What will life be like in the year 2050?
Instead of taking this question to expert prognosticators, we turned to some people who have a big stake in the future: 10-year-old children.
This summer, I spoke with more than two dozen of them, including a pair of twins, across the United States — at a Chili’s in Georgia, between TV viewings of World Cup matches in Illinois, beneath the big blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. All were 10 years old at the time of the interviews, which took place with parental permission.
Some of them imagine an existence transformed by robots that they really hope will be able to clean their rooms. Others are worried about catastrophe. They will be 34 in 2050, and they have a lot to say about what adults should be doing now to make that year a good one.
Paige Merritt, Atlanta
What is life going to be like in 2050?
I think everything is going to be A.I. and A.I. robots.
What will the robots do?
Like a barista, a waitress. It’s going to be robots carrying the food. Garbage people.
Are there jobs A.I. won’t do?
Rappers. A.I. cannot rap. My ears were broken.
Diti Chhawchharia, San Diego
In 2050, what will we look back on and say, “Wow, I can’t believe we used to do that”?
Now we paint, we draw. In the future, people will look back and say: “Oh my God, we used to paint? We used to draw?” I hope that doesn’t happen, but I think it might.
Do you think the world will be better or worse than it is now?
The world is already going kind of downhill, but it’s still a very good place to live, and it’s a very good life that we have. We will still have problems, but we will fix most of them.
Bennett Condron, La Grange, Ill.
Are there any famous people today who might be a bigger deal in 2050?
LeBron James and Elon Musk.
Who will be running the country?
I think it might be me.
Will we still have paper money?
Yeah. They may make the paper money harder, so it’s not as easy to rip.
Whose faces will be on bills in the future?
The $200 bill would be Donald Trump. The $500 bill would be me.
Eta Salter, Brooklyn, N.Y.
What will technology be like in 2050?
Kids who grow up with too much technology could make less social interactions and have less nice friendships. I know some people who are pretty obsessed with screens, and that makes them grumpy.
What else will be different about life in 2050?
There might be a new common pet. In England, there are stray foxes everywhere. So there might be foxes being pets.
Olivia Heeren, Denver
Who do you think will be in charge in 2050?
I think there will be the first girl president by then. It’s going to take a couple of years for everybody to start voting for girls. And I feel like the girl will be nice and kind. And probably arrest all the bad people.
How will people meet each other and date?
I think there will be big America parties every month for everybody over the age of 16. You meet each other, and then you become in love. But make sure you’re from the same place, because long-distance relationships never work.
Amani Green, Denver
What’s life going to be like in 2050?
Companies will start using A.I. instead of human workers. That’s probably going to cause a pretty big job shortage.
What kinds of jobs will A.I. take?
People are already starting to hire an A.I. actress for movies. So people are going to be like, “That’s making so much money, I should do that!” That’ll make a lot of actors pretty mad.
What will happen to people who lose jobs to A.I.?
Lots of anger. Probably protests. Just lots of outrage.
What will other technology be like?
Higher-class citizens will start owning robot butlers. But I feel like with the rise of robot butlers, humans will start to lose competence and basic everyday skills.
Riley Grunch, Gainesville, Ga.
What is life going to be like in 2050?
There’s bound to be a war. The war against Iran right now is bound to spark a couple more wars. I really hope it doesn’t start World War III.
What else will be different in 2050?
There’s one more thing I’m thinking about: If there’s going to be more rich people or more poor people. I think I already got the answer to that: more poor people.
Why?
Stuff is going to cost more. The world is becoming more like survival of the fittest.
Liam Kwon, Queens, N.Y.
What will technology be like in 2050?
We’ll still have laptops, but with chips that can read your mind. Maybe there could be a sensor in your brain, and whatever you’re thinking can just go into the app.
Will people go to space?
In the old days, they paid Americans to go to the West. They might pay people to go to space, because the population is so big that there might not be enough room.
Elizabeth Foster, Rutherford, N.J.
What is life going to be like in 2050?
I think there will be artificial baby labs. You can choose what hair color they have, what eye color they have, and if they’re smart. You can choose the gender, too. It’s going to be kind of normal.
What will technology be like?
I don’t think people will interact with each other as much. Kids won’t know what it’s like to live without screens. I mean, I don’t, either, but still.
Mary Foster, Rutherford, N.J.
What will entertainment be like in 2050?
You’re going to have to pay more to see human-made movies but pay the average amount to see A.I.-made movies.
Will people still read books?
