Megatech

March 15, 2017

The accelerating technological changes of the last few decades have left many wondering what miracles the future will bring. The Economist presents a well-organized collection of essays on the subject, compiled by its executive editor Franklin. Experts in various fields offer their predictions of what will happen over the next 30 years, including the impact of advances in various fields (computer science, communications, biology, artificial intelligence, and energy production) on aspects of life such as medical care, work, education, and social behavior. Although a couple of sf stories are appended, most of the essays are quite conservative in their approach. They concentrate on relatively natural refinements of existing technology and on current developments that will have great influence when made more widely available and/or more economical. Thus, these predictions are quite likely to be correct in general but wrong on details, as is frequently the case in such efforts. VERDICT A thought-provoking title for readers interested in technology or those seeking a helpful guide to making sound economic investment choices.--Harold D. Shane, Mathematics Emeritus, Baruch Coll. Lib., CUNY

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