Originally Published December, 1999 Kansas City Star

by Bob Treadway, CSP, Business Futurist

It is impossible to predict the future . . . with absolute accuracy. In making these predictions I looked at the range of probability for 50 years into the future. I examined my "cone of probability" that gets wider year by year toward 2050 to develop this list of developments that will impact our business environment.

1. Supervisor and manager are still viable job functions.
2. Average flying time between U.S. and Asia/Europe is under 4 hours.
3. Computer keyboards are antiques. We interact with computers by voice and even thought.
4. Paper is still used in the workplace.
5. Robots will be everyday companions.
6. Three quarters of Kansas City workers will work from home offices.
7. Leisure time has increased for most Americans. The standard workweek is under 40 hours.
8. China is the worlds leading economy and the second largest trading partner for the U.S.
9. Over half of Kansas City auto owners own electric-powered vehicles.
10. All cars have robotic self-driving computer control.
11. One half the U.S. population has some form of bionic, info-tech related implant.
12. The United States is part of an economic alliance between 20 countries in the Americas plus the United Kingdom.
13. Triple digit life expectancies are common, especially among the wealthy.
14. Elections in the U.S. take place electronically.
15. Aging reversal and life extension generate over 10% of the U.S. economy.
16. Large sections of Kansas and Missouri have reverted to virgin prairie as land was taken out of marginal agricultural production.
17. Humans wear computers for communication, entertainment, life management, and mental augmentation.
18. The first cryonic regeneration of a human frozen at the turn of the century has occurred.
19. Wal-Mart International is the world's largest wholesaler/retailer/electronic provider of consumer products.
20. Magnetic levitation trains allow travel to Chicago in just over an hour. Denver in two hours.
21. Exercise is still a high-benefit activity for humans.
22. 40% of the world's economic activity is conducted electronically.
23. Kansas City Star is printed on electronic-reusable "paper" as well as personal digital assistants. Content and advertising changes based on the biometrics (thumbprint or retinal scan) of each reader.
24. The median age of the Kansas City population is 50.
25. Most software code is "self-written" by computer programs themselves.
26. Over the counter drugs include substances to elevate intelligence in the workplace.
27. Most computers are biologically based, holding data in molecular bonds.
28. Cash has given way to electronic forms of currency including cards and chips.
29. World population is 9 billion and holding steady.
30. The nation with the largest population is India.
31. Energy costs are at their lowest point in 150 years through high efficiency solar and new breakthroughs in hydrogen fuels.
32. The largest category of U.S. business exports is entertainment.
33. Telephone calls offer voice, video, and holographic reproduction for less than a penny per minute.
34. All high-danger occupations done by robots with human controllers.
35. Chemicals are assembled at the molecular level at the point of usage.
36. The best paid occupations are those with uniquely human skills that cannot be replicated by machines.
37. Identification of ethnic origin on the job has ended in the U.S. because of intermarriage and advances in educational and economic equality.
38. China is the leading world tourist destination with its ancient culture, exotic resorts, and wild desert and mountain destinations.
39. The typical office chair has embedded intelligence that conforms to your exact anatomical features and regulates its temperature for your comfort.
40. Personal income taxes are still collected by the federal government.

Bob Treadway is a pragmatic business futurist who consults and makes presentations to many of North America's largest corporations and trade associations. You can see more information on his work at www.trendtalk.com.