An awareness campaign by The Millennium Project aiming at stimulating public positive thoughts at 2050.

On December, 21st, 2019 The Millennium Project Italian node has launched a small awareness campaign called #happy2050 on the main social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), with the support of The Millennium Project (MP). The simple, fast awareness campaign aimed at stimulating public positive thoughts at 2050 as follows:

“What future do you want for you and the others? Start creating our collective future today! Share your ideas with our card by using #happy2050 or fill the form at https://lnkd.in/d6uHpqi We will collect the best quotes on the MP website!

More about the Future of Work/Tech at 2050 at https://lnkd.in/drfNDjS

Artwork by The Millennium Project Italian node Img credit: Alexandra Sokol, Arts/Media Node member.

Fig. 1 #happy2050 campaign card.

The small campaign closed on the 6^th of January 2020 and collected various thoughts worldwide at 2050. The main addressed theme is the environment, with most of the environmental problems solved at 2050 also thanks to next technologies, that so much space have in people’s mind when thinking about the future and because the technological acceleration. A “sustainable” (Gian Antonio from Italy) future is one of the main positive image of the future arisen from respondents: “I want more technologies and care for the environment and health” (Aurora from Italy); “Zero-energy/waste, sustainable life in decentralised, smart connected, decarbonised environment and peaceful world where human beings share their benefits, know-how and best practices and live in harmony with nature” (Vicente from Switzerland). The work/tech positive scenarios met much of the sustainable development goals after all, and that says a lot about setting priorities for humanity. 

Someone gets also back to space and human longevity, another recurrent thought, maybe encouraged by the most known science fiction visionary and writer Isaac Asimov’ birth recent centennial: “Holidays on Mars” (Mario from Italy); “I want a future in which we already tackled and figured out our species’ mortality problem and we mostly passed the long struggles of “who has the right to become immortal?”. We’re reaching a population/resources equilibrium, mainly through brave and voluntary (of course paid) colonization of the Moon and Mars. Meanwhile, interplanetary corporations are on the brink of a new wave of hostilities and confrontations over newly discovered resources of the solar system.” (Pouyan from Iran). And should we leave our planet because we can no longer live here or because we just want to?

Thoughts about a less unequal economy, and work tied to automation, one of the main problems addressed by the MP’s “Work/Tech 2050” report, could not miss: “Liberty to chase our opportunities despite the automation of most jobs…”, getting then back again to the environment: “…and a planet that won’t burn due to inaction in the face of climate crisis.” (Natasha from Canada); “I hope in 2050 that a balance will be achieved between human well-being and that of the planet as a whole. We should break out of a capitalist world focused on personal short-termed financial gain.” (Martine from Belgium); “A society where less inequalities are preserved, therefore where there is a better redistribution of economic resources. We should get back to cultivate an idea of social entrepreneurship. Moreover, I would like to live in a society where such social and economic policies are “sustainable”. That is characterized by environment protection, also with the fundamental contribution of technological innovation (in any field of activity).” (Luigi from Italy).

One of the most quoted idea is some kind of (base for) collective intelligence, starting from “The real semantic internet, sharing and synergy on knowledge. Not just data or AI but real collective intelligence connecting humans, machine and time with exponential interaction” (Andrea from Italy). “In 2050 we won’t have a climate crisis because all nationalities have collaborated and we are not just meeting but beating the Paris climate change targets. We will have a more balanced world between rich and poor, with education and basic healthcare for all. The U.K. will be reunited with itself and with Europe. Stronger together.” (Angela from UK). “The mainstream ideology / mboxyth on the planet tells the story of humans applying the principle of Interdependence: the purpose of all human activities is to regenerate nature, society and humans. Society enjoys a shared and durable prosperity.” (Eric from Italy). “The 2050 I would like is a year where man can have gained trust in himself and in its own capacities again. Without being ashamed of technology and science. Without being ashamed of being proud of its achievements. And being aware that with great power comes great responsibility” (Mattia from Italy).  And essential prerequisites, also to address many global challenges facing humanity (Glenn, Florescu, 2017) are: “Accountable decision makers, top education and equal opportunities, stakeholdership as driver to business” (Consuelo from Italy), wishing “A world without transnational organized crime” (Conception from Mexico).  

