Augmentation will transform our work lives

The rise of the “augmented human” using technology to enhance physical and mental capabilities will have a profound impact on the world of work, according to MYOB CTO and futurist Simon Raik-Allen.

MYOB has published the third in its Future of Business series of reports exploring the technology trends shaping the world and their long-term implications.

The report finds that advanced human augmentation will have a major impact on all aspects of life, including what it means to be human.

“All sorts of things that are actually happening today, from neural transmitters to artificial hearts, are bringing about fundamental changes in the way we view and challenge the limitations of our biology. We are on the cusp of an evolution revolution,” Raik-Allen said.

One area expected to profoundly change with the development of more advanced human augmentation is the business world.

“It’s going to be massive for business — giving rise to a whole range of new industries that we’re only just starting to imagine the possibilities for,” Raik-Allen said.

“Imagine a version of today’s app store — the brain-app store or the body-app store — which you can connect to in order to download the latest developments in intelligence, mental performance or simply entertainment.

“Got an important business meeting in China? Download the language app and speak like a local with an accent add-on. Worried about offending your hosts at dinner while you clinch the big business deal? Connect with the app store through your neural interface while you’re riding the hyperloop train to Beijing and pick out the social etiquette app with the best reviews on Weibo.”

Other potential scenarios covered in the report include restaurants taking orders in advance based on food a diner has been thinking about all day, exoskeletons capable of allowing human workers to lift heavy machinery and offices that can be unlocked with the wave of a hand.

Raik-Allen said while these ideas may seem like the stuff of science fiction, the predictions are based on an evolution of technology currently in development.

Image courtesy of Brandon Martin-Anderson under CC