The Futures - No. 38
Schools integrating AI into classrooms / The new generation of women billionaires / Drilling a volcano for geothermal energy
In this issue
The Quantumrun team shares actionable trend insights about the pressing need for schools to teach students to work with AI, the future female billionaires about to get their inheritance, Iceland’s quest to turn a volcano into an unlimited power source, and the microplastics that we eat regularly.
Future signals to watch
In 2026, the Krafla Magma Testbed project in Iceland aims to pioneer large-scale geothermal energy generation by drilling into a volcano's magma chamber to harness its extremely hot gases. If successful, it could give the country an unlimited renewable energy source.
China's EHang successfully conducted commercial demonstrations of its pilotless EH216-S eVTOL, carrying passengers including city officials and private citizens.
Cornell University researchers have enhanced a bacterium through genetic engineering to efficiently purify rare-earth elements used in various electronics, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional, pollutant-heavy methods.
Japan's telecom industry plans to deploy high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) by 2025, using unmanned vehicles in the stratosphere for broader network coverage.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) thinks one potential solution to invasive fish species is to turn them into pet food (e.g., carp).
Chinese women are rejecting Beijing’s incentives to have children. (We wonder why …)
Researchers from MIT and the University of Birmingham suggest that finding planets with significantly less atmospheric carbon dioxide compared to others in their system could indicate liquid water and potential life, a task feasible for the James Webb Space Telescope.
Consumer Reports revealed that most supermarket products and fast foods contain plasticizers like phthalates and bisphenols, urging regulators to reevaluate the safety of plastics in food production. Even at minimal levels, these substances are associated with a wide range of health issues, particularly endocrine disruptions.
Culturally // Trending
YouTube → 3 Body Problem // X → Golden Globes awkwardness // Reddit → Alien abduction checklist // TikTok → Millennials flock to the suburbs // Instagram → Starbucks-Stanley Tumbler pandemonium // Spotify → “I Can Feel It”
🎓 Schools need to train students to adapt to AI ASAP
A 2023 report from The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) reveals that only California and Oregon have provided policy guidance for US schools about AI platforms like ChatGPT. Amidst the rapid advancement of AI, educators seek guidelines for its use and to prevent its misuse. CRPE found that while 11 states are developing guidance, 21 have no plans for it, and 17 didn't respond. AI's broad application in education, from classroom teaching to operational use, challenges educators and regulators in prioritizing curriculum topics.
The existing framework focuses on ethical use, equity implications, and enhancing instruction. The states' approaches vary, with some leaving policy decisions to individual districts. Despite the availability of resources like TeachAI’s toolkit, schools struggle with AI's complexities, misuse cases, and bias concerns. President Biden's executive order addresses AI in education, highlighting the need for supportive resources. Private sector initiatives also contribute to responsible AI use in education. However, due to AI's rapid evolution, guidelines must remain flexible and adaptable.
Several practical applications of ChatGPT in the classroom are already making a difference. Peter Paccone, a social studies teacher, uses the chatbot to explain simpler topics, allowing him to focus on more complex discussions. Examples of creative applications include generating raps about vectors and trigonometry in a precalculus class, translating Shakespeare into modern English for better comprehension, and producing reading materials at different levels for diverse student needs. Some educators employ ChatGPT to engage students in critical thinking, such as fact-checking AI-generated essays.
Despite concerns about plagiarism and the potential for educational inequities, many teachers believe banning ChatGPT is not practical and instead advocate for teaching responsible use. In other words, just like the calculator challenged educators to elevate the quality of math education, generative AI apps will elevate the quality of writing and critical thinking education.
Actionable trend insights as schools integrate AI into the classroom
For entrepreneurs
They could develop platforms that leverage AI to generate or aggregate tailored educational content for different age groups, learning styles, and subjects. For example, an entrepreneur could create an AI platform that curates and customizes historical content, including virtual reality experiences of historical events, AI-generated quizzes, and personalized reading materials.
They could create interactive simulation tools that present real-world scenarios requiring analysis, decision-making, and creative solutions. For example, an entrepreneur could develop a platform where students manage a virtual city, presenting urban challenges, such as environmental issues, economic crises, or urban planning dilemmas.
Case studies are about to get a whole lot more interactive!
For corporate innovators
Companies can partner with a school district to create a platform where students input their interests and achievements, and the AI suggests future careers in emerging fields, outlines the educational paths to these careers, and even connects students with internships or mentorship opportunities.
