For those that may not know him, Vinod Khosla is a Silicon Valley titan and a pioneer of technological innovation. As the co-founder of influential company Sun Microsystems (creators of the Java programming language), and founder of the prominent venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, he’s backed some of the most disruptive companies that have shaped our modern world, including Cerent Corporation (networking), Juniper Networks (routers), and Impossible Foods (plant-based meat). Khosla is an ardent techno-optimist, believing strongly in the potential of technology to solve pressing global challenges like climate change and reinvent existing industries.
Khosla recently gave a talk at TED 2024 and shared his views on the possible (positive) ‘improbables’ in our future. In his opinion, experts tend to extrapolate the past…they don’t think non-linearly and don’t think of the improbables, thereby restricting radical progress. Khosla thinks implausible dreams are critical, even if we don’t know which are most likely and entrepreneurs (and not experts in the field) are a unique breed that dream the dream and often bring these grand visions to life.
Here are his predictions for the future, which he acknowledges that most experts will be skeptical or dismissive of:
1. Expertise Will Be Near Free
“We will be capable of having near free AI doctors for every person and AI tutors for every child, 24 x 7.”
Khosla believes we will be capable of having near free AI doctors for every person and AI tutors for every child, 24 x 7. This isn’t so far fetched…given how quickly AI capabilities are progressing and how fast the costs of computing are coming down, we’re already inching our way forward to this future. I’ve spoken and written extensively about some of these things and early adopters like KhanAcademy have embraced the power of personal tutors wholeheartedly with creations like Khanmigo.
Even with popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Pi, Claude and others, plus the growing ability to leverage plugins and custom GPTs, expertise has become a whole lot more accessible on the go and in our pockets (think of them as AI companions, coaches, tutors and counselors). And we’re just getting started. In the near future, I think we’ll demand that our medical caregivers lean into AI tools for diagnoses and support…it feels almost irresponsible not to. This does beg the question of how we manage this transition well, without large portions of society getting left behind – we’ll need to focus a lot of thought and effort here.
If you’d like to learn more about what Gen AI can do, check out some of the themed challenges we covered in this year’s #30DayAIChallenge, from AI enabled education, productivity, creativity and everyday lifestyle use cases.
2. Labour Will Be Near Free
“Imagine a billion bipedal (and other) robots doing more work that all of humanity does today, freeing humans from the servitude of undesirable jobs like working on an assembly line for 30 years”.
Who wouldn’t want that? It feels like the number of exciting robots and the companies that produce them have mushroomed recently, made even smarter by embedding Large Language Models (LLMs). I hope to do a piece on some of the most interesting robots soon, so watch this space…check out the videos (above and below) on Figure 01 and Astribot S1 to get a flavour of what’s out there already. Robots can definitely help with the most boring and dangerous jobs…but there’s no reason they can’t be great everyday companions and helpers too.
3. Computer Use Will Grow Expansively
“There will be a billion+ programmers, all “programming” in human language, dramatically increasing the scope of computers. Computers will adapt to humans, not humans to computers.”
Again, a prediction that’s more plausible than it is not. After all, the best technology is rarely the hero of the story…it fades into the background and makes our lives better, often without us noticing. Even Thomas Dohmke, the CEO of Github, repeated this prediction in his own talk, where he claimed that with natural language making coding a lot more accessible, the number of “programmers” would like shoot up from 1% of the world’s population to about 10% (or roughly a billion people).
4. AI Will Play A Large Role In Entertainment & Design
“Music and entertainment will be plentiful and personalized for you and your mood. Diversity of content and creativity will increase. The celebrity-fan relationship won’t change.”
Again, I think we’re already starting to see this happen…from AI curated playlists on Spotify to improving content created by AI startups like Udio, Midjourney, Runway and others, we’re on the brink of a new creative renaissance. See an example of AI music generation below:
We’ll need to figure out how intellectual property and monetization works in this new world, but some companies are already makes strides forward there too – for example Flawless AI is pioneering groundbreaking AI tools for the film industry. Their TrueSync technology allows for seamless facial manipulation and dialogue replacement, enabling filmmakers to modify performances post-production without reshoots, while getting actor approval and helping them get paid.
5. Internet Access Will Be Mostly By Agents
“Most consumer access of the internet will be agents acting for consumers, doing tasks and fending off marketers and bots. Tens of billions of agents on the internet will be normal.”
We’re inching our way to that future too…the natural next step to AI evolution at the moment is greater automation and “agentic” capabilities, where your personal AI are able to perform longer, more complex tasks aimed at fulfilling certain objectives or completing tasks and projects. Here’s a piece I’d written about this recently:
6. From The Practice To The Science Of Medicine
“We will be capable of providing precision care based on patients’ -omics, as well as AI models for each individual, enabling simulation of each body for therapeutics, dosages, etc.”
We’ll pivot from treating the symptoms and outcomes of illnesses to true preventative healthcare. We’ve already seen what DeepMind was able to do with AlphaFold, a revolutionary AI system that predicts protein structures with unprecedented accuracy. AlphaFold’s ability to understand the complex 3D shapes of proteins has immense implications for biological research. It accelerates drug discovery, aids in understanding diseases, and contributes to the development of solutions for challenges like plastic degradation. Demis Hassabis talked about this in his interview with Chris Anderson at TED too.
There has also been a lot of buzz in the media about how AI is transforming medicine and healthcare, from better diagnoses to quicker MRI scans.
