This blog post explores the changes future technologies like life extension, artificial intelligence, and the digital divide will bring, along with their resulting social impacts.
Technology and science in future society will advance far beyond our current imagination. Futurist and author of ‘Megatrends,’ John Naisbitt, once said: “Just ten years ago, anyone who suggested we’d have mobile phones with computer capabilities and internet access would have been dismissed as a dreamer.” Yet in 2007, Apple launched the iPhone, turning that vision into reality. Since then, smartphones have completely transformed humanity’s daily routines and way of life. Throughout history, humanity has envisioned future technologies based on rich imagination, and technologies once deemed fictional have been realized. For instance, Jules Verne’s novel ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ features technology similar to today’s submarines, while H.G. Wells’ ‘The War of the Worlds’ contains clues about space travel. Even technologies not yet realized may soon materialize before our eyes.
The Millennium Project, a global foresight research organization, also presents various future technologies and human lifestyles expected around 2045. According to the report, medical technology, which is already advancing continuously, is predicted to further accelerate human lifespan extension through the convergence of biotechnology and computer science. For example, if ‘Life Log’ technology—which involves implanting a 3mm biochip into the human body to collect and analyze daily data in real-time—becomes commercialized, we will be able to easily check our health status and predict diseases in advance. Furthermore, AI-based medical diagnostic systems operating in every home could partially replace the role of doctors. Advances in stem cell genetic engineering and 3D bioprinting will enable the regeneration or replacement of damaged organs. Research is also actively underway on ‘Telomerase’ activation technology, which prevents the shortening of telomeres—one cause of aging. Furthermore, the possibility of human consciousness existing without a physical body is being raised through ‘Mind Uploading’ technology, which precisely scans and digitizes the human brain before storing it in a virtual space. This heralds a new paradigm: human ‘digital immortality’.
The rapid advancement of AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics also forms a key pillar of this future. In the years ahead, sophisticated humanoid robots, indistinguishable from humans, will be distributed to households, freeing people from routine, repetitive tasks like cleaning, cooking, and caregiving. Since the mid-2020s, the emergence of generative AI like ChatGPT has already blurred the boundaries with humans, and robots are increasingly capable of expressing emotions, creating art, and solving complex problems. While these technologies generate positive expectations, they also raise new ethical and social questions.
However, even if technology dramatically extends human lifespan and improves quality of life, it may not always be a blessing. Whenever new technology is introduced, humanity inevitably faces a corresponding ‘paradigm shift’. Existing ways of thinking and lifestyles become obsolete. Those unable to adapt to the new paradigm experience conflict and confusion, and societal clashes can occur. When James Watt developed the steam engine in the 18th century, people initially cheered the fact that machines were replacing labor, but soon faced the reality of mass unemployment. This eventually led to the Luddite movement, where machines were destroyed. Similarly, the convenience brought by life extension technologies or AI robots could, over time, return as new problems. If artificial organs or genetic engineering extend lifespans by decades or more, some individuals will experience ethical or social discomfort. A widespread aversion to cyborgs—humans partially replaced by machines—could also permeate society.
Indeed, humanity’s average life expectancy rose from 60 years in 1950 to over 80 years by 2020. Considering that average lifespans in ancient societies hovered around 40 years, humanity has rapidly entered an era of longevity. However, this has led to a sharp rise in elderly welfare costs and deepened societal aging issues. For instance, as of 2024, Finland spends approximately 23% of its GDP on welfare, while Japan, with its high proportion of elderly citizens, allocates about 18%. In contrast, while South Korea is still at around 9%, its rapid progression toward a super-aged society means welfare expenditures are expected to surge sharply in the near future. The problem is that rising welfare costs can fuel intergenerational conflict. The working-age population is gradually shrinking, while the taxes they must bear are increasing. Simultaneously, if satisfaction with welfare benefits declines, discontent among the younger generation grows, while the elderly also become dissatisfied, feeling they are not receiving sufficient benefits. This structural imbalance can ultimately lead to intergenerational conflict. While adopting a high-tax, high-welfare system like that of Northern Europe is an option, considering the reality of Finland, where taxes approach 50% of income, maintaining this model in an era of even greater aging than today may prove difficult.
A greater problem is that the benefits of these new technologies are not distributed equally worldwide. Life extension, AI, robotics, and similar technologies are likely to be monopolized by developed nations and the wealthy, potentially excluding developing countries and low-income groups from these benefits. Just as the economic gap between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres widened after the Industrial Revolution, the technological gap could deepen alongside the wealth gap. Indeed, since 2020, over 95% of tuberculosis deaths have occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the existence of advanced medical technologies, many underdeveloped nations still cannot access these benefits. This gap risks becoming a structural challenge akin to ‘Zeno’s paradox,’ making it difficult to catch up. Much like the logic that Achilles, running fast, tries to catch up to the tortoise, but the tortoise keeps moving forward, so Achilles never reaches it, countries benefiting from technology continue to advance, while those that do not may forever lag behind, unable to close the gap.
John Naisbitt emphasized, “Whenever new technology is introduced to humanity, we often react by rejecting it. We need a maturity of consciousness commensurate with technological advancement.” Indeed, even within the game’s worldview, humanity experiences dazzling scientific advancements. Yet, social chaos and mass slaughter erupt due to the uneven distribution of technological benefits, aversion towards cyborgs, and backlash against high tax rates. Of course, this doesn’t mean we should simply accept such a bleak future. Rather, through such scenarios, we must recognize the need to anticipate and prepare for the social problems technological progress could bring. Aging populations, intergenerational conflict, the uneven distribution of technology, and philosophical questions about human existence have now become unavoidable challenges. Technology is a tool and an opportunity that can bring benefits to humanity. However, if its direction is misguided or its balance is lost, technology may cease to be an angel benefiting us and instead become a Lucifer bringing misfortune.
