Some predictions for the coming years...

I'm going to make a few predictions based on recent trends, information I have gleaned online and general observations. Just for the record, I will emphasise that these are not things that I necessarily desire will happen, rather they're things that I believe will happen. I just thought it would be interesting to record them and see how accurate they are in two, five or even ten years' time!

Much of what I write concerns Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is about to totally reshape our world.

1) You could be the next Hitchcock or Speilberg - Films will be produced by AI. Elon Musk apparently believes this will be possible by 2027. This could mean that each of us could become directors - you write the script and AI will produce the film. Just as we now have 'citizen journalists' with the ability to record and comment on events and then upload them to a social media platform, we will each be able to create dramas and films and do the same.

2)  Online ID - AI will be harnessed by criminals who will use it for fruadulent purposes. It be problematic as statements that appear to be made directly by celebrities, politicians and officials could actually be AI videos. This will (ostensibly?) necessitate all users of the internet to have to be verified. It could even justify some form of global ID. I have put 'ostensibly' in brackets with a question mark, as it could be that other solutions are available but this one fits an agenda pushed by certain parties.

3) Universal Basic Income - It's been suggested that there will be mass-unemployment as AI replaces employees. This will happen gradually at first, but as it becomes more sophisticated in tandem with robotics, then even manual jobs will be replaced. A UBI will be absolutely necessary to prevent societal collapse...unless you're a conspiracy theorist, in which case a shadowy elite might prefer a population cull! ;) 

4) Robotaxis - They're already here. In around a decade they will replace cars driven by a taxi driver, making this form of transport much, much cheaper. The same is true of lorry drivers, meaning food and goods can be distributed much more cheaply.

5) Preportional Representation -  I must emphasise that this is not a political blog. This is in no way an assertion that any political party is good or bad. However, based on current trends the political landscape is set to change in a way that has not occurred since the rise of the Liberal Party in the 1920s. For reasons which I will not state here, this is likely to make proportional representation attractive to the incumbent government.