Tomorrow’s Future: Where Will We Be by 2124?
A short consideration of what the next century of progress might bring
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." – Alan Kay
Human progress is accelerating at an extraordinary pace. So much so that I often worry that most people are wildly unaware of what might be coming on the horizon (and are woefully unprepared for it).
In just this past century, we've achieved breakthroughs once thought impossible. We’re only about 100 years out from discovering that other galaxies exist (we now know that there are likely 100 billion or more others out there). It’s only been 67 years since the first time we launched an object into space and only 63 years since the first human travelled into space. But now we have new rockets launching materials and people into space on a weekly (and soon daily) basis. In 1924 in the U.S., radio shows were becoming popular and silent films in large theaters were all the rage, but in just a century we’ve seen rapid changes in media such that almost all of us now have multiple devices in our homes with screens where we can stream hours and hours of music, television, and film. Social media has altered the ways that we communicate with other people (and how we see ourselves). Computers went from the ideas of sci-fi to becoming commonplace tools. Most of us now carry smartphones with us almost everywhere we go… So much has changed and is changing at a radical pace.
The trajectory ahead is poised to redefine our understanding of human health, sustainability, and our place in the cosmos. So, what might the next hundred years hold?
The possibilities are staggering.
From bionic and technological augmentation of the human body to advances in sustainability and global connectivity, the potential for progress is vast. Despite the challenges that lie on our road ahead, the opportunities to shape a better future abound.
This writing builds on a 2013 idea I jotted down—a speculative vision of the world in 2113.
Revisiting and expanding it, I now ask: where might humanity, our biosphere, and civilization stand by 2124?
The Future of Human Health and Longevity
Advances in medicine and biotechnology are bringing science fiction closer to reality. Bionic eyes, like the Argus II retinal prosthesis, are already restoring vision to some blind patients. Future innovations could integrate bionic limbs directly into the nervous system, offering seamless control and sensory feedback. As bionics expert Hugh Herr puts it: “People are not disabled. Technologies are disabled.”
On top of potentially restoring abilities that were lost or had not been developed for some people, we might also see new forms of human ability and adaptability being explored. Recently, at the XPANSE meeting in Abu Dhabi, I met one researcher who is exploring human embodiments of forms we never had, such as long lizard-like tails, multiple extra limbs like an octopus, and more.
The revolution in gene therapy is also underway, with tools like CRISPR enabling us to target genetic disorders at their source. I recall in undergrad in biology and chemistry when we learned about the concept of gene therapy. At that time, just around 2004 (20 years ago), there were only a few cases of gene therapies being explored and many people found the technology to be too dangerous for human testing. But now there are new gene therapy technologies under intense exploration, and a 12-year old boy is now the first to be treated for sickle cell disease here in the U.S. using a gene therapy approach.
Longevity research is perhaps the most exciting frontier for many of us.
Some researchers like David Sinclair believe that “aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.” Advances in senolytics and cellular rejuvenation could extend healthy human lifespans, redefining what it means to age.
While some seem a little too optimistic about the timing of the coming “singularity” in human longevity, it is quite likely that some number of us alive today will be among the first to healthily live well past 150 years of age. And in the coming century, it’s possible that the first humans to achieve biological immortality could be born (though I personally think the first immortal humans will be some mix of traditional biological humans with the post-biological future we’re creating—more on that below).
It might sound far-fetched, but rapid advancements in biotech, medicine, human augmentation, and gene therapies are all exponentially growing and promise to deliver on some remarkable changes in the coming years and decades.
A World of Sustainability
The next century could see humanity achieve global sustainability through the final eradication of fossil fuel use (the true energy transition), developments in agriculture and food tech, through large-scale geoengineering, and more.
Vertical farming, like that pioneered by AeroFarms, can grow food with minimal resources, while lab-grown meat may reduce environmental costs.
We’re now moving more material at the surface of our planet every year than most geological processes, and yet we haven’t quite figured out how to geoengineer a solution to climate change or to some of the natural disasters that plague us. But this might all change soon—a little innovation and human ingenuity along with a massive change in how we allocate resources among ourselves could lead us to the next generation of environmental technologies that allow us to directly alter Earth’s climate and weather patterns to better support a human future on this planet. We have some tough times ahead for how climate is going to impact us, but I also think we are within a century of developing geoengineering on a scale that will forever alter how human populations are impacted by climate.
With advancements in renewable energy—from solar and wind power to nuclear fusion, the dream of a fossil fuel-free future is within reach. We are still very much a petroleum-based civilization, and the transition off of fossil fuels entirely is not quite here yet, but we’re already seeing some large-scale shifts in thinking of how to power the future. I personally think we’re going to go through one last major stage of fossil fuel use—as we innovate around the needs for energy for data centers, quantum computers, and other energy-intensive work—but coming through that will likely be a revolution in how we harvest energy from the Earth and from space.