Here’s a TED talk that dives into the topic in greater detail:
7. We Will Have New Food & Fertilizers
“We will have much better alternate protein production to replace traditional animal protein, and “green” fertilizer. And taste will far exceed that of traditional cows!”
Given Khosla’s investments in ‘Impossible Foods’, this was a natural inclusion. He envisions a future where alternative proteins and “green” fertilizers revolutionize agriculture. New technologies can create proteins that mimic or exceed the taste of animal products while using far less land and resources. Rubisco, a plentiful protein, holds great promise for replacing less sustainable crops like corn and soy. “Green” fertilizers will reduce pollution and boost soil health. This shift is crucial for feeding a growing population sustainably and minimizing agriculture’s environmental impact.
8. Cars Could Be Displaced In Cities
“We could replace majority of cars in cities with personal autonomous transit as on-demand, affordable, public transit, increasing street throughput dramatically.”
Khosla says most experts disagree with him, but he thinks that in the next 25 years, we can replace most cars in most cities by making public transit faster, cheaper and pervasive anytime and on-demand. Again, not too far fetched, but I suspect we’ll see adoption in some cities versus ‘most’ cities, especially those with the resources and political will to drive change quickly.
It does make me wonder if our kids (and future generations) will ever have to get a driving license or “own” a vehicle…if you’re living in a modern city, the answer is probably no. Meanwhile, Dubai is hoping to pioneer flying taxis by 2026.
9. Flying Will Be Faster
“We will have Mach 5 planes that get us from NYC to London in 90 minutes – on sustainable aviation fuel, making the world closer”
Who wouldn’t like to hurtle through the air at 4000 miles per hour, start the day with breakfast in New York, and be in London in time for lunch? And all this with sustainable fuel? While Mach 5 travel might still be a ways off, companies like Boom Supersonic (see video above) and Hermeus (see video below) are pushing boundaries with hypersonic aircraft designs. Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), made from sources like algae and waste oils, are already reducing carbon footprints in commercial flights. These innovations promise a future where faster travel and environmental responsibility go hand-in-hand.
10. There Will Be Clean, Dispatchable Electric Power
“By 2050, fusion boilers will retrofit and replace coal and natural gas boilers, reducing the need to build whole new fusion plants. Superhot geothermal >400C is also a real alternative.”
In an increasingly power-hungry world powered by computers, AI models, and machines, finding sustainable energy solutions is critical. While fusion energy still faces challenges, recent breakthroughs in achieving sustained fusion reactions offer a glimmer of hope (in fact, there was great talk at TED by Tammy Ma, she explained that their team built the world’s most powerful laser and achieved a historic fusion reaction in 2022, producing more energy than it consumed, which could lead to endless clean energy in the future).
Companies are already exploring ways to retrofit existing power plants. Additionally, superhot geothermal taps into previously inaccessible heat sources, expanding the potential of renewable energy. These advances point towards a future where clean, abundant energy may fuel our technological progress.
11. Resources Will Be Plentiful
“We will discover more natural resources than we consume & prove resource doomers wrong on lithium, cobalt, copper…”
Khosla believes we haven’t even started to develop the tech that will help us look more than a kilometer below the Earth’s surface. His optimism about resource abundance resonates with ongoing advancements in exploration technology. Here on Earth, improved imaging and drilling techniques allow us to probe deeper than ever before, potentially unlocking vast mineral deposits.
Simultaneously, space exploration is targeting asteroids and other celestial bodies rich in rare metals. These resources are critical for fueling the technologies that will shape our future, from electric vehicles to advanced electronics, making their discovery and sustainable extraction a global priority.
12. Carbon Will Have Solutions…If We Have Time
“Carbon emissions could be a smaller issue because entrepreneurs will develop & scale better technologies for cement, steel, agriculture, transportation, power production, DAC, etc.”
As a practical example, Khosla points to the inauguration of the first cement plant in California, which for the same amount of Limestone, produces twice the amount of cement, by capturing the CO2 and putting it into the product. This can be done by repurposing and upgrading existing plants, increasing level of product while decreasing cost per tonne to make efforts scalable.
Things That May Slow Down These Predictions
Khosla admits there are a variety of things that may slow things down, from anti-tech sentiment to incumbent resistance, market dynamics, unexpected events and failures, but that shouldn’t stop us from dreaming big and pursuing these futures.
Abundant, Awesome, Technology-Based “Possible Tomorrows” Are Likely If We Allow Them To Happen
Khosla believes that a few entrepreneurs, aided by policy to prevent “short termism” can make this future happen. I for one, am onboard…we’re already seeing tremendous progress on many of the fronts covered above, and it isn’t inconceivable that in the coming couple of decades (i.e. in our lifetimes), we’ll see exponential change.
Khosla’s predictions paint a picture of a future brimming with both promise and uncertainty. His optimism is contagious, yet it’s crucial to remember that technology alone cannot solve all of our problems. The future will be shaped by the choices we make today. How can we harness the extraordinary potential of technology to create a world that is not only innovative but also just and inclusive? Will we prioritize solving global challenges or allow inequalities to deepen?
Are you ready to be a part of shaping this future? Share your thoughts below – which of Khosla’s predictions excite you the most, and which raise concerns? Let’s start a dialogue about how we can navigate the incredible advancements ahead while ensuring a better world for everyone.
If you’re interested in the slide deck, here’s a downloadable version on the Khosla Ventures website: Plausible Tomorrows 2035 – 2049.
Hotel AI, Marketing, Tech and Loyalty 
0 comments on “AI Doctors, Robot Butlers, & NYC to London in 90 Minutes: Is This the Future?”