The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly

The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly is a book that provides an optimistic roadmap for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces.

Kelly identifies twelve technological forces that will shape the next thirty years, and has a chapter on each: Becoming; Cognifying; Flowing; Screening; Accessing; Sharing; Filtering; Remixing; Interacting; Tracking; Questioning; Beginning.

The book is not just about predicting the future, but more about understanding it. Kelly believes that this technologically-shaped future will be for the better, but plenty will use it for the harm of many. However, he thinks the well-intentioned will win over the harm-intentioned.

The main themes of The Inevitable are the technological transformations that are alive and well and ongoing, and how they will shape our future. Kelly describes the twelve biggest ways that the world is going to change and gives us an insight into what the world of 2050 will look like. He also talks about the Internet of Things, virtual reality, augmented reality, and very different living circumstances.

Useful takeaways from the book include the reminder that we are truly in the beginning of the beginning stages of the technological transformations, and that the opportunities open to us now are enormous. Additionally, the book emphasizes the importance of working with robots, as ninety percent of our coworkers will be unseen machines.

Overall, The Inevitable is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that provides valuable insights into the technological forces that will shape our future.

What I Liked

I liked the optimism and nuance that he brings to the discussion around tech.

What I Did Not Like

I don’t think the book anticipates the political dimensions to how technology gets rolled out across society.