The Next Disruptive Wave: Human Augmentation
PARI AWAKENS IN LONDON to the smell of waffles hot from her kitchen’s 3D printer. Her virtual personal assistant, Martin, says good morning and mentions that it’s cold outside. He tells her that he’s purchased the sweater she’s been admiring and it has just been drone-delivered. After she gets dressed, her driverless taxi arrives. During the commute, she enjoys a virtual-reality (VR) call with her husband, who is travelling overseas.
When Pari arrives at her shared office space, she is notified that three different companies have requisitioned the services of the freelance collective to which she belongs. One request originated in China and has already been translated. On her way home after work, Pari’s implanted microchip alerts Martin to a high cholesterol reading. Martin announces that he has booked an appointment with a virtual doctor and has pre-emptively revised her menu plan. That evening at home, Martin ports Pari into her favourite VR video game. Later, as she goes to bed, Martin plays a soothing soundtrack. The songs have been composed by an agent that understands Pari’s musical tastes and current emotional state. As Pari sleeps, Martin plans her next vacation.
Welcome to the era of human augmentation. Few would argue that we live in interesting times. Surrounded by the everyday miracles of smartphones and sensors, we are so inundated by stories about driverless cars that they already seem like old news — years before anybody in the world has even owned one. Now, consider something that is further in the