One of my favorite answers to Fermi’s Question (“where are they”, in regard to aliens) is the conception of the Zoo Hypothesis. Perhaps there are advanced alien beings out there and perhaps they know of us, but we haven’t yet shown them that we’re ready to meet or we haven’t yet appeared as intelligent enough to deserve knowing of them. If that were the case (entirely hypothetically) then maybe they’re waiting for us to reach that next major step in how we access and use energy. It could be sustained nuclear fusion, space based solar, or some other technology in energy use that shows we’ve learned to stop burning the remnants of living things.
Astrobiologist David Grinspoon envisions the Sapeozoic Era, where humans consciously manage Earth's ecological systems. This deliberate stewardship could transform crises into opportunities, guiding our planet toward resilience and abundance. There will certainly be many troubles along the way, but maybe the one thing holding us back from becoming multiplanetary and sending ourselves out among the stars isn’t really our need for better rockets and more funding for space exploration but rather stems from our need to become better at living on Earth. This might all change in the coming century.
The Future of Space Exploration
Space exploration is rapidly changing. Within the coming decades, there will likely be many tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of new satellites in orbit around our planet. On top of our two current space stations with consistent human presence, it’s likely that within the coming century there will be many more space stations with a number of humans populating them and doing business in space.
Living in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will become commonplace, especially for those with enough wealth to pay for the privilege. But a big question is whether space travel will become affordable and accessible for everyone. I don’t know if we’ll see that in the coming century. I’d like to think so, but to get there would also require a large break in how we have traditionally allocated resources—throughout all of human history, the most wealth and power has always gone to a very small few who have used their wealth and power to control the lives of others. But even if we don’t see this change in the coming century, we’ll still be far along our way to becoming a space faring civilization.
Within the coming decades, we’re going to see the first human travelers going to Mars. I highly doubt it will be led by any large governmental space agency, but rather will be driven by private companies choosing to allow well-funded investors to become the first “Martians”. By 2124, it is highly likely that a mix of various space agencies and companies will have started sending humans to various worlds in our solar system for exploration as well.
We’re also rapidly expanding in how we explore using robotics. Right now the JUICE and Europa Clipper missions are on their way to the Jovian system to explore the icy moons there. Dragonfly will soon be traveling to Titan, new missions are in the works for Venus, there will be a new mission to Enceledaus, and missions to Uranus and eventually Neptune, and more. Within just the next few decades, we’ll have started to undertake a system of planetary exploration whereby we will have a consistent presence of our robots around all of the major worlds and locations of our solar system. On top of that, the new Interstellar Probe mission will likely just be the first of many missions we’ll develop with the intention of jumping out into interstellar space as fast as possible for exploration.
Along with our expansions in space exploration will come a great number of innovations in materials science, biomedical applications, agriculture, propulsion technologies, and more. As we learn to be better stewards of our planet, we will certainly also be learning to become better explorers in the realms beyond.
Advances in exoplanet research, powered by the James Webb Space Telescope and upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory, could lead to the first potential detections of signs of life on alien worlds. If I were a gambling person, I would throw down some solid money that we are within 2 decades of the first detections of potential alien life on an exoplanet (and probably sooner). I think the first potential findings are likely to be highly debated, but I also have to wonder if we are on track to find technosignatures—signs of alien intelligence and technologies—far sooner than many people are now aware. Of course, we have to admit that we could be alone in the cosmos given current knowledge, but it honestly just feels like that can’t be the case. The number of possible worlds for life to start and thrive are just too staggering. It’s definitely worth finding out, and we are well on the path toward that discovery right now.
A Time of Transformation—and Uncertainty
While the future brims with promise, challenges certainly remain.
Technologies like AI and gene editing hold immense potential but also pose ethical dilemmas. Not to mention, there are many issues that could rise up to “bite us in the butt” in the coming decades.
Will AI enhance our autonomy or entrench inequalities? Will humanity rise above nationalism and greed, or repeat past mistakes? If and when we achieve longevity such that some humans can live far longer, healthy lives, will the capability only be available to the super-wealthy or will all people rise up together? Will climate change-induced displacements of people around the globe lead to warfare on scales we haven’t previously imagined?
The answers lie in our hands. As Buckminster Fuller once said: “We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.”
The breakthroughs ahead—from extended lifespans to sustainable living and space exploration—are extraordinary. Yet, the future is not something that happens to us; it is something we create.
With each choice we make, we shape the trajectory of our species and planet.
The future is ours to build.
Where do you think we’ll be by 2124?