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Earlier today, <a href="https://futurism.com/michio-kakus-biggest-predictions-about-future/">Michio Kaku</a> spoke at the <a href="https://www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/">World Government Summit</a> in Dubai. I was fortunate enough to be in the crowd and, like those around me, I was both astonished and alarmed by what he had to say.
The topic at hand? Change.
It seems that each day brings with it a revolution <a href="https://futurism.com/ibm-psychosis-predicting-ai-speech/">in artificial intelligence</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/contest-find-the-falcon-heavys-center-core-because-we-cant/">space travel</a>, and <a href="https://futurism.com/first-american-human-crispr-trial-target-cancer/">DNA, which is the building block of life itself</a>. Though these developments are inspiring, the rapid pace at which science and technology are advancing is sometimes a little disquieting. And according to Kaku, in the next twenty years, things are going to get really weird.
From toilets that read our proteins to walls that talk to us, Kaku painted a staggeringly beautiful (and somewhat comical) picture of the world of tomorrow.
<h2>Earth 2.0</h2>
Kaku began by noting that, as the years pass, our vernacular will evolve, keeping pace with advances in technology. What does this mean, practically speaking? That we&#8217;ll lose &#8220;computers.&#8221;
No, we won&#8217;t literally lose them, but we will lose that term. &#8220;The word &#8216;computer&#8217; will disappear from the English language,&#8221; he said, adding that we will no longer say &#8220;computer&#8221; because the devices will be truly ubiquitous. From our bodies to our streets, everything will be a computer. There will be nothing that is not a computer.
Kaku continued by discussing how 3D printing will change the fabric of our lives, &#8220;We are talking about a new world. A world where, if you can imagine it, you can create it.&#8221; He described a world where we&#8217;re able to custom print shoes or jewelry or any other bit of attire. And he discussed how, if you want a toy for your child, in the world of tomorrow, all you&#8217;ll have to do is download it, and it will be ready for printing in your very own living room.
To this end, your house will be more than a place to call home — it will be a tool in and of itself. Oh, and you will also talk to your wallpaper. Wait, what?
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/things-to-come-a-timeline-of-future-technology-infographic/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/12/Homepage-Thumbnail-3-5.jpg" alt="Things to Come: A Timeline of Future Technology [INFOGRAPHIC]" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/things-to-come-a-timeline-of-future-technology-infographic/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
&#8220;In the future, we will have smartpaper,&#8221; Kaku elaborated. This paper will be able to show us any information that we request, just like computer screens do today. And it&#8217;s not just that we will talk to our walls, they&#8217;ll talk back. To this end, the architecture of our living spaces will be transformed — our walls will become our smartphones, laptops, and TV screens.
Imagine sitting in a chair in your living room, speaking aloud, and rushing yourself off to the farthest corners of the digital world. That sounds remarkable. It also sounds isolating and, perhaps, more than a little lonely.
Of course, technology also has the potential to help us connect with people wide and far. Kaku noted this point, outlining how tech will allow us to exchange thoughts and ideas as never before. &#8220;You will be able to talk to people in any language because your contact lenses will translate speech,&#8221; Kaku predicted.
Want to take a trip? Regardless of whether you&#8217;re going near or far, you won&#8217;t own your car; you also won&#8217;t drive one. Cars will drive you. You&#8217;ll also be able to travel much lighter than you do today because, as was mentioned above, you&#8217;ll be able to create most of what you want or need on demand.
For the things we do what to buy, Kaku believes we&#8217;re headed toward a future that will be socioeconomically unlike anything we&#8217;ve experienced.
&#8220;We are building up to something that I call &#8216;perfect capitalism,'&#8221; he said, describing the concept as &#8220;eliminating the middlemen, eliminating all the frictions of capitalism.&#8221; In this society, Kaku said, &#8220;the winner&#8221; will be all of society. The losers? The middlemen. The Stockbrokers.
The final, lingering question, then, is — what about us?
&#8220;Artificial intelligence may give us something that the kings and queens of old could never conquer: the aging process,&#8221; Kaku explained. Things get old and die because they accumulate errors. Once we&#8217;re able to use AI to compare millions of genomes from old people to millions of genomes from young people, we will identify precisely where aging takes place. Then, we&#8217;ll eradicate it.
It is a pretty picture, to be sure. But is it a picture that is accurate? At the present moment, I&#8217;m not entirely positive. Check back in twenty years.

