Cisco Live 2013 Shows Life in 2023, Thanks to the Internet of Everything

Join the conversation with @DaveTheFuturist #IoE2023

It’s probably no surprise to you that my favorite part of Cisco Live is discussing future technology. This year, there are so many ways the Internet of Everything (IoE) is connecting people, process, data and things.

For example, we are looking at a world where our clothes, our glasses, even the pills we swallow, will be connected. In the business arena, IoE enables new processes and creates new value. The data we consume and create is providing new insights. And we are connecting things at record rates. Today there are about 10 billion things connected to the Internet, a little more than one for each person on the planet. By 2023, there will be five times as many—50 billion things—connected. And there is $14.4 trillion of potential economic “value at stake” for global private-sector businesses over the next decade, as a result of the emergence of the Internet of Everything.

It is fun to anticipate these breakthrough technologies, and how they work together gives us a powerful glimpse into what life will be like 10 years from now. As I demonstrated in my Cisco Live keynote this morning, the Internet of Everything is going to change virtually every area of our lives.

The Golden Years: More Productive Than Ever

The golden years of 2023 will not be the retirement of 2013. This era will be a more productive, more connected time. Keeping in touch with distant family and friends will be a richer, more immersive experience. By 2023, we will be able to record, store and re-experience every second of our lives in high quality video.

One of the big challenges we face as we get older is healthcare. As the global 65-and-older population rises, healthcare resources will have to stretch further. Fortunately, IoE will amplify existing caregivers’ capabilities. Connected pills, connected pill bottles, wearable medical technology, connected labs on chips and more will virtualize healthcare and scale existing healthcare resources. Connected health will also extend healthcare to the billions of people that have no access to healthcare today.

On the Job: New Tools, New Capabilities, New Workplace

Before retiring however, most of us will work and have fulfilling careers. The technology we use in the workplace has changed dramatically over the last few decades and will continue to transform where and how we work. Technology will be pervasive, but unobtrusive, responding to our gestures, voices, facial features, and even our thoughts. Language will no longer be a barrier, as communication devices connected to the cloud will have powerful, nearly instantaneous language translation capabilities. And indeed, the types of technology we will use will continue to change. We will work along side new types of “employees”—robots and avatars that can extend our own reach, amplify our abilities and make us more productive.

Family and Home Life

How and where we live is changing. In the next decade we will add another billion people to the global population, bringing the total to 8 billion.

In 2023, cities will be smarter and more energy efficient to manage the increasing population. We will see more and more “connected cities” that constantly sense changing traffic, energy demands, and citizens’ needs. For example, smart cities will let cars know where parking spaces are available. Monitoring of vehicles and pedestrian levels will optimize driving and walking routes.  Smart lighting will adapt to the weather, energy needs, and citizen proximity.

As more things connect to the Internet, we will see “social networks” of machines as the things in your home will work together to adapt to ever changing situations.  Connected homes and connected buildings will become networked “living” organisms, constantly sensing, and adapting to changing needs and energy demands.

Just the Beginning

I’ve given you just a glimpse into how the Internet of Everything is transforming the ways we work, live, learn and play. Cisco is committed to enabling this transformation. We are bringing people together to create and drive the standards and technologies that will usher in the Internet of Everything. As Cisco’s Chief Futurist, I am proud to be part of a company leading this change.

But this is just the beginning.

I told you a story about life in 2023. But this is not simply a story about technology, it’s a story about the intersection of technology and humanity. Technology will help us scale and manage our precious resources, create entirely new experiences and improve our quality of life. How it happens will be our story to write.

What future will you write in the Internet of Everything? Join me, @DaveTheFuturist, in the conversation at #IoE2023.