10-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN PREDICT THE FUTURE

Robot butlers. Underwater homes. Root beer perfume. Kids across the US weigh in on what life will be like in the year 2050.

Paige Merritt, Atlanta

What is life going to be like in 2050?

I think everything is going to be A.I. and A.I. robots.

What will the robots do?

Like a barista, a waitress. It’s going to be robots carrying the food. Garbage people.

Are there jobs A.I. won’t do?

Rappers. A.I. cannot rap. My ears were broken.

Diti Chhawchharia, San Diego

In 2050, what will we look back on and say, “Wow, I can’t believe we used to do that”?

Now we paint, we draw. In the future, people will look back and say: “Oh my God, we used to paint? We used to draw?” I hope that doesn’t happen, but I think it might.

Do you think the world will be better or worse than it is now?

The world is already going kind of downhill, but it’s still a very good place to live, and it’s a very good life that we have. We will still have problems, but we will fix most of them.

Bennett Condron, La Grange, Ill.

Are there any famous people today who might be a bigger deal in 2050?

LeBron James and Elon Musk.

Who will be running the country?

I think it might be me.

Will we still have paper money?

Yeah. They may make the paper money harder, so it’s not as easy to rip.

Whose faces will be on bills in the future?

The $200 bill would be Donald Trump. The $500 bill would be me.

Eta Salter, Brooklyn, N.Y.

What will technology be like in 2050?

Kids who grow up with too much technology could make less social interactions and have less nice friendships. I know some people who are pretty obsessed with screens, and that makes them grumpy.

What else will be different about life in 2050?

There might be a new common pet. In England, there are stray foxes everywhere. So there might be foxes being pets.

Mary Foster, Rutherford, N.J.

What will entertainment be like in 2050?

You’re going to have to pay more to see human-made movies but pay the average amount to see A.I.-made movies.

Will people still read books?

Rich people are going to read paper books, but not regular people. You know how really old things are more valuable?

What else will be different?

I think Mount Rushmore is going to fall down.

Why?

Someone’s going to bomb it or something.

- Author: Callie Holtermann, The New York Times

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