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Today, Michio Kaku described what life will look like in twenty years

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<h2>Futuristic Colonies</h2>
The way we shape our homes and the places we live in play a big role in defining our view of the world. As smart devices and technologies inch their way into the structures we inhabit, <a href="https://futurism.com/a-moving-sail-bridge-concept-is-transforming-the-future-of-architecture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the future of architecture</a> is slowly revealed. But, while some conceptual architecture resembles a collection of snaps from a future that might never be, innovative design is truly blossoming, with realistic models that <a href="https://newatlas.com/best-2017-concept-architecture-buildings/52617/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> may well become tomorrow&#8217;s present</a>.
Here are some of the most incredible designs imagined this year:
This <a href="http://www.cloudsao.com/ANALEMMA-TOWER" target="_blank" rel="noopener">upside-down skyscraper</a> floats above the Earth — a potentially useful tool in an overpopulated future — tethered to an asteroid orbiting the planet.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GVwvdcJ8yHo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Nautilus Eco-Resort design&#8217;s shape is inspired by the Fibonacci spiral. It employs hydroponic growth technologies and <a href="https://futurism.com/the-age-of-vertical-farming-is-officially-upon-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other tools that incorporate plant growth into architecture</a>.
<figure style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-116826 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/12/best-concept-architecture-5-1200x848.jpg" alt="Image Credit: Vincent Callebaut Architectures" width="781" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Vincent Callebaut Architectures</figcaption></figure>
Off the coast of Norway, there <a href="https://snohetta.com/project/352-under" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is a proposed undersea restaurant</a>. The restaurant, will also host a research center for marine life. Its designers say it is meant as a tribute to the Norwegian coast and to the wild fauna of the sea and to the rocky coastline of Norway’s southern tip. Construction is slated to begin as early as 2018.
<figure style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-116828 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/12/undersea-1-1200x1199.jpg" alt="Image Credit: MIR/Snøhetta" width="781" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: MIR/Snøhetta</figcaption></figure>
Designed by<a href="http://www.oiiostudio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Oiio, &#8220;The Big Bend&#8221;</a> is an arch-shaped skyscraper that was imagined with New York City&#8217;s diminishing available space in mind. So, while the foundation square footage of the building is fairly small, the building can hold an incredible number of people without getting too tall and becoming unstable.
<figure style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-116829 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/12/best-concept-architecture-13-1200x967.jpg" alt="Image Credit: Oiio" width="781" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Oiio</figcaption></figure>
Shipping container homes evolved in design and rose in popularity in 2017. The idea of minimalist, transportable homes has flourished into a host of novel and innovative designs<a href="http://www.whitakerstudio.co.uk/joshua-tree-residence/vg182vxe6g7wne7qpc2ud0pqguwu44" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> like the one seen below</a>, which is set to be constructed in 2018 in southern California. The home is elevated so floods won&#8217;t damage it, and because its elements point in different directions the rooms will never lack of natural light.
<figure style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-116830 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/12/best-concept-architecture-16-1200x960.jpg" alt="Image Credit: Whitaker Studio" width="781" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Whitaker Studio</figcaption></figure>
This proposed design <a href="http://vincent.callebaut.org/object/170609_mantaray/mantaray/projects/user" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for a ferry terminal in Seoul</a> represents combines innovative architecture with green energy solutions. Designed to look like manta rays, these structures are able to produce all of the energy that they require from solar and wind sources.
<figure style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-116831 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/12/best-concept-architecture-20-1200x849.jpg" alt="Image Credit: Vincent Callebaut Architectures" width="781" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Vincent Callebaut Architectures</figcaption></figure>
What looks like a humanoid robot from Gundam Wing is actually<a href="http://www.margotkrasojevic.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> a floating bridge</a>. This experimental design from Margot Krasojević, as commissioned by the Ordos government in Mongolia, can fold up and even move location.
<figure style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-116833 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/12/best-concept-architecture-25-1200x902.jpg" alt="Image Credit: Margot Krasojević" width="781" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Margot Krasojević</figcaption></figure>
A collective of South Korean designers created &#8220;The Giant Sequoia Skyscraper&#8221; for the <a href="http://www.evolo.us/featured/winners-2017-skyscraper-competition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eVolo skyscraper concept competition</a>. This design involves building skyscrapers inside of massive, existing trees, a novel approach to the peaceful coexistence between humans and nature.
<figure style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-116836 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/12/best-concept-architecture-27-1200x856.jpg" alt="Image Credit: Credit: eVolo" width="781" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Credit: eVolo</figcaption></figure>
Not all of these designs will become reality in the near future. But science has often taught us that what we can only imagine today may actually happen tomorrow. And through existing techniques such as hydroponic technologies, renewable resources, and advanced materials, building these structures could be both <a href="https://futurism.com/6-futuristic-homes-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">possible and positive for planet Earth</a>.

