Futurologist Aric Dromi predicts that cities of the future will be more digital than physical, and he sees the question of future of cities as highly philosophical one. He will speak on the topic of smart cities at the Future Tense conference on October 2, 2018 in Zagreb’s Lauba. Dromi believes that fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, genetics, biotechnology and augmented realities allow us to repurpose every aspect of our existence, including urban infrastructure.
The renowned futurologist underlines that the capitals of Europe and the developed countries will end up as third world cities in ten years time if they don’t react timely to the inevitable change. Dromi believes that the potentials for a real construction of a city that is sustainable and can accommodate the needs of the future society lie in places such as Africa or South America – places that have the potential for infrastructure and do not need retrofitting of already existing systems, exactly because of the fact they don’t currently have any systems.
Dromi notes existing migration within countries. Today, 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, and this figure is expected to increase to 75% over the next few years. Futurologist points out that, as seen from the bird’s perspective, on average 75% of a city today is made of roads and parking lots. And given the population growth in cities, we will have to turn to new economic and business models that will make cities work. As a first step in the near future, he points to the selfdriving, robotic cars that will eliminate the need for ownership in the cities. In the long run, he says the need for owning a car will disappear. He recalls that Uber, Google and Airbus have already set their sights on the space above the roads, and other types of vehicles, ranging from flying cars to autonomous drones and autonomous taxis. Thus, the need for existing infrastructure will be partially eliminated and will open up the possibility of redesigning space in a completely new way.
Futurologist Dromi predicts that in the future, the rise of mixed or virtual reality will remove our need to move physically from one place to another, meaning that we will not really have to live in a city when we can simply tune in and appear in some other reality.
Aric Dromi is a major futurologist for one of the world’s most famous and most prestigious vehicle manufacturer and leading developer of premium, autonomous and electric vehicles. He is a member of the advisory board of the innovative center based in Silicon Valley for the NTT Group, one of the world’s largest ICT companies. He also supports the UNLEASH Innovation Team; global innovative laboratory focusing on the UN sustainable development goals. At the same time, he holds the position at AIIA, the Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation network that advises business executives worldwide.
Katarina Šiber Makar, CEO of IN2, a partner of the Future Tense conference, on the occasion of the arrival of the futurologist Dromi, said: “The world is irreversibly changing both in social terms and in terms of new business models of digital economy, where technology is a key driver. IN2 recognizes and follows the coming trends and introduces them into their software solutions through innovations in the field of artificial intelligence, internet of things, smart cities and other digital solutions. We are happy to be part of the Future Tense conference and to have the opportunity to encourage the business community to actively reflect on the future and more concrete business and technological adaptation to rapid changes.”
Along with Dromi, Future Tense conference speakers include Morgaine Gaye, who will speak about future of nutrition and Micro and Macro Food Trends, David Birch, with support from Addiko Bank, who will talk on Future of Payments, and Gerd Leonhard who will speak on the Impact of Technology Development on Humanity’s Development.
For more information about the conference, visit www.futuretense.eu
