Page 15 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 201515of epic proportions that must be averted. In the coming years, much more demanding environ- mental regulations will force us to cut down on rubbish, avoid “throwing things away” and give priority to recycling and to more environmen- tally friendly business models. This will create thousands of new business opportunities and new environments in which any resource is optimised and we use all the recycled material we can.A habitual aspect of the products we use today – in accordance with twentieth-century customs – is that “it is better to throw it away and buya new one” because it is impossible to purchase a small part the equipment needs to carry on operating. It is no longer manufactured, there are no more spare parts and we have no choice but to go for a “new washing machine”.We will soon see small workshops capable of 3D printing in all kinds of materials and equipped with the designs of hundreds of thousands of pieces that can be purchased over the Internet and subsequently manufactured, from the “elbow joint” of a refrigeration system to a refrigerator motor.Twenty-first century models are furthermore tending towards cost-free. Many products and services will be free in exchange for the infor- mation we supply to those who “give” them to us. The sharing economy is appearing, and it has suddenly become fashionable not to own but to “enjoy”, from shared rooms to luxury sailing boats.We will soon see free offers of smart refriger- ators – capable of “reading” everything they contain – from companies that want to exploitour consumption habits and learn how to optimise their products so that they reach us “on demand” at the right time.21st-century models are tending towards cost-free in exchange for sharing information with suppliers.We will have chips implanted under our skinor sewn to our everyday clothes that will “read” our vital signs and pass the information on to modern health services in which, instead of paying per visit, we will pay a monthly fee for “preventing” illnesses and improving our overall health.There are already mobile applications for moni- toring what we do, the calories we consume and the exercise we take. Today it is still necessaryto access information manually but, with the abovementioned sensors implanted under our skin, chips will automatically transmit this information to those of us who have hired the service – at a cost or free of charge in exchange for our personal information. We have seen nothing yet.The American futurologist Ray Kurzweil, author of the Singularity Theory, talks of people living to an average age of 150 years by the end of the twenty-first century. If this happens, how will we regulate work? What sort of Social Security system could support taxpayers who live to more than 150? How will we have to plan our lives to reach those ages with enough money to enjoy the standard of living we had when we worked? What will retirement age be, 125? We might sayRodolfo Carpintier