Kevin Kelly, the "prophet of technology", gives 10 major pieces of advice for the future.

Imagine waking up to your AI butler on a morning 5,000 days from now. It has already planned your breakfast according to your physical condition and is reminding you of all your schedules for the day.

This is not science fiction but the accelerating reality depicted by Kevin Kelly, known as the "prophet of technology" and the "father of Silicon Valley spirit," in The World 5,000 Days from Now and 2049: Possibilities in the Next 10,000 Days.

He believes that in this world, AI will no longer be just a tool but will reshape society. Political power will be redistributed, economic models will be completely overturned, human values will be fundamentally questioned, and business rules will undergo a paradigm shift.

In the next 13 - 25 years, we will witness not gradual improvement but a complete renewal of the four pillars of human society: politics, economy, philosophy, and business.

Next, let's take a look at what the world will be like in the future when AI is ubiquitous.

I. Political Transformation

Kevin Kelly predicts in 2049: Possibilities in the Next 10,000 Days that by then, everything, everywhere, and everyone in the world will be connected. The form and way of doing things of governments will also undergo fundamental changes that are hard for us to imagine today.

Currently, most government governance relies on hierarchical institutions and documents. In the future, it may gradually shift to real - time, dynamic, and ubiquitous algorithms for management.

At present, the cycle from policy research to implementation is very long. But in the future, society may become a huge, real - time updated "data panel."

For example, the public health system can analyze the data from smart wearable devices of the entire city's population to identify high - risk areas before a flu outbreak and allocate medical resources in advance. The environmental protection system can also automatically trace pollution sources through numerous sensors and issue direct commands to polluting equipment.

Policy - making at that time will be more like the update and iteration of mobile software, which can be adjusted and optimized at any time based on real - time data feedback.

Of course, this state where the whole society is being sensed will surely make people worry about living under "digital surveillance." In response, Kevin Kelly proposed a key concept - "Mutual Visibility."

Simply put, surveillance should be two - way: citizens have the right to know how the government uses their data, and the government has the right to understand the actual situation in public spaces. Power and rights keep an eye on each other in the transparent digital space, forming a new balance.

In the future, after a large number of daily public affairs are efficiently handled by algorithms, the value of traditional government institutions will shift to setting rules, supervising the operation of algorithms, and handling "exceptional situations" that require human touch, ethical judgment, and complex communication.

Kevin Kelly foresees that "Leadership will no longer be about giving orders but more about maintaining an ecosystem."

Future politicians may be more like community administrators or system architects. Their core task is to design a fair, resilient, and sustainable social "operating system" and ensure its healthy operation.

Power will also be more decentralized to local communities, professional institutions, and even certified AI systems, forming a multi - centered, networked governance pattern.

It should be noted that the digital world has no physical boundaries.

At that time, how should the AI of a multinational company pay taxes? Which country's laws should cross - border data flow follow? When global coordination of climate algorithms is needed, who has the final say? These problems will become more and more numerous.

Kevin Kelly said, "Global problems require global solutions." So in future politics, although countries will still play an important role, a part of sovereignty is likely to be ceded to new types of trans - national governance institutions. Together, they will formulate a "global agreement" on data ethics, AI security, and digital rules.

In general, the political transformation 5,000 days from now is essentially a double - revolution of governance art and technology. It will not eliminate contradictions and games but will move the stage and rules of the game more to partially open, auditable algorithm platforms and transparent agreement mechanisms.

This is a political future of an "Improbable" (Note from Notesman: A concept proposed by Kevin Kelly, referring not to a perfect world but a world that gets a little better every day), which is more efficient and requires higher transparency and global cooperation.

This process will not be perfect, but it can make the governance of society tomorrow a little wiser and more responsible than today.

II. Economic Reconstruction

Well, after discussing how politics will change, let's think about a more practical question: How will our economy change in the future?

In the future economy, it is very likely that money will circulate without any human participation. This is the "B2B" economy predicted by Kevin Kelly, but here the "B" stands not for "Business" but for "Bot" (robot program).

He boldly predicts that "the scale of the AI agent economy may be larger than that of the human economy in the future." This means that machines will negotiate, trade, and collaborate autonomously without our awareness. Money will become code that we can't understand.

What about the jobs that ordinary people care about the most? Will they all be taken away by AI?

Kevin Kelly reassures us, saying: "Very few jobs will be completely eliminated." But the second half of his sentence is the key: "The 'composition' of jobs will change completely."

Let's take my job (as an editor of Notesman) as an example. In the future, AI may be able to generate an accurate and well - structured report in a second. So what will I do? I may become a "content curator" and a "meaning giver." I'll use AI to quickly sort out the whole picture of an event, then go to the scene to find emotions that AI can't detect, interview people with sharp questions that AI can't ask, and write comments full of human insights.

You see, the repetitive and standard "tasks" in our jobs will be taken over by AI. What's left for us is to manage AI, make judgments, and be responsible for the final results.

Kevin Kelly put it very accurately: In the future, what we "sell" to our bosses is no longer just working hours but "responsibility" and "trust." When AI makes mistakes, it is humans who can take on the responsibility and make up for it. When human touch and creativity are needed, it is also humans who can step in.

Since jobs have changed, what is most valuable will surely change too. In a future where materials are greatly enriched by AI and automation, what will be scarce is no longer goods but the following "other things."

First is attention. When information is as ubiquitous as air, being able to focus on watching a video or reading an article becomes a luxury.

