You would be amazed at how often writers from science fiction have predicted the future of technology. Using their obsessions with sociological and technological developments, some remarkable predictions have been made about what the world of tomorrow will hold.
Predicting the technology of tomorrow
Sci-fi writers are rarely also scientists, but they are often deeply interested in the human psyche. Because of this, I feel they are well-equipped to predict what we will be using in the years to come. Technology follows a few trends: war, communication, and convenience. With the wild and wonderful mind of a science fiction writer, some surprisingly accurate guesses about the future of technology can be made.
I should prelude this by saying these aren’t necessarily the first times these technology concepts have been predicted in sci-fi, but I feel they are some of the most influential.
Laser and chemical weapons – H.G. Wells – War of The Worlds (1898)
The use of laser technology in warfare is something that is really only being explored now, but looking at the Aliens from War of The Worlds, we see it clearly displayed. The piercing death rays of the cyclopean monsters tear through humans and buildings alike.
The “enormous clouds of a black and poisonous vapour” released by the Martians in H G Wells tale is an early signal of chemical warfare. Only 16 years later, this evil weapon was being used on battlefields across the continent in the First World War to a much more devastating effect.
The video call – Isaac Asimov – Various Foundation stories (1950+)
The Foundation series covers a huge span of time and space. In the process, Asimov is able to expand on many new ideas across the Robots and Foundation series. One thing that comes up repeatedly throughout his books is the concept of video calling.
The clearest example of something resembling a video call is in Asimov’s Mother Earth novella, in which two people communicate over vast distances via video. The 3D images are slightly more advanced in some ways than we have now. This prediction of the future has two people sitting in the same room despite being separated by the gulf of space—perhaps closer to VR than video calls.
Space Stations – Arthur C Clark – Islands in The Sky (1952)
Who else but the magnificent Arthur C. Clarke should be credited with something like the prediction of Space Station technology? In his very early work titled “Islands in The Sky” he speaks about a space station 500 miles above the earth. I wonder if he expected this to be a reality only 50 years later.
Earbuds and ATMs – Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451 (1953)
The bleak and traumatic world of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 can be credited with predicting a whole panoply of technology. We see the ‘Seashells’ people use in their ears, clearly representing earbuds, far before they were even a concept in Sony’s hive mind. The way the protagonist’s wife uses them to tune out the world and separate herself from the reality around her rings a little too true for today.
The second prediction of the future of technology in this sci-fi novel has to be ATM machines. Bradbury describes these all-night tellers with, “he had visited the bank, which was open all night every night with robot tellers in attendance,” clearly depicting an ATM. Although the idea of microchips, programming, and automation via computer was missed, the idea of a tireless robot dispersing money is pretty much bang on.
Facial Recognition – Philip K. Dick – The Minority Report (1956)
This short story, written by Philip K. Dick, is a seminal piece, predicting more than just the technology in the title. Minority Report, later turned into the film by Spielberg, predicted the surveillance state, facial recognition software, targeted adverts, and many societal observations.
In a world where prediction is used to stop crime before it ever happens, facial recognition is used to find the suspects. This technology now exists and is used heavily in security systems around the world. Suspects are tracked and followed, often before they have committed any crimes. Like many of the predictions of the future in Science Fiction, it is a bleak foreshadowing of reality.
Atomic Bomb – H.G. Wells – The World Set Free (1914)
I could easily write this entire list only using H.G. Wells’s predictions of technology, but I am trying to keep it to his core predictions. In The World Set Free, we are shown an ‘Atomic Bomb’ thrown from a plane like a hand grenade. This is used during a war started by the Germans, interestingly, beginning in 1950. Yet another foreshadowing by H.G. Wells that rang far too true.
The atomic bomb used by H.G. Wells in his story lands on cities below, turning them to rubble. However, although based on studies of uranium at the time, the bomb doesn’t quite predict the true future of technology in sci-fi. Instead of a single devastating explosion, H.G. Wells has a constant blazing inferno that never really burns out, leaving puffs of poisonous gasses.
Churchill himself was a huge fan of Wells, boasting of reading all his books at least twice. The story’s predictions obviously didn’t deter him from the reality of destruction.
Drones – Frank Herbert – Dune (1965)
Although they are called Hunter Seekers, these little flying machines represent the drone technology used today. In the books, they are able to observe and even kill silently while being remotely piloted. They are a clever prediction of the future using the sci fi platform. Despite our current drones being much larger, the ones we have today have a significantly larger range and much more killing power. For more books like Dune, take a look at our suggestions.
Virtual Reality – William Gibson – Neuromancer (1985)
Gibson is by far one of my favorite writers of the modern age. Using quick, intense, and complex narratives, he produces some truly immersive and inventive worlds. Neuromancer is a cornerstone of modern sci-fi for a number of reasons beyond just its predictions of the future of technology.
Neuromancer can be widely understood to be the inspiration for The Matrix, the invention of ‘Cyberspace’ as a concept, and the understanding of the internet far before it was ever a real thing. William Gibson’s insight into the future of the digital, online world is uncanny in his book Neuromancer, and he paints a remarkable picture of what the internet is today.
The sheer breadth of what Gibson predicts in this book and many of his others is fantastic. However, for the sake of this section, we will look at Virtual Reality. Using headsets and neuro links, hackers can access Cyberspace and cruise around the various networks. This image of Virtual Reality isn’t the first, but I feel it is one of the most culturally fascinating.
Submarine – Jules Verne – Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870)
Jules Verne actually took a lot of inspiration from the current technology of the time, maybe excluding this from the sci-fi prediction list. However, I feel the list wouldn’t be complete without The Nautilus from 20,000 leagues. The submarine is a living, breathing character of the book, along for the whole ride, keeping the fragile humans inside alive.
Verne based his submarine on studies of the real life Nautilus invented by Robert Fulton in 1800. He also went to study the Plongeur at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in France. The first rendition of the Submarine was basically a 6-meter by 2-meter coffin, whereas the Plongeur was much closer to the vessel from 20,000 leagues. I am just very pleased he went for the 1800 name rather than the rather goofy French one.
Live Translation – Douglas Adams – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy (1979)
Despite being full of humor and ridiculous concepts, the idea of the Babel Fish actually transpired to be an accurate prediction of the future of technology in sci-fi. When I first read this book, the world was pre-smart phone, the capabilities of wireless internet were almost nil, and translation services were still mostly book-based. The idea of live translation was a distant dream.
Now, with the capabilities of modern technologies, there are even earbuds that can live translate for you. Thankfully, it isn’t a fish that lives in your brain the way Adams predicted. If he got this right, maybe he is also correct about the method of human flight. Simply forget to hit the ground…
If you’re looking for more amazing sci-fi suitable for young adults and old, we have you covered.
