Bill Gates has just written a year-end note on his personal blog, Gates Notes. Not only does he reflect on what happened throughout 2021, he also gives his predictions for the future.
Since several decades ago, Gates has several times given his predictions about the future of the technology world. In 1987, the Microsoft co-founder accurately predicted that flat screens would dominate the 21st century. But Gates also believed credit cards would be a rarity in 2007 and that hasn't happened yet.
So what does Bill Gates see will happen in the next few years? Here are five predictions, as quoted from Gizmodo, Monday (12/13/2021).
1. The COVID-19 pandemic will end next year
Gates' first prediction was good news. He believes the worst part of the pandemic will end in 2022.
The 66-year-old man said the emergence of the delta variant and the challenges of vaccine distribution had made the recovery process difficult. Although life will not return to normal as before, Gates believes that 2022 will be a better year.
"I believe that the end is in sight. It might be foolish to make any other predictions, but I think the acute phase of the pandemic will end in 2022," Gates wrote.
2. Meeting will move to metaverse
Just like Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, Bill Gates apparently also believes the development of the metaverse is in sight. According to him this new technology will change the way we work and meet daily.
"In the next two or three years, I expect most virtual meetings to move from rows of 2D images -- what I call Hollywood Squares models, even though I know it makes me look old -- to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars," he said. Gates.
"The idea is that you will use your avatar to meet people in a virtual space that mimics the experience of being in a physical space with them."
3. Health diagnosis can be done at home
Telemedicine services are becoming increasingly popular in the midst of a pandemic because people can easily contact doctors via apps. According to Bill Gates, services like this will be further improved in the future.
He gave an example of how doctors can have a device to measure a patient's blood pressure remotely, or how doctors can view the user's medical data collected via a smartwatch.
"These are all possibilities that could become real in the future, and I wanted to know how this could change healthcare," he said.
4. Blood test for Alzheimer's diagnosis
The development of technology for health seems to be one of Gates' focus. He said he was optimistic that the blood test method to diagnose diseases such as Alzheimer's would be approved next year.
"While this will not be a gamechanger for people who already have an illness -- for which there is currently no cure or even a way to slow it down -- this test will speed up progress in the quest to find a cure," Gates said.
5. 2022 will be the new normal year
Although Gates believes the worst part of the pandemic will end next year, at the end of his article he said the world would still be living in the midst of a new normal.
"I think 2022 will be the year many of us will adapt to the new normal post-pandemic," Gates said.
"For me, that means going to the office more often when COVID cases are hopefully going down," he concluded.