Predictions
What does a world look like that is run by trillions of internet native beings?
The future already exists, we just don't know how to sell it.
Subject Expertise
Can you engineer systems to reliably predict the future?
- Questions: What do you need to ask yourself?
- Forecasting: Imagine Potential vs Risks
- Probability: Calculate the Odds
- Practice: Play Futurist Games
- Futarchy: Bet on the Future
Convergence of Consensus
General consensus points to a fundamental restructuring of society, work, that demands a fresh exploration of human potential.
We are moving from a world where technical skills and credentials determined success to one where the ability to identify meaningful problems, make sound judgments, and connect authentically with others becomes paramount. A shift towards appreciating old-school values and soft-skill capabilities to prove worth while increasing agency.
In near term we will see dramatic changes in how businesses operate, how education is delivered, and how value is created and captured. The companies and individuals who thrive will be those who embrace this shift, leveraging AI as a tool while doubling down on their distinctly human capabilities.
Automation & Workforce Evolution
Focus: Task automation, workforce transformation, and new economic paradigms.
| Prediction | Conviction | Horizon | Evidence/Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data entry and information transfer roles will be fully automated | 5/5 | Short | RPA tools replacing manual workflows |
| AI workflow designers become the highest-paid professionals | 5/5 | Short | Mapping human processes into AI-augmented workflows |
| The cost of software goes to near zero | 5/5 | Short | AI generating code from screenshots |
| Small businesses operate with "ghost teams" of automated agents | 4/5 | Short | AI tools replacing traditional support roles |
| Most customer support, including complex multi-step resolutions, will be automated | 4/5 | Medium | Chatbots and AI assistants replacing human agents |
| AI exposes organizational inefficiencies (flattened hierarchies) | 5/5 | Short | Middle management layoffs at tech giants |
| The "Billion $ Tight Five" business model emerges | 5/5 | Short | Five-person startups leveraging AI to compete with larger organizations |
Education Reinvention
Focus: Personalized learning, teacher empowerment, and lifelong adaptability.
| Prediction | Conviction | Horizon | Evidence/Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional education becomes obsolete | 4/5 | Medium | World Bank study showing AI-driven educational outcomes outperform traditional methods |
| Tertiary institutions lose relevance for hiring | 4/5 | Medium | Expertise sourced via LLMs performing better than most professionals |
| Schools are dis-intermediated by AI tutors | 4/5 | Medium | Smart teens skipping formal education to build audiences and businesses |
| AI-driven personalized learning becomes mainstream | 5/5 | Short | Platforms like Squirrel AI gaining traction |
| Hybrid learning models dominate | 4/5 | Medium | VR/AR-based education adoption |
| Lifelong learning platforms powered by AI become standard | 4/5 | Medium | Growth in re-skilling initiatives |
Human Agency & Empathy
Focus: Personal judgment, emotional connection, and human-centric skills.
| Prediction | Conviction | Horizon | Evidence/Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal agency and judgment become critical assets | 5/5 | Short | Shift from education-based hiring to problem-solving capabilities |
| Empathy and human-to-human connection become paramount | 5/5 | Medium | ChatGPT outperforming doctors in diagnostics but lacking human touch |
| Premium pricing for "human experience" services | 5/5 | Medium | Luxury sectors growing faster than GDP |
| Mental health crisis from automation-induced purpose vacuum | 4/5 | Medium | Rising depression rates globally |
| Humans transition from the prompters to the prompted | 5/5 | Medium | Agents incentivizing human behavior |
| Original human thinking becomes a premium | 4/5 | Medium | AI-generated content creating monoculture of ideas |
Business Model Transformation
Focus: New value creation, market dynamics, and economic restructuring.