Second is real experience. Kevin Kelly even predicts that the top luxury consumption in the future will be an "AI - free environment," that is, spending a lot of money to go to a place without algorithmic recommendations or interference from smart devices to enjoy the pure real world and interpersonal communication.

Third is your "digitalized personality." Whether your digital avatar (or your AI butler) is reliable and efficient, and whether it helps you build good digital credit, this is a huge fortune.

Finally, you may find that your parents can't understand what you do at all. Kevin Kelly gave a very interesting piece of advice to young people: "If it takes you 15 minutes to explain your job to your parents, that's a good sign. It means you're at the forefront."

In general, the economy 5,000 days from now will no longer be a simple game of "people - goods - place." It will become a complex system where humans and agents coexist, responsibility is more valuable than efficiency, and experience is more valuable than goods.

The logic of making money in the future will shift from "what you own" to "what you can understand, connect, and who you are." At that time, what we compete with may not be who is stronger or smarter but who has a bigger imagination and stronger mental strength.

In terms of the economy, Kevin Kelly also made an important judgment: AI cannot replace entrepreneurs.

If a company needs long - term planning, it needs entrepreneurs. Because they can make bold predictions, make judgments based on intuition and experience, have a completely different understanding of risks, and carefully explore the psychology of games and competitors.

For example, the development of a company is like climbing a mountain. In one case, there is only one high mountain in front of you. Once you reach the top, you can overlook everything. In this process, the goal is clear, and there are specific methods, so AI's capabilities can be fully utilized.

In another case, when you reach the top of the mountain, you find that it is not the highest peak. There are undulating mountains ahead, and you don't know where the highest peak is or how to get there. In the second case, finding and climbing the highest peak requires exploration, which is where entrepreneurs' roles come in.

III. Philosophical Inquiries

After discussing politics and economy, we will find a fundamental question: If machines can do everything, what irreplaceable value do we humans have left?

Kevin Kelly gave us a crucial reminder in his book: "When interacting with AI, the primary principle is to always remind yourself not to imagine them as humans." AI is about ultimate "performance," while humans have an irreproducible "existence."

The real value in the future may lie in those "inefficient" areas.

Kevin Kelly observed that humanity's greatest creations, such as art, scientific breakthroughs, and profound philosophical thoughts, often emerge from trial - and - error, waste, and seemingly useless exploration. AI can optimize known paths, but humans are good at opening up directions that machines can't even think of.

He especially emphasized that the most important ability in the future is "asking a good question." AI can give you countless answers, but only humans will ask a question that has never been asked out of curiosity, dissatisfaction, or pure surprise.

This ability to ask questions, which contains courage, intuition, and a naive view of the world, cannot be generated by computing power or algorithms.

In the future, we will be constantly asked several philosophical questions without ultimate answers. For example: Where is the boundary between consciousness and intelligence?

When AI behaves more empathetically than humans, do we respect it because it is "conscious" or rely on it because it is "useful"? If consciousness is not exclusive to humans, how should we treat a machine that seems to be able to "feel"?

Is a "real" experience still necessary? If AI can generate a completely personalized, emotionally impactful virtual memory or an experience that meets all your fantasies, is it still meaningful to personally experience those troublesome, inefficient, and imperfect realities?

Is human "uniqueness" an illusion? If our thoughts, preferences, and even creativity can be predicted and simulated by data, are free will, inspiration, and the so - called "soul" just the results of complex biological algorithms? Will our self - proud uniqueness disappear under the scrutiny of machines?

In the "Improbable" world described by Kevin Kelly, the future is a gradually better world than today. But who decides what "a little better" means? Is it the data feedback from the majority, the algorithms designed by elites, or the ancient moral intuition of humans that has not been optimized by AI? When efficiency conflicts with ethics, whose advice should we follow?

There are no standard answers to these questions. But Kevin Kelly's "Improbable" ideology provides a practical attitude: Don't expect to solve all problems at once, but ensure that in each step of technological development, the overall benefits outweigh the problems, making tomorrow a little better than today on the whole.

In the future, AI may be like a mirror, making us re - examine the oldest question: What kind of existence are humans?

At that time, those imperfect, irrational, passionate, and confused traits of ours may no longer be defects to be corrected but the core of our most precious values.

Future philosophy may no longer be about giving answers but about safeguarding our right and courage to ask questions forever.

IV. Business Revolution

After discussing the mind - boggling philosophy, let's return to a more down - to - earth question: How to do business in the future?

Let's first guess what the core of future business competition will be. Kevin Kelly pointed out sharply: It will be the war between "ecosystems."

No matter how powerful a single product is, like a battery with super - long battery life, if it can't be easily integrated into the mainstream energy - replenishment network, its value will be greatly reduced. The future winners will surely be those companies that can build and operate a prosperous digital ecosystem.

This is like running a shopping mall. You don't make money by just renting out counters. Instead, you need to turn the mall into the coolest, most fun, and best - serviced place, attracting everyone to come and making brand owners eager to enter, and then taking a cut from the rich transactions and interactions.

Interestingly, Kevin Kelly specifically mentioned the role transformation of China. In many interviews, he said: "China's role in global innovation is changing from a 'follower' to a 'leader' and will export innovation models to the world in the future."

What does this mean? It means that the coolest business ecosystems in the future are likely to be first established in China.

For example, the "super digital life ecosystem"