Bots will tip the scales in creativity's favour Bots will tip the scales in creativity's favour Bots will tip the scales in creativity's favour

Just 20 years into the 21st century, we have already seen remarkable changes that we could never have anticipated. We've come up with 20 predictions that explore what the next 20 years may have in store for your organization.

All of the repetitive tasks in our working lives will be done by a bot, and even in our everyday lives, bots will play a prominent role.

Elements of our existence will change beyond recognition by 2041, courtesy of artificial intelligence, automation and robotics. These sophisticated tools will be seamlessly integrated into our personal lives and business operations, transforming the way we live and work. Most of the manual, repetitive tasks in our working lives will be done by a bot. Even in our everyday lives, bots will play a prominent role.

Robots—which will use embedded sensors to react to various environments—will eliminate most manual tasks by 2041 and will be able to assist in education, healthcare, aged care, hospitality and public security. Autonomous vehicles will become commonplace, changing the way we commute, and we will even have flying cars that build on the technology of AeroMobil's flying car planned launch in 2023 at a flying range of 740 km.¹

Avatar robots will also be popular two decades from now, enabling people to see or experience places they are not in by 'teleporting' their consciousness to remote locations all over the world. They will also people experience activities they no longer can do, such as the sensation of riding a bicycle for someone who is bedridden. They will also let us direct actions remotely, such as fixing an appliance or moving someone from a bed to a wheelchair in a hospital. This is already starting to happen, with one Japanese company who is a pioneer in the field, who is testing avatar robot prototypes in Japanese convenience stores, which are remotely controlled using virtual reality technology.² Intelligent systems will transform business functions, improving efficiency and eradicating human error.

Many traditional or lower-skill jobs will be eliminated, freeing us for new and higher-level work that demands human creativity, ingenuity and empathy, as artificial intelligence (AI) will allow for bots that have passed the 'Turing test', which proves a machine performs better than humans at particular tasks.

Technology will also make traditional jobs more effective. For example, radiologists will use AI to review MRI and CT scans more effectively, farmers will use drones and AI to assess the health of crops to know when to apply fertilizer or to get better yields, and nuclear plant operators will use drones and AI to assess potential cracks in power infrastructure.

AI and Robots will bring down the cost of goods and increase production and improve the safety of many operations. Evolved technology will over the next 20 years reduce many accidents, in industry or on roads for instance, by eliminating human error. And, as bots will enable human experiences, interactions and services, good design, data security and ethical considerations will be central to the field of AI.

Curious to find out what else could happen between now and 2040? Read our other predictions: