The UNESCO Chair on Futures Research, in cooperation with the JRC and the Millennium Project, has created a special edition of the award-winning SES platform focusing on the future of work and technology towards 2050. The SES Work / Tech 2050, is based on the 3 scenarios for 2050, developed by the Millennium Project, in the context of a global survey involving more than 450 experts around the world who have looked at all of their future technologies and synergies:
2050 Scenario 1: It’s Complicated – A Mixed Bag. A business-as-usual trend projection of the increasing acceleration of change with both intelligence and stupidity characterized decisionmaking. Irregular adoption of advance technology; high unemployment where governments did not create long-range strategies, and mixed success on the use of universal basic income. Giant corporation’s powers have often grown beyond government control, in this government-corporate, virtual-3D, multi-polar world of 2050.
2050 Scenario 2: Political/Economic Turmoil – Future Despair. Governments did not anticipate the impacts of artificial general intelligence and had no strategies in place as unemployment exploded in the 2030s leaving the world of 2050 in political turmoil. Social polarism and political grid-lock in many forms have grown. Global order has deteriorated into a combination of nation-states, mega-corporations, local militias, terrorism, and organized crime.
Scenario 3: If Humans Were Free – the Self-Actualization Economy. Governments did anticipate the impacts of artificial general intelligence, conducted extensive research on how to phase in universal basic income systems, and promoted self-employment. Artists, media moguls, and entertainers helped to foster cultural change from an employment culture to a self-actualization economy.
The SES platform: The ‘Scenario Exploration System’ (SES) is an award-winning future simulation tool developed by the JRC together with experts in serious games from the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies. It uses engagement techniques from the entertainment world to engage participants in the full richness of the systemic collective reflection created when building scenarios. The SES provides a platform that engages participants in future-oriented systemic thinking. It makes participants take action to reach their long-term objectives in contrasting scenario-related contexts while interacting with other stakeholders.
SES Work/Tech 2050: SES Work/Tech 2050 is a future simulation tool to explore possible paths towards the future of Work and Technology towards 2050. It is a serious game to stimulate engagement with stakeholders where you can play the role of business, policymaker, civil society, the public or the media. SES Work/Tech 2050 is available to any interested party under a Creative Commons licence. You are free to use and modify it, but you have to share the results of your adaptations under the same conditions and must attribute the work to its originators.
Safety Disclaimer: You assume all responsibility and risk for exploring the future using SES Work/Tech 2050. The UNESCO Chair on Futures Research does not assume any liability for any new creative ideas that might arise and you may use the game solely at your own risk.
Download the game elements and the information for the game facilitators
- Information for the facilitators
- SES Work/Tech 2050 elements
- SES Work/Tech 2050 Record Sheets
- SES Work/Tech 2050 Game Board
