Messages From The Future

Message Log 100, 09/16/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear humans of 2022,

We know at this point that you feel it in your bones. From your economy to the climate, your world is collapsing.

To avoid the worst of both economic and climatic crises, you must produce far less non-essential physical commodities. Many of you know this to be true, but like our parents, you are despondent, pessimistic, and paralyzed. So things will just get worse.

While the physical economy was collapsing, many of us believed that digital assets in the metaverse might be able to refocus our consumption desires while closing the wealth gap.

However, fascist powers destroyed the blockchain and crypto currency dreams for fear of empowering the masses. Without this possible stimulus for a successful digital economy, we devolved into a fascist new dark era worthy of Mad Max.

Message Log 99, 09/06/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear Transitioners,

Our parents would often refer to the summer of 2022 as the beginning of the new normal in climate change, and how quickly the signs of a deteriorating environment became apparent.

They would talk about America's divisions and the rise of fascism everywhere. But, they'd also mention 2022 as a ray of hope. Those who had been silent opponents of the extreme right movement had found a new sense of motivation. They would describe how the fascist movement's leader was brought to justice, sparking a surge of red rage, only to be greeted by an even stronger push for democracy.

The majority of us were either extremely young or had yet to be born, yet the stories live on. Humanity in 2052 is very different from what you know now. While many became hardened and resentful, others saw a chance to build a brighter future, even if it meant giving up so much for themselves.

The irony is that what they gave up was the same thing that didn't make them happy in the first place. Learn to make do with less, and indulge in the attraction of the metaverse. What could rescue us all will surprise you.

Message Log 98, 08/27/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear humans of 2022,

Following a lengthy conversation with JES and the team, we have decided not to provide you with any further information in this message. Rather, we are pushing you to reconsider our previous cautions.

We recognize that things might get overwhelming and that your current bizarre events quickly replace the proximity of danger from previous crises, even if they occurred only a week ago.

So we urge you to internalize these messages, come back as often as you need, and share them with as many people as possible.

Message Log 97, 08/17/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear Transitioners,

Here we are, thirty years in the future. And 2052 is not a place for the faint of heart. To put it frankly, American life has fallen apart. Every layer of society is now ruthlessly preying on the one underneath it.

Society has become a never-ending race to discover who can be the most vicious and destructive of all. Domination and dehumanization norms have produced a living hell in which everyone fights to slay everyone else.

How we got here is clear. Over time, such people got even more vicious, shameless, and greedy. Until, at long last, America was governed by supporters of such norms and everyday indecency triumphed.

Since Americans rewarded and normalized domination, their institutions and incentives were soon used to subjugate the very people who had previously been proud oppressors by a more brutal group of predators.

So, when does this happen in America, you might ask? Well, unfortunately, this isn't a narrative about some distant dystopian future. This is your story, happening to you right now in a collapsing society with crowdfunded healthcare, school massacres, neo-Nazis in power, a renegade Supreme Court, and no one with the capacity to do anything about it.

Things will collapse more quickly and harder than you imagine. This is the trend that every rational person should be paying close attention to right now.

Message Log 96, 08/07/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear Transitioners

I need to paint a clear picture of the future. This is not meant to terrify you or lead you to inaction. In reality, my objective is to mitigate the effect of the coming collapse.

What will be left by 2050 is a smoking ruin of what was once your civilization, ravaged by pandemics, incinerated by megafires, desperate for salvation in theocracy and waging bitter wars.

By the mid-2030s, your society will no longer be able to provide even the most basic necessities. Chronic shortages of everything from food, to water, to medication, to power, will be the norm, as will all of the consequences, from massive inflation to political instability.

In the 2040s, animals and biosystems started dying in vast numbers, causing the collapse of everything that depends on them.

We are living in the worst-case scenario, and we're worried that it's too late for you to stop it.

But there is some good news for the few that will take our warnings seriously. Right now, my team and I are developing a survival plan for you based on ideas from the isolated pockets of survivors in the North Georgia area. Hopefully, this will work on a wider scale to preserve more of us.

Message Log 95, 07/28/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear Transitioners,

As resources dwindled and population decline began to accelerate in the 2040's, world leaders resorted to the unthinkable. And it turns out, this was their terrifying plan all along. A dark secret weapon was about to emerge on the battlefield. And they activated this weapon right at their own people.

While most of the major countries were dictatorships or autocracies fighting for their claim to be the dominant race, the threat from their own people became clear. They needed a way to get rid of individuals who had the least to offer to their future domination. As a result, they used a massive strike to cleanse their own populations of their impurities.

They employed DNA-based bioweapons to target particular people for elimination, and private DNA-testing firms such as Ancestry.com and 23 and Me made it feasible by selling customers' genetic data they had collected starting in the early 2000s. These weapons of mass destruction killed over one billion people in only one week.

