Index Page - Jobs of the Future

Avatars, surrogates, robotics Once the stuff of games and virtual reality, now they’re taking on active roles as replacements for living, breathing human beings. Your future self could interact in the world in a low-tech way while allowing your avatar, surrogate or robot self to live your online and tech life for you!

Universal translators The day is not far off when people will be able to communicate seamlessly and in real time in entirely different languages through computerised translating programs.

Dark networks Increased internet use across the world has left us vulnerable to illegal activity. Our data puts us all out there and enables the activities of the dark networks to steal identities, create fake identities and undertake cyber-attacks.

Nanotechnology Technology at the nano (tiny, tiny) scale allows for a precision that can copy nature at its most basic functioning. Nanotechnology is being used in technological fields including engineering, medical devices, imaging and computing. This will have consequences in treating illnesses and disorders that take place at a cellular level – treating the root of the problem before the spread of the disease.

Quantum control This uses technology derived from physics for computer applications – merging science and technology. Imagine a microscopic computer chip with the power to think like a computer, without the need for complex circuitry and capable of being moved by light or sound

Big data With so much data out there, governments and businesses will soon develop ways to manage and analyse this to make sense of things, to make predictions and to make informed social, policy and business decisions.

Reading minds with machines (neurohacking) It is possible that in the future a computer will be able to read your mind. Neuroscientists are already finding ways to do this.

Expanded space exploration NASA is planning to launch the most powerful rocket in history, and by 2021 send a crew of up to four astronauts back into space to visit the moon or other planets.

Space tourism Technology has driven enormous cost reductions in space exploration (SpaceX is working towards developing largely reusable rockets). Individuals and corporations in the private sector are working towards setting up systems to enable the public to buy their own tickets for space travel.

Zero-size computer chips With zero-sized computer chips (called computer ‘brains’) we’ll be able to pack a whole lot of computing power into tiny, tiny packages. Computer chips may become so small that the housing for the computer itself will be almost zero.