The Future

The 23rd century

AI completely dominates the planet now. Almost every aspect of world affairs is controlled by superintelligent entities formed of billions of inorganic minds working in unison. These "Artilects" work at speeds and scales that would be incomprehensible to observers from the 21st century. Global issues that persisted for years in the past can now be resolved on timescales measured in hours, minutes or even less.

The medium which used to be known as the Internet has evolved into something quite profound: for many people it has replaced physical reality entirely. Reverse engineering of the brain, combined with advanced nanotechnology, allows human minds to be fully detached and immersed within digital environments. These virtual worlds offer a kind of immortality now.

Despite the environmental catastrophe which has ravaged Earth, the awesome resources available online mean that war, conflict, poverty and disease are gradually being consigned to history. The knowledge and education that is free to everyone has fostered a culture of trust and cooperation, while technological breakthroughs are continuing to raise living standards. Only a few backwater, insular nations remain unaffected - perhaps due to dictatorial governments, religious institutions, geographical isolation or other factors. Even these parochial places will soon be joining the rest of humanity.

Although virtual reality dominates today's culture, physical reality still holds great interest for many. In one of the largest projects ever undertaken, the natural world is restored to its pre-industrial state, with vast areas of forest and grassland replanted, many extinct species brought back to life, countless fish reintroduced to the oceans, and purification of the Earth's atmosphere and water. Strict limits on the gathering of resources are enforced, with the aim of never again returning to the nightmare of the 21st century.

The space industry goes through another transformation. Venus and Mars both have terraforming programmes underway; the latter is now home to many large cities. The Moon, too, has millions of permanent inhabitants. Asteroid mining is a booming industry, with numerous operations underway. There are dozens of scientific stations on the moons of the gas giants. The Kuiper Belt is fully probed and catalogued, as is the Oort Cloud. Beyond the Oort Cloud, a huge network of telescopes is constructed. Throughout this period, numerous Earth-like planets are observed throughout the galaxy, though even the nearest of these worlds is dozens of light years away. However, anti-matter propulsion is allowing the first manned exploration of neighbouring stars, with the Alpha Centauri system and others gaining their first permanent colonies.

Meanwhile, the secrets of the Universe itself - and the origin of matter - are close to being finally solved by the world's top scientists and AI programs...



The World in 2200

The average person of today is likely to spend the vast majority of their time in a virtual reality of some kind. Physical society and culture still exists - but most now eschew it, in favour of the Godlike capabilities they can experience online.

It is becoming very rare to encounter a friend or colleague in person now. In fact, you are more likely to encounter a form of artificial intelligence today, than you are to encounter a living, breathing human. Urban centres are becoming eerily deserted, with most citizens to be found in their homes, or in digital libraries and entertainment venues, engaged in complex simulations wired directly to their brains. Manufacturing industries have been entirely automated now - as well as most workplaces - with almost everyone now working from home. The Internet has evolved into what is, essentially, a gigantic global mind: transparently embedded in everything from clothing to fields of corn, from cars to space stations.

Literally everything has been automated, controlled and made easier. Take peoples' hair, for example. This no longer requires cutting by human hands: it can simply be grown according to a program of your choice. Genetic information is beamed to receivers in your neural interface, instructing the nanobots in the body to apply the appropriate style, colour or length. Precision and control is achieved on a molecular level, with the treatment completed in seconds.

Often, styles are designed by ordinary citizens, or AI, then promoted via online communities, with the best ones rated and made popular, in a manner similar to the commercial music charts of previous centuries. This same process is used for a whole host of other goods and services - from domestic pets, to gardening, to body tatoos, to gourmet food. In this way, a person can become relatively famous by modifying the genetic coding or molecular structure of different items, using the knowledge available to them online.

Technology is changing everything. It is eliminating famine, disease and the need for war, with only a handful of the most backwater nations remaining unaffected by the Singularity. These are closely monitored by the developed states, with severe penalties for any which threaten the technological progress of the rest of the world.

For the majority of the world's citizens, practically any desired resource can be synthesised instantly and automatically, via the technologies available in the home today. These are divided between needs and wants, however - so a citizen will be unable to request a large supply of gold (for example), but will have an immediate and unlimited supply of food, water, clean clothes and other essential needs. "Points" have to be earned in order to access the more sophisticated products and services, and these can be earned by contributing knowledge or innovative ideas to the web.

This development of ideas and information is essentially the main function of the world's economy today. Physical items can be manufactured and distributed so easily that they are no longer a significant part of GDP. What matters today is the information behind items, rather than items themselves.