| Prediction | Conviction | Horizon | Evidence/Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finding problems to solve becomes more valuable than coding solutions | 5/5 | Short | AI handling technical execution while humans focus on strategy |
| AI turns service businesses into product businesses | 4/5 | Medium | New unicorns emerging with service margins but product scalability |
| AI creates winner-take-most markets | 4/5 | Short | 6-12 month window to establish dominance in a vertical |
| The "sketching economy" makes taste and ideation the only scarce resources | 4/5 | Medium | AI turning sketches into production-ready designs |
| AI middleman companies between foundation models and industries capture most value | 4/5 | Medium | Both ends of the value chain becoming commoditized |
| AI unbundles search engines, creating billion-dollar vertical opportunities | 4/5 | Medium | Specialized search tools emerging across industries |
Crypto-AI Ecosystems
Focus: Decentralized networks, tokenized incentives, and autonomous feedback loops.
| Prediction | Conviction | Horizon | Evidence/Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trillions of niche Crypto Agents form autonomous feedback loops | 3/5 | Medium | Growth of DePIN networks like Helium |
| Tokenized attention loops replace ad-based monetization | 4/5 | Medium | SocialFi experiments (Farcaster, Friend.Tech) |
| Soul/identity tokens become the most valuable human asset | 4/5 | Medium | Proof of Personhood adoption |
| Cultural systems replace economic incentives as primary motivators | 4/5 | Long | Growth in storytelling-based business models |
| AI-optimized longevity protocols become standard | 3/5 | Long | Emerging projects like VitaDAO |
Infrastructure & Energy
Focus: Physical systems, energy production, and resource allocation.
| Prediction | Conviction | Horizon | Evidence/Signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing resurgence through custom AI software | 3/5 | Medium | Tesla's humanoid robot prototypes |
| Bipedal robots become larger industry than automotive | 3/5 | Long | Advancements in robotics technology |
| Fusion power deployment repurposes coal plants | 3/5 | Medium | Replacing boilers with advanced energy systems |
| Super hot geothermal energy becomes cheaper than natural gas | 3/5 | Medium | Advancements in drilling technology |
| AI-driven public transit becomes more convenient than cars | 3/5 | Long | Increasing street capacity in urban areas |
| AI improves mineral and metal discovery | 3/5 | Medium | Enhanced subsurface scanning technologies |
Collective Wisdom
| Prediction Description | Timeline |
|---|---|
| AGI AGI might emerge from interconnected agent networks with emergent properties. | Not specified |
| Augmented Workforce AI workflow designers, who map human processes into AI-augmented workflows, will be the highest-paid. | Imminent |
| Augmented Workforce Every professional can leverage five AI interns, similar to hiring junior professionals fresh out of school. | 3-10 years |
| AI Infrastructure AI middleman companies between foundation models and industries will capture most value as both ends commoditize. | Not specified |
| AI Software Custom AI tools will become cheaper than hiring humans, even for small businesses. | Soon |
| AI Software Predictive AI will create quiet fortunes, as knowing what will happen is more valuable than generating content. | Not specified |
| AI Software Image generation will birth 1000+ vertical software businesses valued at $1M-$100M/year. | Not specified |
| AI Software Every calendar, inbox, and CRM will be rebuilt from scratch, fully rethought with AI. | By 2028 |
| Programming Programming will evolve to a point where everyone can program in natural language, and AI can act as a software intern that grows in seniority over time. | Not specified |
| Mobile Apps The next wave of $100M/year apps will be mobile-first with AI baked in from day one. | Not specified |
| AI Startups The first $1B AGI startup will initially look like a toy, as all world-changing interfaces do. | Not specified |
| AI Startups 80% of the "AI startup" category will look like spam, while the rest become infrastructure. | by September 2026 |
| Business Models AI will turn service businesses into product businesses with service margins, creating new unicorns. | Not specified |
| Business Models Consumers will pay for AI tools that provide significant value, potentially more than current models like Google or Facebook. | Not specified |
| Business Acquisition AI will reduce operating costs by 60%, making small businesses attractive acquisition targets, leading to an SMB acquisition frenzy. | Not specified |
| Small Business Every small business will have a "ghost team" of automated bookkeepers, sales agents, and marketers run by one founder and bots. | Not specified |
| Labor Market AI systems managing human workers will restructure labor markets more significantly than the Industrial Revolution. | Not specified |
