Just two decades into the 21st century, we’ve seen our world evolve in ways our past selves may not have predicted. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter (now X), and Instagram—all launched in the 2000s—have helped us make global connections but have also led to depression and contributed to the spread of misinformation.
Some of us got a personal assistant called Siri. The hottest decade on record was 2010–2019 and led to the U.S.’s most ambitious investment in combating climate change. And we experienced a global pandemic, which led to virtual workspaces and a desire for a healthier work-life balance.
It makes you wonder: What comes next? Will we have a four-day workweek? Will I have a robot co-worker? Will all this technology hinder my well-being? Do we still have time to reverse climate change?
As a kid, you may have looked to a not-so-technical device to predict your future: the Magic 8 Ball. This all knowing sphere told us whether we would pass the big math test or if our crush liked us back. Here we have Georgia Tech’s own version of the classic kid’s toy: a panel of faculty, staff, and alumni, experts in a range of areas, who will answer our now more complicated questions and tell us what they think our world will look like in the next 20 years and beyond.