People Are Sharing Their Wildest, Coolest, And Most Terrifying Predictions For What The World Will Be Like 100 Years From Now
Recently, I came across this article about the "ruthlessly imaginative" predictions of Professor Archibald Montgomery Low, a 1925 scientist who took a stab at guessing what the world would be like in 2025.
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He accurately predicted things like the "television machine," "automatic telephones," women wearing pants, and the widespread use of radio alarm clocks. Some inaccurate predictions included mind-to-mind electrical communication and the idea that humans will have run out of things to laugh at (we haven't).
Sooo, in the interest of fun, I decided to ask members of our BuzzFeed Community to tell me their own predictions for 100 years hence. Here are their thoughts on what the world will be like in 2125:
1."I'm not 100% confident about it, but there is a chance that flying cars and/or VTOL (vertical takeoff) aircraft will be legit forms of transportation. I'm also guessing that there will be a ton more medical complications due to microplastics."
2."I think privacy will become way more of a desire and way less of a realistic thing to attain."
"Companies have a vested interest in us having zero privacy. On that note, I'm worried about what [effect] AI and AI porn will have on the women and girls of the world. AI ought to be illegal for that reason alone."
—Anonymous
3."I think hallucinogenic drugs like psilocybin and LSD will have become integrated into the medical field to treat conditions like PTSD."
"I don't think drugs should be abused, but I hope more research is funded, because I also don't think they should be overlooked because of a bad reputation. I'm fairly confident in the future of the medical field in general."
—Anonymous
4."I think reproduction of humans will be heavily influenced by the government."
—Anonymous
5."I think it could go one of three ways..."
"A: With what is happening in the US right now, we regress by 100 years in terms of laws, culture, etc., BUT we excel in technology to the point where we may very well in a way fulfill the 'retrofuture' lifestyle.
B: WW3 destroys most of the world and we live in a post-apocalyptic society that really sends humanity back a few years.
C: Things don't change a whole lot... well, other than us living on Mars, but that is because climate change [will have] harmed the planet more than we humans could handle.
I don't really have a super positive outlook on the future... I wish I did, but... I don't."
—Anonymous
6."In 100 years, there will have been more wars, more diseases, and more horrors. But there will have also been more love, more inventions, and more marvels."
Enes Simsek / Getty Images, Anvr / Getty Images
"People are always people, and we are always more or less normal, loving, and at the end of the day, good to each other. Even if there is a WWIII, humans will survive. And we will go on surviving. And we will love each other."
—Anonymous
7."Flying cars, helper robots, clean air and water, enough food for everyone. And the most important thing, everyone is kind and helpful to each other."
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—Anonymous
8."Global warming."
9."The assassination of a major world leader will happen in the summer of 2125. Consider yourselves warned."
—Anonymous
10."The world will have ended or we all live on the moon."
11."I'm the rare man in Silicon Valley who is against AI. Things it will have terrible effects on: Education (you guys need to learn to read and write). Hollywood (please no). Porn (a horror)."
"I think [machine learning technology] should be used only in a professional capacity when it has a function that a human being CANNOT do. Tiny, precise medical applications, for example, or I read a case where they trained a computer to read charred manuscripts.
I worry about people who want to use it in education or law. I work in tech and THIS IS NOT AN UNBIASED TOOL. If we let them, people will use 'AI' tools for great evil."
—Anonymous
12."Based on recent events, women will no longer be able to vote. Florida will be underwater and California will have separated from the rest of the US. And it’ll be North US and South US. Only half joking.😬"
Mubi, Metropolitan Filmexport / Via youtube.com
13."Fascism. World War Three. Hopefully no nukes this time or lots of people will die and suffer. Then, the pendulum will swing, some countries will overthrow fascist governments, but I guess some wont. It's here to stay, I'm afraid. But we can fight it."
—Anonymous
14."I think they'll have some sick lamps. Real cozy shit, I'm not kidding. They'll have cool houses, too. I mean this unironically. I want to see their cool colored lamps."
—Anonymous
15."There have been so many great steps made in the medical field in the past few decades. An HIV diagnosis was once a death sentence; now, we can treat it. Many cancers are a death sentence, but many are treatable and curable. I hope that one day, we are able to unlock the cure to all cancers."
"People and doctors of the future, please look back at us with kindness. We are doing our best."
—Anonymous
16."Life will get worse for the poor and better for the rich, as always. Then it will even out again. Then it will stratify again. As always."
—Anonymous
17."I'm in the film industry (crew) and I consider American cinema one of the country's greatest achievements. I'm worried the studios are trying to choke out creativity in the name of profits."
"I predict studios will try to use more AI, more CGI, and cut union people out of jobs, but I also think creative people will always try to make THEIR movies and tell THEIR stories.
Right now things aren't looking great for us but great artists always persevere. In 2125 they will have some great, great movies I wish I could watch. Rest in peace David Lynch, one of the best to ever do it."
—Anonymous
18."So many of my kid's classmates are using AI to cheat at school. Hell, my kid probably is, too. What's depressing is that I can actually tell the difference in the intelligence of his friends now vs. their intelligence a year ago vs. the intelligence of my older daughter and her friends when they were in high school. Parents, this shit is making your kids dumb."
"All this to say, I predict that this AI shit is here to stay. My prediction based on that is that actual intelligent education will become a reflection of what it was in the past: reserved for kids who are a combination of wealthy and driven, whose parents can afford private tutors or private schools that do not use AI 'tools,' and who — and this is key — have the desire to learn for learning and intelligence's sake.
Many people think AI 'tools' are an equalizer; I worry that they will make for something of a mirror of the Enlightenment era. Anything but equal. Human education only for the rich."
—Anonymous
19."Honestly, I think it'll look pretty close to the same. Some advances in medicine and transportation, hopefully."
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"One advance of our own I've loved in the past few years has been the popularity of lab-grown diamonds, and I'm optimistic enough to hope that in the future, we will have more things like that that lessen human cruelty. No one should be suffering to bring us luxuries. Unfortunately, I'm not quite optimistic enough to do more than hope we'll find a way to get rid of things like cobalt mines or sweatshops. The poor will always be with us. Someone famous said that, I think. Wink."
—Sarah, UK
20."The elegance and ease of propaganda is already past its tipping point. I predict propaganda will get worse, especially as people lose their ability or will to reason."
"People don't seem to care much about reason anymore, just about feelings. They love feeling right. I worry for the future. I hope they are able to reason out truths and treat the world with kindness. I hope they can treat the past with kindness, too."
—Anonymous
21."Gene editing on cats and dogs. Hopefully it won't get popular but I think someone will try it."
—Anonymous
22."I predict massive advances in maternal medicine and care. All female medicine, hopefully!"
—Anonymous
23.And finally: "I am envious of those in the future who will be able to read great works of literature and listen to great music that won't have been made yet by the time I am dead."
Richard Newstead / Getty Images, Olena Malik / Getty Images
—Anonymous
Some of these were touching, some terrifying, and some a little funny. If you have any thoughts on these, go ahead and leave them in the comments down below! Or, if you want, feel free to share your own 2125 predictions. I'd love to read them.
If you'd like to share but prefer to remain anonymous, you can check out this anonymous Google form. Who knows — your prediction could end up in a future BuzzFeed article!
Some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.
