopian manner are far-fetched at this stage—worrying about such risks is akin to fretting over a shortage of parking spaces on Mars.

Revolutionizing Healthcare and Medicine

Medicine is moving toward a more personalized approach, tailored to individual genetic profiles. The era of a one-size-fits-all medicine is fading. With advancements in AI and robotics, treatments will become more efficient, yielding better outcomes with minimal side effects.

Energy Solutions on the Horizon

Energy is a pressing concern, with ongoing debates surrounding nuclear power, fossil fuels, and more. Thankfully, technology exists that could provide solutions, notably through fusion energy. Heinrich Hora from HB11 described a method that could yield clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy within two decades. Furthermore, the ability to transmit energy wirelessly over long distances is being developed, potentially creating a network of satellites to deliver energy where needed.

Final Thoughts

In this article, I’ve highlighted key themes from the 21st 2bAHEAD Future Congress at BMW World in Munich. Numerous discussions contributed to a broader vision of what our world might look like in ten years. I am looking forward to attending next year’s congress and appreciate your engagement with this content.

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Stefan