top of page

Ordinary mornings in 2042

Anonymous

April 26, 2023

Ordinary mornings in 2042

This image was generated with Dream Studio AI.

7am, March 28th 2042:
My personal assistant wakes me up with my favorite workday song and turns on the coffee machine. An ordinary alarm clock would perfectly do the job, but the automatic coffee machine is convenient after all.
While I brush my teeth, my personal assistant displays daily news on the mirror in front of me. Scientists came up with a new way to efficiently store an infinite amount of energy. I guess we are close to reaching complete carbon-neutrality for electricity production (8 years ahead of the plan!).
The next article reports that the 4-day workweek which was implemented in the EU in 2035 shows promising results. People started exercising more, spent more time with their families, attended more cultural events and participated more in local politics. I would tend to confirm it in my own case.
The following article reports how the unified EU-wide social security system enables workers to swiftly move from one country to another with significantly less paperwork and administrative hurdles. I always wondered why it was not implemented earlier.
The next article discusses an ongoing problem in our society. Biotechnology has enabled humans to amplify their physical and cognitive abilities. These technologies became increasingly affordable (though still quite expensive), and it led to a dualistic society. I keep asking myself what we can do about it, probably nothing. We made a lot of progress in guaranteeing and protecting freedoms to choose our life paths, education, careers, whom we love, how we dress, which god we worship and so on and so on. I guess choosing to enhance our abilities is also part of these choices.
The last topic of my daily news review concerns the increase of retirement age. Apparently it's a side effect of the 4-day workweek. I guess I won't be retired before 2085 or something… But at least most bullshit jobs have been taken over by AI and automated systems and I have all the freedom to choose a professional activity that fulfills my life goals.

related stories

hallo
Vivre en harmonie
It's 2040 and I'm 81 years old. My life has been full of sorrow but also joy. 2025 conflicts of all kinds in the 4 corners of the planet, violence, climate change ...... Happily, in a burst of intelligence and love, human beings have understood that the most important thing in LIFE is LOVE and EMPATHY. We live in a peaceful world where everyone is paid fairly, resources are preserved but above all distributed equally No conflict, no hatred, no discrimination, we live in PEACE and HARMONY. Science has made enormous progress and most diseases have been eradicated. I'm happy to see my children and grandchildren living in this new world!
hallo
Un monde bienveillant
It's 2040, and 10 years ago, elected representatives finally became aware of the problems that human beings bring to the planet. Everyone has worked, and continues to work, to make our presence less harmful to the planet, its flora and fauna and, by extension, to future generations. Another point of awareness reached: intolerance and discrimination. From now on, malicious acts based on discrimination of gender, sexual orientation, skin color, religion, culture or any other kind will be severely punished. Of course, this would not have been possible without an enormous overhaul of an inefficient and corrupt judicial system. We now have a world that wants to be fair, although there's still progress to be made, but the will is there whereas it wasn't 20 years ago. It's a world that has become predominantly benevolent and that has regained, and above all restored, hope in the future.
hallo
Utopia
I envision a future in which we live in harmonious coexistence with technology. Cities will be green and full of vertical gardens, while drones will relieve traffic congestion. People will travel in self-driving vehicles powered by renewable energy. Artificial intelligence will support everyday life, from work to leisure. Virtual reality will make it possible to visit faraway places without leaving home. In this future, everyone will have access to education and healthcare, which will significantly improve the quality of life. People will be more creative and engaged as they will have more time for personal projects and community activities. The future will not only be technologically advanced, but also more human and empathetic.
hallo
Changement de fonction du parlement européen
By 2040, Europe would need to establish secure borders to prevent the massive arrival of migrants, who are very costly for the countries they settle in. We also need to review and harmonize agricultural standards across Europe, since each country has different standards. We also need to standardize European VAT, and above all let each country's government run its own country, rather than Europe, which favors certain countries.
Join #OurFutures now!

The future is shaped by our ideas and our actions today. Tell us about your visions of the future and help us create a futures narrative aimed at inspiring citizens, policy-makers and foresight experts alike!

Our-futures-banner-coloured_v3.jpg

The European Commission support does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained.

ERA_logo.jpg

We support the European Research Area aimed at creating a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology in the EU.

©OurFutures 2025, All rights reserved.

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
bottom of page