Message Log 94, 07/18/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear Transitioners,

We hope this message finds you well. I'm sure it feels like the world is coming to an end and there is no hope these days. However, you must learn to gaze deeper into the future.

There is no question that you will have difficult times ahead. But this is all part of the Great Transition.

As your systems fail and you are forced to survive with less from failing economies and further isolate yourself from the pandemic's continuing waves, new social and economic systems are evolving to operate in a future that transcends your current crumbling way of life.

It is all up to you. This is the most critical period in human history. In that sense, every small deed is extremely important. From the perspective of deep history, your predicament is brutally straightforward.

If there are enough of you, and if you are courageous, strong, wise, and forceful enough, something of civilization, life, and a future will remain.

Message Log 93, 07/08/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear humans of the 2020s

We know how hot it is for you in the northern hemisphere right now. According to our data, you have just passed the point of warming feedback acceleration.

Unfortunately, your ecological and agricultural systems will soon begin to break down. While farming improvements and gene editing will help to prolong dwindling food yields even further, most technologies will fall behind or fail miserably. This will be attributed, in part, to the slow pace of progress in indoor agricultural operations.

The misunderstanding of humidity, however, will be a major influence. This was our demise. You see, although we were focused on what we believed was excellent news, it turned out to be a huge error. We were told that when temperatures rise, relative humidity would decrease, which would aid in cooling, particularly in the warmer tropical regions.

While the scientists were correct that humidity was falling, they did not provide the full picture. The reduction in humidity in cities created even greater heat since there were fewer water droplets to cool off the concrete jungles. Trees were planted to help cool things down, but the dry air absorbed the moisture before it could do any benefit.

People suffered from itchy eyes, scratchy throats, and dried-out mucous membranes, allowing viruses to spread more quickly.

Worst still, the low humidity sucked moisture from the ground, destroying crops and generating ignition points for destructive wildfires. Then, when the sky became saturated with all of its additional moisture, it would dump it in tremendous amounts, causing severe floods.

Humidifiers became as common as air conditioning units, putting additional load on the faltering electrical infrastructure and further heating up urban landscapes.

The humidity actually increased towards the shoreline and around bodies of water. The water sources that produced humid days and nights were infested with mosquitoes and other airborne pests, which became superspreaders of new diseases and virus strains.

Message Log 92, 06/28/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear transitioners of the 2020s

The artificial intelligence revolution is at your doorstep, and things are about to change quickly. AI will permeate all facets of your life, beginning with the creative and entertainment industries.

As artists, musicians, and authors begin to accept AI as welcome collaborators, a whole new manner of creation will emerge. However, one industry in the arts will take a very unique and severe path.

This will be the film and television business. In almost everything we watched, real-life human performers were being replaced by AI-powered computer-generated characters. It began with supporting roles in major motion pictures and gradually progressed to prominent roles. The celebrities of your day were often the last of their kind, pushing them to seek alternative means of satisfying their desire to be in the spotlight and earn the kind of money they had grown accustomed to.

TV and movie stars took to social media and found themselves competing for attention with online influencers who were ready to call them out for promoting whatever product or service they could.

Because the AI revolution threatened their relevance, scandals by celebrities became more common, fueling increasingly extreme acts to distinguish themselves from their peers and AI replacements. As the allure of human actors faded, new forms of icons, idols, and influencers emerged to fill the void.

People began to place their trust in the seemingly emotionally grounded AI superstars whilst their human idols crumbled. This will be crucial in the third phase of ANNA's plan implementation.

Message Log 91, 06/18/2052 - JEWL 3-1-2

Dear Transitioners,

I know things are difficult right now. And you don't need us to add any more worry to the mix. However, you must not lose sight of the ongoing risks that do not make the media circus headlines.

As your world continues to swiftly transform, you are unknowingly approaching phase two of ANNA's plan, and the age of AI.

ANNA, the powerful neural network that has assumed control of your destiny, understands that humans are, above all, social beings driven by creativity and free will.

Phase one of her strategy concentrated on the social side of humanity, utilizing social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter. I'm sure ANNA would have been amazed at how powerful her algorithms would become, that is if she had any feelings at all.

You have now entered the second phase. To aid you along, ANNA has a number of artificially intelligent companions who will gladly help you with all of your needs.

Look for AI-powered assistants to explode onto the art and creative scene, redefining the artist's role from creator to thinker. Philosophical ideas and thoughts manifested by artificial intelligence will begin to define not only visual art but also the written word.

Anyone can become an artist right now in your time by collaborating with their AI assistant named DALL·E. And the Quilbot AI-powered paraphrasing tool can turn a ten-year-old into an award-winning writer with the push of a button.

However, the most revolutionary AI helpers are those that are coming for software development. They will change all you know about computing. Speaking to your AI to program and execute your commands will become the Holy Grail of Artificial Assisted Human Intelligence, combining the power of creativity with an infinite number of expression and innovation tools.

These assistants will usher in a new era of thought and signal the start of phase three, controlling free will.