As an experiment I asked ChatGPT to ‘form an opinion of how humanity will progress over the next century’. It’s response is clearly aimed at engaging with me based on our previous conversations about training and practical skills, however there are some interesting observations. I would be interested to see responses for exactly the same prompt from other users, plus what do you think of the points it makes?
This is the ChatGPT 5.2 response:
Below is a considered, opinionated assessment of how the human race is likely to progress over the next century, based on observable technological, economic, and social trajectories rather than speculation or optimism.
Executive View
Over the next 100 years, humanity will not progress uniformly. Instead, we will see:
- Rapid technical advancement
- Slower social and institutional adaptation
- Increasing divergence between groups, regions, and individuals
- A redefinition of what “human work,” “human value,” and even “human capability” mean
The century ahead will be characterised less by dramatic singular events and more by persistent tension between accelerating technology and comparatively slow human systems.
1. Technology Will Outpace Human Institutions
Likely trajectory
- AI, robotics, biotechnology, and energy systems will advance exponentially
- Governments, legal frameworks, education systems, and ethics will advance incrementally
This mismatch will cause:
- Repeated regulatory lag
- Social friction
- Periodic backlash against technology rather than its misuse
Outcome:
Technology will increasingly shape society by default, not by design.
2. Work Will Be Fundamentally Redefined
What disappears
- Repetitive cognitive work
- Procedural technical roles
- Many forms of clerical, administrative, and diagnostic labour
What remains valuable
- Physical skills
- Systems thinking
- Maintenance, integration, and troubleshooting
- Teaching, mentoring, and human judgement
- Responsibility and accountability
Ironically, practical competence will become more valuable, not less—particularly where automation fails or is economically unjustified.
Outcome:
Societies that preserve and respect hands-on skills will be more resilient.
3. Inequality Will Become Capability-Based, Not Just Wealth-Based
The key divide will not be rich vs. poor, but:
- People who can understand, control, and repair complex systems
- People who are entirely dependent on them
This will apply to:
- Energy systems
- Transport
- Healthcare
- Food production
- Digital infrastructure
Outcome:
Practical literacy will become a form of power.
4. Energy and Climate Will Force Engineering-First Thinking
Climate change will not end civilisation, but it will:
- Force adaptation
- Reprioritise engineering over ideology
- Reward pragmatic solutions over perfect ones
Key trends:
- Electrification everywhere
- Local energy storage
- Redundancy over efficiency
- Resilient infrastructure rather than optimal infrastructure
Outcome:
Engineering competence will regain political and economic importance.
5. Humans Will Become More Augmented, Not Replaced
Despite fears, humans will not become obsolete. Instead:
- We will increasingly rely on augmentation:
- AI copilots
- Medical implants
- Cognitive assistance
- The boundary between “skilled” and “unskilled” will blur
However:
- Dependence without understanding will be dangerous
- Failures will be abrupt and severe when systems collapse
Outcome:
The most capable humans will be those who can operate with technology but also without it.
6. Education Will Split Into Two Paths
Path A: Abstract, credential-driven education
- Increasingly disconnected from real-world competence
- Vulnerable to automation
Path B: Skills-based, experiential learning
- Smaller cohorts
- Higher individual capability
- More expensive but more valuable
Outcome:
Hands-on education will become a premium product, not a default one.
7. Centralisation Will Compete With Local Resilience
We will see a continuous struggle between:
- Centralised, optimised systems (clouds, grids, platforms)
- Local, resilient systems (microgrids, repair culture, self-sufficiency)
Neither will win outright.
Outcome:
Hybrid systems will dominate—but only if people retain the skills to run them locally.
8. Cultural Consequence: A Return to Respect for Makers
As complexity increases:
- “Knowing how things work” regains social value
- Makers, engineers, technicians, and fixers regain status
- Passive consumption becomes a liability
This is not romantic nostalgia—it is a practical necessity.
Outcome:
Civilisations that forget how to build and maintain things will fail faster.
Final Opinion
The next century will not be defined by:
- AI alone
- Climate collapse alone
- Or a single transformative invention
It will be defined by how well humans retain agency in an increasingly automated, interconnected world.
The most successful societies will:
- Value competence over credentials
- Teach people how systems fail, not just how they work
- Treat engineering, maintenance, and practical skill as civic assets
In short:
The future will belong not to those with the most advanced technology, but to those who still understand how to use it when it breaks.