Rich people are going to read paper books, but not regular people. You know how really old things are more valuable?
What else will be different?
I think Mount Rushmore is going to fall down.
Why?
Someone’s going to bomb it or something.
Jimmy Maley, La Grange, Ill.
Who will be in charge of the United States in 2050?
I don’t really know. But I know the person I hope will be in charge: Adam Sandler.
Adam Sandler will be the president?
No, vice president. The president would be my dad.
Logan Duffy, La Grange, Ill.
What is life going to be like in 2050?
Aliens might be discovered. The president will try to keep it secret, but I don’t think it will be a big deal. And there might be a new way to elect a president. It might be how a king works, like it just passes on through generations.
Why do you think we’ll shift away from voting?
Because then it’s not really a big deal. You won’t have to spend so much money to gather people in one place. It will be faster.
What will be going on in current affairs?
Some states will break free from the U.S. Like, for example, we broke from England. I think some states will do that.
What will they be breaking away from?
Prices are going to skyrocket.
Aubrey McBride, Memphis
What is life going to be like in 2050?
A.I. will always be knocking on your door in some type of way. Like, “Do you need help with this?” And you’re like, “No, no, no.” And then, an hour later, they’ll be like, “Do you need anything?”
What kinds of jobs will people have?
Minimal people will have jobs. A cook is probably going to be A.I.
How about newspaper writers?
No offense, but a lot of people don’t read the newspaper anymore.
Grant VanHooser, Napa Valley, Calif.
What is life going to be like in 2050?
People will have the choice to have robot body parts.
What else will be different about life in 2050?
Who knows if humans will even exist in 2050? Let’s just say an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. What if there’s more out there?
Solace Cantor, Denver
What will our food be like in 2050?
We’ll have different sorts of crops. We’re going to figure out how to make purple apples. They’ll be really sweet. People like sweet apples more than sour apples. I like sour apples, though.
What will we do for fun?
There’s going to be new instruments. People have been using a pumpkin to make an instrument. We’re going to figure out how to do something along the lines of that — use natural resources, like potatoes, to make some sort of instrument that’s got a totally new sound.
Serene Jiang, San Diego
What do you want your life to be like in 2050?
I want to live in a floating house.
What would that look like?
Pink and flying. There would be a slide for the stairs.
How would you go up, if there was a slide for stairs?
A trampoline.
Connor Andersen, Albuquerque
What will life be like in 2050?
I’m thinking of drones delivering things to you.
What would you get delivered?
Pizza.
What will our homes look like?
They could be all metal, so they’re harder to break into. There could be a lockdown button. If someone broke in, it would be like: “Lockdown!” And it would trap them.
Sarah Fink, Denver
What new things will we have in 2050?
There will probably be a perfume for everything at that point. I would be really happy if there’s a root beer perfume.
Where will you live?
I want to live in the ocean, honestly. I want to be an architect, designing homes underwater — coral-friendly hotels and apartments and homes. They’ll have underwater taxis, too. Or you could swim. That would be like walking.
Isaac Feinland, Manhattan, N.Y.
What will school be like in 2050?
I’m worried. My mom is a college teacher, and she says that A.I. papers drive her absolutely crazy. The more intelligent A.I. gets, the harder it will be to track. In schools, they’re going to need to figure out a way to ban A.I. They’re already trying, and it’s not going that well.
What will video games be like?
V.R. is going to take over.
Will you be playing games in V.R.?
No. I don’t like the idea of being in a video game with my eyes directly implanted into a face mask. That just doesn’t feel right.
Levi Botha, Kennebunkport, Maine
What is life going to be like in 2050?
There’s going to be a lot of 3-D-printed food.
What kinds of foods will we print?
Fruit and meat. They use this special film and a little bit of DNA from a pig or a cow.
What will your first 3-D-printed meal be?
Probably pasta. Something simple, so I know it can’t be poisoned.
What is something you hope changes by 2050?
I hope equality will be better for men and women, darker skin people and lighter skin people.
Henry Zotti, Western Springs, Ill.
What is life going to be like in 2050?
I think dinosaurs are going to come back. You won’t see them often. But I would full-sprint if I saw one.
How much are things going to cost, like this cup of coffee?
I think they’re going to lower taxes again. It would cost $3.99.
Will there be any wars?
There won’t be wars. I think the U.S.A. is just coming in peace with every country right now.
Will the world will be in a better spot than it is today?
Way better. I just think it’ll be kinder, and a better environment. I think people are kinder each day.
Answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.
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