Disruptive Technologies: Windows of Opportunity

In his 1954 science fiction novel Caves of Steel, American writer Isaac Asimov depicted two distinct ways of life in a distant future. On Earth, individuals inhabit enclosed cities protected by steel domes, without windows and without any connection to nature. This settlement is devised to sustain life amid the overpopulation of the planet, mirroring the conditions of Asimov’s era, when the global population had reached 8 billion—equivalent to the contemporary population. Within these urban caves, people endure scarcity and they strictly adhere to social hierarchies and stringent rules that govern various aspects of their lives. They cope with agoraphobia and a deep-seated fear of robots, as robots are progressively displacing human labour. In stark contrast, 50 colonised planets offer radically different lifestyles. Population growth is significantly restricted, providing individuals with lavish physical space. These off-world settlements lack infection, diseases, noise, overcrowding and the looming spectre of chaos. Furthermore, residents hold no prejudices against robots; instead, they generously assist and coexist with these artificial beings.