Similar applications can be created for training programs targeting mature students and employees.
For public sector innovators
Education agencies can develop an AI tool that could analyze classroom interaction patterns and student feedback to suggest specific professional development courses for teachers, such as new instructional strategies for STEM subjects or techniques for inclusive education.
Governments could implement AI training programs into school curriculums that reflect the emerging labor education needs of domestic industries and employers, creating a pipeline of AI-ready workers who can graduate into meaningful, high-value careers.
Trending research reports from the World Wide Web
Bill Gates released his overview for 2024 (he seems most optimistic about AI in healthcare.)
Undark discusses why it’s crucial for neurorights to keep up with brain-computer technologies.
According to Rand Corporation’s The Human Domain of War report, genomic surveillance (the systematic monitoring and analysis of genetic information) is poised to significantly impact near-term military operations.
IEEE Spectrum’s discusses the companies racing to dominate the lucrative humanoid robot market.
Ikea’s annual Life at Home report reimagines homes in 2030 (it involves pod apartments and bio-solar wallpapers).
💰 The Great Wealth Transfer to create more female billionaires
The 2023 UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report indicates a pivotal shift in wealth accumulation among billionaires, with inheritance now exceeding entrepreneurship. This marks a significant wealth transfer trend, poised to continue over the next 20 years. Despite a post-pandemic dip, billionaire wealth is recovering (thank heavens!), especially in Europe's consumer and retail sectors.
The report underscores a generational shift in wealth management, with newer generations redefining legacy concepts and focusing on contemporary economic challenges like technology and clean energy. This shift requires intricate succession planning and aligning different generational values. Distinct investment trends are also emerging between first-generation billionaires and heirs. The former prioritize private debt and bonds, while heirs favor private equity and are increasingly inclined towards sustainability and philanthropy.
The great wealth transfer is also set to affect women the most. McKinsey research predicts women will inherit a significant portion of the USD $68 trillion from Baby Boomers. This transfer will occur through husbands bequeathing assets to wives or couples passing wealth to children, benefiting women disproportionately.
In addition, younger affluent women are becoming increasingly financially literate and involved in investment decisions. McKinsey’s research highlights that 30% more married women now make financial and investment decisions compared to five years ago, and an increasing number of women are now the primary earners in their families. Consequently, this shift represents a pivotal moment for the financial services industry, as affluent women, particularly widows, are actively seeking new wealth management relationships and are more likely to change financial institutions to better meet their financial goals.
Actionable trend insights as Baby Boomers transfer their wealth
For entrepreneurs
As wealth transfers to a more tech-savvy generation, entrepreneurs can offer services in personal branding and digital legacy management. This business could help individuals create and maintain their digital footprint, including social media presence, online portfolios, and even posthumous digital messaging services.
For the next 10 years, entrepreneurs will face a restricted capital market as the Boomers begin extracting their wealth from investment funds to care for their retirements. Boomer heirs may become the target of VC funds and entrepreneurs looking for new funding sources.
For corporate innovators
Banks and wealth management firms will see growth in their wealth preservation, tax sheltering, and inheritance transfer services.
Charities and nonprofits of all kinds may find new sources of funding from younger, more socially-minded millionaires and billionaires who may look to create meaningful impact from their newfound wealth. Relationship development efforts will likely begin years in advance of these wealth transfers.
For public sector innovators
Municipal and regional governments in emerging markets can support the wealth transfer by creating 'intergenerational living' zones’—especially affluent ones that attract the wealthy from first-world nations. Public sector initiatives could include tax incentives for developers who build such mixed-use communities and public spaces designed to encourage interaction between generations.
Government tax agencies will likely be incentivized to actively monitor and regulate domestic wealth tranfers. Populist leaders in a number of nations may also enact larger inheritance taxes upon the wealthy as the media begins to regularly report on the rise of the next generation of billionaires.
Outside curiosities
Cozy Cardio (comprising iced coffee and socks on a treadmill) is Gen Z’s new exercise culture. (Honestly, same.)
You laugh now, but a pool office would actually not be bad during summer.
The younger generations are increasingly curious about life before the Internet.
Samsung is back again with electronics-as-art, this time a picture-framed speaker.
Berlin Zoo has an annual tradition of accepting fresh, unsold Christmas trees to feed their elephants and bison.
More from Quantumrun
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See you in The Futures,
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