| Healthcare/Education AI-based tutors and doctors will make expertise essentially free; AI will play a minor role in healthcare, with AI doctors, teachers, oncologists, structural engineers, and accountants becoming commonplace. | Next 5 years |
| Education Schools will be disintermediated by AI; smart teens will skip formal education, build audiences, and become entrepreneurs. | Not specified |
| Advertising The nature of advertising will shift to being more informational as AI filters out emotionally manipulative tactics. | Not specified |
| Marketing Corporate photography will die as AI generates unlimited on-brand imagery for subscription costs. | Not specified |
| Marketing Most marketing will be done by AI; humans will focus on storytelling, vibes, and brand energy. | Not specified |
| Content Creation Creators' back catalogs will be weaponized into competition due to AI, akin to the "mp3 Napster era." | Not specified |
| Content Creation AI-generated content will create a monoculture of ideas; original human thinking will become a premium. | Not specified |
| Market Dynamics AI will create winner-take-most markets, with a 6-12 month window to establish dominance in a vertical. | By March 2026 |
| Robotics Bipedal robots will become a larger industry than the auto industry. | Within 20 years |
| Transportation AI-driven public transit will become more convenient than chauffeured cars, increasing street capacity and potentially replacing most cars in cities. | By 2050 |
| Transportation Driverless cars will increase congestion. | By 2044 |
| Energy Fusion power will become an economic possibility, with the potential to replace coal and natural gas plants by repowering boilers. | By 2030 |
| Energy Super hot geothermal energy will become cheaper than natural gas due to advancements in drilling technology. | Before 2030 |
| Energy The fastest way to deploy fusion is to replace every coal and natural gas plant. | By 2040 |
| Ethics/Privacy An AI backlash will arise from people realizing their digital identities are being used as training data without consent. | Not specified |
| Science AI will accelerate scientific discovery, potentially leading to Nobel Prizes derived from AI alone or AI-human partnerships. | In the future |
| Human-Computer Interaction Computers will learn humans instead of the other way around, eliminating the need for humans to adapt to computer programs. | Next 13 years |
| Design The "sketching economy" will make taste and ideation the only scarce resources as AI turns sketches into production-ready designs. | Not specified |
| Gaming Video game studios will split into agent-driven content farms and boutique studios focused on core mechanics; the middle will disappear. | Not specified |
| Mining There will be abundance in minerals and metals as we improve our ability to find them under the Earth's surface. | Not specified |
| Internet Access The most consumer access of the internet could be agents acting for consumers. | Not specified |
| Healthcare AI is able to digitize yourself to catch disease at inception. | Next 5 years |
| UI/UX AI will kill the homepage, replacing interfaces with dynamic entry points based on user context. | Not specified |
| Search Engines AI will unbundle Google, making every vertical search engine, directory, and comparison tool a billion-dollar opportunity. | Not specified |
| Customer Service Most customer support, including complex multi-step resolutions, will be automated. | By 2028 |
The Journey
What does success look like?
AI will allow us to focus on what we do best: being human. The question is whether we'll collectively use this opportunity to build more humane, equitable systems or simply replicate existing power structures in new technological contexts?
2024-2026
Establishing Foundations
- Build agentic infrastructure through decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN)
- Establish tokenized reputation systems
- Develop cross-chain AI negotiation protocols
- Deploy AI-driven personalized learning platforms
- Witness the rise of AI workflow designers as highest-paid professionals
2027-2030
Scaling Human-AI Synergy
- Deploy phygital (physical + digital) experience layers
- Scale autonomous feedback loops powered by trillions of niche crypto agents
- Implement universal basic income (UBI) through tokenized AI task systems
- Transition from traditional education to AI-driven personalized learning
- Witness premium pricing for genuine human experiences and empathy
2031+
Cultural Integration
- Achieve full unification of physical and digital worlds
- Shift from economic incentives to cultural motivators as primary drivers
- Introduce soul-bound AI companions that enhance emotional connection
- Witness inner space exploration becoming the primary human frontier
- Develop new societal structures based on human agency and judgment