A typical day in 2028
A typical day in 2028
Tom, 30, a blockchain architect by profession, lives and works in a major Central European city. The following story shows what a typical day might be like ten years from now – and what role insurance plays.
The story is based on the trends shown in the future scenario for 2028. The links in the text lead to the future trends pages. The story is fiction and describes just one of many possible futures.
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6:18 am
A low buzzing noise is heard. Not from Tom’s alarm clock, but directly under him. The sensors in his bed can identify his sleep phases and turn on a mild massage program at precisely the right time. The blinds open slowly. Refreshed, Tom slips out of bed and walks to the bathroom. “May I present today’s appointments for you already, sir?” asks his digital assistant over the speaker. “Not right now”, answers Tom with a grin. That’s right, he remembers. He adjusted his assistant the evening before to act like an English butler from the 19th century. “Show me the news instead!” The most important news for Tom from around the world immediately appear on the bathroom mirror. Tom steps into the shower: hot, ice cold, warm and cold again. The shower also knows Tom’s preferences, and runs through the work day cycle. A message from his girlfriend Lily is flashing on the mirror as he leaves the shower. Ow! That hurts! He wouldn’t have banged his foot on the cabinet if he had been watching his step. Tom limps over to the bed and activates the SmartDoc app on his smartphone. He points the camera at his toe, and the smartphone x-ray scanner gives the good news that nothing is broken. “Would you like to make an appointment with the next available orthopaedic specialist anyway, sir?” asks his assistant in a distinguished voice. “I’ll call a horse and buggy for you straight away.” Tom decides against the doctor’s appointment, but lets the car come, as he wants to get to work soon anyhow.
Future trends: Connectivity -
7:43 am
As Tom leaves the house, he hears the soft hum of the robo-taxi arriving. The doors open automatically and Tom sits down in the comfortable velour seat. “Would you like to drive yourself today?” asks his assistant, this time through the car speaker. “Yes, please – and stop the snooty language!” Tom orders, already a bit irritated. “Okay, boss!” The dashboard display shows the route with the least traffic. But Tom wants to pick something up and takes a detour. This adds two euros to the ride, on top of the additional three euros he has to pay for driving himself, half of which goes to the taxi operator and half to the insurance company. The cost, based on the precise distance travelled, will be debited to his account when he arrives.
Future trends: Mobility -
8:15 am
Once at the office, Tom briefly goes through a few notes for the upcoming meeting. Then he enters his virtual-reality pod, a capsule with a 360-degree display that virtually transports employees at other locations to Tom’s office. “Hi Chen Lu”, he greets his Chinese colleague, who appears on the display as if she is sitting across from Tom. Climate change has made CO2 emissions so expensive that business trips have become rare. “Midas is driving me crazy”, groans Chen Lu, “you can forget my Karaoke evening.” Midas is the algorithm that has been helping their company’s supervisory board for the last two years – and creating additional work for them at the most inappropriate times. Like last night, which is why they have to revise their blockchain project again. “Okay, let’s start”, says Tom.
Future trends: Climate change -
3:28 pm
Tom’s smartphone beeps. It is his VIG advisor. “Hi Tom, did you notice the storm this afternoon?” Tom says no, he was in hisvirtual-reality pod. “Did anything happen?” he asks. “We thought so,” says his advisor, “because the sensors in your area reported some damage. So we sent out a few drones to take a closer look. Luckily everything is okay. It’s good you took our offer for automatic storm-proof windows back then.” He’s right, thinks Tom. At first, he had thought it was strange that his insurer was now offering things like that, but it certainly had been practical. “Thanks!” says Tom, “I’ll let you know if there actually was some damage.”
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5:13 pm
As soon as he leaves the office, Tom’s assistant shows up again, this time on his smartphone screen, and asks whether he wants to drive to the gym. However, since the sun is still shining – the weather is in constant change now that climate change has become the norm – Tom tells his assistant he would rather take a downhill ride on his mountain bike. “Okay, boss,” answers his assistant, “I better find some short-term accident insurance for you.” A short list of five offers immediately appears on the screen. As always, Amazon Protect is the cheapest, but there is also a VIG offer – with better benefits for what Tom has in mind. He taps on the offer. Insurance coverage will begin precisely when he gets on his bike. That is also registered by his phone sensors.
Future trends: Individualisation
Future trends: Digitalisation -
8:52 pm
Back from his ride, Tom immediately sees his training and vital parameters on the bathroom mirror. “The ride could have been a bit more intense”, comments his assistant. True, thinks Tom, but I did bang my foot this morning. “How is your injury?” asks the assistant, as if it knew. Tom uses his smartphone camera to scan his foot again, and luckily everything is all right. “Looks good”, states his assistant. Thank goodness, thinks Tom. Then he turns his assistant off for the night. Lilly arrives later. And regardless of how practical it is to be constantly cared for – there are still things that should remain private in 2028.
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