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<h2>Energy Consumption &amp; Cost</h2>
Three times in the last year, I&#8217;ve sat across a boardroom from different C-Level executives in the trillion-dollar utility industry, talking about the future. A common unifying thread in these talks was that while electricity consumption may be going down, the price of everything we use to generate that electricity is going up. For the industry, energy consumption is a revenue source, while generation is a cost. See the problem?
The current business model that has served energy and utility companies so well for so long is dying. What’s more, the same companies — who stand to lose a great deal of money — essentially have to participate in the &#8220;murder&#8221; of the industry. The energy dinosaurs have to be their own asteroids, so to speak. Why? Because while many customers want lower electric bills, and others are concerned about the environment, the bottom line is that they are all demanding a new technology market that&#8217;s all about using less to do more.
Thomas Kratt, Vice President of Engineering at the Indiana-Michigan division of American Electric Power and a veteran of the industry, states that “We are probably the only industry that is encouraging our customers to use less of our product.” And he&#8217;s right. Today, you can’t throw a stone in a utility company conference without denting someone’s shiny new energy efficiency program.
<q class="pullquote">“We are probably the only industry that is encouraging our customers to use less of our product.”</q>
Now, let’s be very clear. I love a good energy efficiency program as much as the next guy. In fact, my job depends on it. However, if the energy industry decides to go down this path, something has got to give. Most likely, that something will be the very definition of a utility company in the 21st-century economic landscape.
The new age utility company will no longer be an energy provider — it will be a lifestyle provider. Technologies like smart lighting, household appliances, electric cars, IoT (internet of things) enabled personalized service, and Behind The Meter energy storage and generation are already here. Right now, there are companies, like Tesla, that are implementing and embracing these technologies way better than established industry players.
Then there are other services (like solar roads, drone assisted repair and maintenance, and fuel cell energy storage) being invented in labs, garages, and incubators right now across the country that will, one day, be ubiquitous and synonymous with energy services. If the big boys in the utility space want to live to see even another ten years of market dominance, they’d have to throw out the stale strategies and go shopping for fresh ones. In the new marketplace they&#8217;re not billion-dollar companies — they&#8217;re startups.
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/energy-future-harnessing-power-earth/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/02/harnessingearthenergies_home_v1.png" alt="The Energy of the Future: Harnessing the Power of Earth" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/energy-future-harnessing-power-earth/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
<h2>A Healthy Respect for Disruption</h2>
At this year’s Distributech event (the leading annual smart grid conference) I heard Senior Editor-at-Large of Fortune magazine Geoff Colvin, speak to representatives of 326 utilities from 78 countries. He made it clear that he was an industry outsider and that he had very little experience with the technical operations of a utility. He then proceeded to softly, gently, and with his characteristic wit, completely eviscerate the prediction-models utilities have been using to run their businesses for the last hundred years or so. It was swift, decisive, and a work of art. I was left breathing a little heavily at the end of his talk.
Using the story of Uber as an example, Geoff made it clear that it&#8217;s prudent to have a healthy respect for disruption in any industry. The transport industry back then faced the same issues confronting traditional utilities today. Utilities have not always been used to personalize their product for customers. Instead, they have operated in a stagnant, monopolized market where little effort had to be made to get, retain, or market to customers. Regulation also meant that utility companies were not incentivized to innovate their product, or pair it with continually updated and relevant services. Innovation is not ‘non-volatile’ and ‘stable’ — things that regulators love.
With a new generation of customers who have grown up taking technology, democracy, and environmental consciousness for granted, utilities have to realize that the customer is the king once again and choice is the preferred consort. Having a startup mentality allows them to discard the status-quo and focus on maintaining a competitive advantage.
Many bigger companies are already waking up to this new reality. Phrases like &#8220;smart grid,&#8221; &#8220;grid modernization,&#8221; and &#8220;energy efficiency&#8221; are being thrown around in boardrooms across the country. It&#8217;s exciting to see seasoned professionals roll up their sleeves and re-ignite the innovative spirit that drew them to this industry in the first place. A senior engineer who has been working for over twenty-five years recently confided, “I feel like a recent graduate again. Every day at work I deal with something different, something new.”
<q class="pullquote">&#8220;Every day at work I deal with something different, something new.”</q>
It&#8217;s truly an exciting time to be in the energy delivery business. It&#8217;s a time when questions like “who is going to be the next Uber of the utility industry?” are being asked, and when technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and drones are being paired up with what was essentially once solely a “wires and poles” business. It&#8217;s a time when everyone gets a seat at the table, and all the players get equal rights to the future.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of Futurism or its affiliates.

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/Future

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