A ballooning budget deficit, record levels of personal debt, and a declining manufacturing base, combined with excessive military spending and related activities (such as increased homeland security and surveillance) greatly damaged the US economy over the previous few decades. This caused long term damage to the country's standing.
The continued industrialisation of China and India has led to phenomenal growth in these and other Asian countries, with many millions being lifted out of poverty. Shanghai has eclipsed Wall Street as the leading financial centre.
Despite these changes, the US still retains its super power status - but every leading economist now acknowledges that it won't be the only country holding such influence for much longer. China, India and the EU are becoming major players on the world stage. What this means for geopolitical stability is the subject of much debate around this time, but many agree that a group of superpowers rather than a single hyperpower will mean increased conflict.
India becomes the most populous country in the world
Around this time, India overtakes China to become the most populous country in the world. By the middle of this decade it will be home to over 1.5 billion people. The gap between these two countries will continue to widen, with China's population actually declining from this point onwards.
As part of a climate change deal, foreign investment within India has enabled the country to build more than a hundred gigawatts of solar power facilities: enough to supply 200 million people with clean energy.* Together with its growth as a major IT centre, this has further improved its social and economic standing. At the same time, however, the effects of climate change are beginning to take hold. Droughts are posing serious challenges to food and water production.
Terabit internet speeds are commonplace
In addition to the benefits resulting from Web 4.0 (described earlier), connection speeds have also vastly improved. Bandwidth has been growing by roughly 50% each year. Many households in the developed world now have a terabit connection.
A significant number of these connections are now appearing on people themselves, in the form of wearable or implantable devices.
Exabyte storage devices are available in 2034
Data storage devices are now available with capacities of more than one exabyte (a million terabytes). This might seem excessive to observers from earlier decades. It has become necessary in today's world, however, due to the exponential growth of information technology. The day-to-day experiences of the average person now involve a stupendous amount of data collection - especially for those using neural interfaces or biotechnology implants.
Holographic recreations of dead people
Throughout this time many dead celebrities, presidents and historical figures from the past are "resurrected" online, via the immense AI and supercomputing powers now available. This phenomenon is aided by the recent human brain simulations that have been made possible. Data mining of every single word ever spoken, written, or otherwise recorded by the person is undertaken, then analysed to recreate their character traits and emotions. This allows the construction of a highly accurate "shell" personality, surrounding a generic "core" program, run as an entirely independent AI simulation.
The project sparks much controversy when first announced (especially among the religious community) but soon gains momentum, as a whole host of actors, musicians, artists, scientists, politicians and other individuals from the past are made available.* Advanced holographic techniques - combined with real-time audio-visual interaction - make them appear as lifelike as any other person alive in the world today.
This form of computerised resurrection is soon extended and made possible for ordinary citizens wishing to preserve a loved one in digital form; though once again, it is more popular among the non-religious (and the process is generally less accurate, since the average person tends to leave behind less data, written words, video recordings and other information for use in constructing the programs). The technology involved is also expensive. It is used only by the rich for now - or in certain public locations such as museums, galleries and other venues.
Artificially-grown meat is available to consumers
A solution to the ongoing food crisis becomes available near the end of this decade. Advances in tissue engineering have made it possible to actually "grow" meat, using just single animal cells. Having been in development for over 30 years, it has now reached the stage where it can be safely mass-produced and made available for public consumption.
The meat itself has a number of benefits. It is unusually pure, clean and healthy - whilst retaining the original flavour, texture and appearance of traditional meat. It can also be produced without harm or cruelty to animals, being just a lump of cultivated cells. Perhaps most importantly, it has far less impact on the environment.
It is also much cheaper than ordinary meat, which is especially beneficial to developing countries, many of which have seen their agricultural systems ravaged by climate change.
Bionic eyes that surpass human vision in 2036
Although yet to become mainstream, a bionic eye is now available that not only restores sight, but actually exceeds normal human vision. This breakthrough has been made possible due to exponential advances in sensor technology and computer power.
The first generation of these implants began appearing in the late 2010s.* They were somewhat crude initially - providing only a very pixelated view of the world and requiring the use of glasses frames for mounting the cameras.
This latest generation, however, is such high resolution that it now exceeds the sensitivity of natural human eyes. Gigapixels of resolution can be captured and transmitted to the optic nerve into the visual centres of the brain. Externally mounted cameras are no longer necessary - these have been miniaturised by a factor of thousands and incorporated within the eye itself.
Bionic eyes will soon begin to offer more than just ordinary sight. They will be capable of providing infrared vision, for instance, for improved health and safety in night-time situations. They will include video recording capabilities, serving as the ultimate in portable webcams. The convergence of Web 4.0 and augmented reality will enable users to receive detailed information on their surroundings, just by looking around them.
The cost of these implants is also dropping substantially, thanks to exponential improvements in price performance. Having been tens of thousands of dollars in earlier decades, they will soon be available for less than $100.
Full immersion virtual reality in 2039
Towards the end of this decade, personal computers are becoming sophisticated enough to bring full immersion virtual reality to the mainstream.
In other words, users now have the option of actually "being" in a video game and experiencing its graphics, audio and other effects (e.g. tactile feedback) in a manner that is practically indistinguishable from the real world.
This stunning breakthrough has been achieved through exponential trends in computing over the previous decades - including a billionfold improvement in processing power and price performance, combined with a 100,000-fold shrinkage of components and circuitry.
For the first time, human brains are actually being merged with computer intelligence. Rather than viewing games on a screen, users now experience the game from within their own nervous systems, as though it were an extension of their mind. Players undergo a simple, minimally invasive procedure to insert nanobots (blood cell-sized devices) into their bodies. These microscopic machines are self-guided towards the neurons in their brain responsible for visual, auditory and other senses. Here, they remain in a dormant state, but in close proximity to the brain cells.
When the user wishes to experience a simulated reality, the nanobots immediately move into place, suppressing all of the inputs coming from the real senses, and replacing them with signals corresponding to the virtual environment. If the user decides to move their limbs and muscles as they normally would, the nanobots again intercept these neurochemical signals - suppressing the "real world" limbs from moving, and instead causing their "virtual" limbs to move within the game. This means a user can be sitting in a fixed position, while experiencing a high degree of activity and movement.
Although most people are initially wary of these devices, they have been around in some form since at least 2025 (eg. for medical purposes) and years of testing, security and safety measures have gone into this latest generation. Detailed regulations are now in place which cover any possible eventuality. For example, a power cut means the nanobots simply detach from the neurons - automatically returning a user to the real world - while checks are constantly performed to ensure there is no danger of being "trapped" in a virtual environment.
Furthermore, the machines are not permanent and can be removed from the body altogether if desired. In any case, it is practically impossible for them to damage nerve cells or cause any lasting damage, due to their small size and limited functionality. Over the next few years, many people come to accept them as a natural part of their bodies – just as bacteria and other small objects are part of their stomach, digestion and other internal processes.
One area of commerce with no such troubles is the adult entertainment industry. Full immersion VR allows users to meet and interact with people in astonishingly lifelike ways. This includes virtual recreations of glamorous celebrities and film stars…
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