In the 1990s, a chess computer program called IBM's , multiple-time champion Kasparov, and today IBM's Watson supercomputer beats contestants on Jeopardy. Ten years ago, employers feared that job opportunities would be limited to Europe. Today, online work is available in any country, for any company, from our homes. Five years ago, it would have taken NASA years to annotate millions of images taken by a telescope, but with a collaborative platform, the task can be completed in a few weeks, with the help of thousands of volunteers.
Two or three years ago, the colonization of Mars was russia phone data unthinkable, and now we are preparing for it. Global communication, smart machines, and new media are changing the way we think about work, what constitutes work, and what skills we need to be productive in the future. We begin every forecasting lesson by discussing factors, called “drivers.” While any one factor is important for the future, a set of factors has a greater impact.
We have selected six factors that emerged from our research as the most relevant and important for the future. 1. Extreme longevity The increase in global life expectancy is changing the nature of careers and learning. People will need to change their approach to their careers, family life and education to accommodate the demographic challenge. People over 65 will work longer to have adequate resources for retirement.