Blaise Tapp: The future has arrived – but I’m not sure that I like it very much
As a child growing up in the ‘80s, I was exposed to more than my fair share of science fiction and predictions of what the future might look like.
We’re now a decade beyond 2015, when Back to the Future II was set, and we’re yet to see hoverboards or self-fastening trainers, not that anyone back then seriously expected anything like that to happen, especially when ‘cutting edge’ technology of the day consisted of computers which took about 25 minutes to load up a cassette or the much derided Sinclair C5 - a battery powered tricycle.
But, obviously, we do currently live in an age that the eight-year-old me would have described as ‘futuristic’ - video calls are part of our everyday lives and millions of us use a little device with a posh voice to check whether we can hang our washing out all day or, if we are slaves to technology, to switch on the lights without lifting a finger. Of course, the mind boggling progress of AI means that the boffins won’t stop here and who knows what the world will look like in 2065.
While it all may seem very exciting, especially for our children who will inherit the most technological of futures, I’m mainly worrying about what’s just around the corner, especially after reading last week that driverless taxis are expected to be on the streets of London some time next year.
While they already operate in California - where else? - their imminent arrival in our capital city is a little bit too close to home. While I’m sure some very clever people, probably folk who wear tight fitting t-shirts to work and don’t believe in socks, have spent years perfecting the technology, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about being driven around one the world’s great cities by what is, essentially, a distant cousin of Metal Mickey.
All the obvious questions about logistics and safety aside, one of my major concerns is who would we engage in inane conversation if the driver’s seat is empty? While it’s often potluck as to whether you’ll get a friendly cabbie who won’t drone on about potholes or how rubbish the local council is, I’ve had some fascinating chats with scores of drivers over the years, although I’m not entirely sure they’d feel the same way.
I also want to know that someone will wake me up if I’ve fallen asleep on the backseat after an especially good night out. The future is well and truly here and I’m not sure whether I like it.