For one week in December, I was the kid in the candy store. I was experiencing the executive program at Singularity University, Silicon Valley. For six days my insatiably curious mind was bombarded with ideas, challenges and information. Eighty-seven attendees from 38 countries working together.
Here’s a taste of what is happening.
Quantum computing is on its way. What currently takes a small team, the latest computer software and three weeks to accomplish, a 15-bit quantum computer spits out in three minutes. It could take 10 years until quantum computing is mainstream, which may give us enough time to shift our thinking. We are living in a time of abundance and opportunity. Humans are living longer, there are fewer wars, less poverty, childhood mortality has dropped, the cost of food has dropped and global literacy has gone from 25 per cent to 80 per cent. We have the ability to extract problematic genes and avoid disease. It’s already happening. The ethics debate has begun.
Immersion in augmented and virtual realities has led to the creation of alternate or renewed brain pathways in paraplegics. Movement is happening where it was previously impossible. It’s still early days in the research. The jury is out on Bitcoin but Blockchain and alternate methods of exchange are inevitable.
Yet… When our grandparents played in the dirt, their immune systems were strengthened. In some cases we are ‘oversterilising’ and our immune systems are suffering. It seems gardening and having a dog, are great for your body as well as your soul.
At the end of the day, for all our computers, technology, robotics and research, we remain human. We experience joy when we help another, increased immunity when we are grateful. We want to belong to a tribe and we have a desire to contribute.
