Trust is breaking down in our societies — trust not just in big institutions but also in the natural good of the common man.
Politicians, bankers, delivery men, our neighbors, our doctors, our children’s teachers are all suspect, are all now known to be capable of doing wrong — we’ve seen all the gritty details in case after case.
The future of trust is code, lines upon lines of unchangeable computer programming that will dictate what we can or can not do.
Forget about negotiating with the lady at the DMV about your proof of residence, writing to your MP about net neutrality or trying to find someone to complain to at the supermarket because you got charged the wrong price for your frozen chicken breasts.
All of these services will be automated. There will be no one to complain to. You’ll be able to choose option A, option B or option C.
That’s it.
Bitcoin and self-checkout lanes are only barely the beginning.
Remember inserting one-dollar bills into vending machines, and the vending machines spitting the bills back out again, over and over again in an excruciating dance of techno-fail? Get ready for more of that.
Prepare for self-driving cars that you call without speaking to a dispatcher, that you pay for automatically. Prepare for stores entirely empty of workers. Prepare for restaurants without cooks or waiters. Prepare to control every aspect of your home, from the heating to the washing machine, with your smartphone.
Prepare to pass whole days, even in the most highly populated cities of the world, without talking to another human being.
The world of 2017 runs on trust. The world of 2018 and beyond will rely on code. Are you ready?
I hope your Christmas or other holiday was wonderful and I wish you a happy and prosperous new year. Here we come, 2018, watch out!