Here’s an overall vivid image closing with references to human spirituality: “30 years from now…a future where humanity is coming into a more peaceful collective harmony with each other and with nature using our technical genius and creativity to work towards solutions to achieve these goals. We are greening and farming more in urban landscapes, recycling water and materials, using alternative energies (solar, wind), and we apply eco-consciousness to all we do and create, including bearing children. Our educational systems are being reworked and are on track to support more self-actualized inspired careers that consider longer lifespans, and so too our medical systems which are now incorporating more and more alternative wellbeing practices, including healthy dying. A new global spirituality is becoming more and more popular that honors our oneness, and new community centers are being created that host those practicing this perspective — versus the theologically outdated fundamentalist religions that divide and separate. In fact, churches, temples and mosques are beginning to transform and adopt this new spiritual cosmology.” (Kate from USA).

After having reached “A future of sorority” (Annalisa from Italy/France), “Prosperity for all, Equal Social Rights and Justice for all, Better Health Conditions for all, Good Nature for all” (Azhar from Pakistan), what is left? “Transcendental happiness for all. Don’t try it, do it… now!” (Tomas from Mexico), thus getting back to that “Self-Actualization economy in a Conscious-Technology Civilization” Glenn talks about in “Work/Tech 2050.

Well, then, let’s hope to see each other in “A future where we meet each other at eye sight” (Céline from Switzerland), with “Peace, health and prosperity for all” (Lidia from Italy), because “Dreams can become reality” if we want them to, after all (Angela from UK)!

#happy2050 is born by analysing the results contained in the MP’ report “Work/Tech 2050. Scenarios and Actions” (Glenn, 2019), whose aim is to stimulate a global, systematic, research-based discussion on how to make the transition to a world economy changed by foreseeable future technologies. “Work/Tech 2050” is an international, multidisciplinary, and trans-institutional study involving panels of experts from around the world to assess concerns and identify actions that could help long-range thinking and strategies to address the work/technology interplay by 2050. The inputs from hundreds of international expert taking part to the study collected over the first phases formed three alternative Work/Technology 2050 Global Scenarios, one of which defines a complicated scenario where few governments anticipates the impacts of Next Technologies, another one describes a future despair with political and economic turmoil because no governments have strategies in place to address the massive future unemployment, and a third positive one has strategies that allow the self-actualization economy freeing humans. These scenarios were inputs to around 30 following workshops conducted in 19 countries, which produced over 250 suggestions. They were then distilled into 94 and assessed by 5 international Real-Time Delphi studies, where international experts rated the actions to address a desirable future among the three alternative ones

#happy2050 is an experimental campaign to make people start thinking about the futures and understand what is the public opinion for a better future. It is not a collective Futures Literacy (FL) exercise; neither is a structured communication method giving collective intelligence outputs or a representative survey. #happy2050 aims at being a simple contribution by the MP Italian node to start stimulating a first positive public futures thinking at 2050, taking advantage of the 2020 new year opening a decade that helps reasoning by timeframes, and to be prosecuted with more immersive FL activities.

For info and ideas, please write to Mara Di Berardo, Millennium Project Italian Node co-chair: mdiberardo[at]gmail.com.

1. Glenn, J.C. (2019), “Work/Tech 2050. Scenarios and Actions”, the Millennium Project, September, http://www.millennium-project.org/projects/workshops-on-future-of-worktechnology-2050-scenarios/
2. Glenn, J.C., Florescu, E. (2017), “State of the future 19.1”, the Millennium Project, http://www.millennium-project.org/publications-2-3/.