The Tomorrow Man: In conversation with futurist speaker Thomas Frey

You're in Mumbai to talk about the 'Future of Content' on Zee's Leadership summit series, so what kind of changes should we expect?
Say you're walking in a city, you could hold the phone in front of you and it will show you different landmarks. It's also possible to create electronic clothes, on which could be projected; so the content will have to be specialised. Drones already display banners, tomorrow they could be used by to project images, videos, ads and all kinds of information around you. Now that, could be the most annoying form of advertising! They can also be used to capture incidents and collect information, so news organisations may boast based on who has the largest fleet. We'll see early versions in five years. 

With India's current policy decisions, how do you see her shaping up in a few decades?
Well, by 2050, the world's most populated countries will be India, followed by China, Nigeria and the US. Without people, there's no economy. So India has the potential to be the biggest, most powerful economy. And there's a lot going for India—highly-educated intelligent individuals, more socially connected people and ability to work together in ways you'll never see elsewhere. For example, I was at a Bollywood set, after the first shoot, the set was dismantled and new one was put up—painting was completed in ten minutes, lighting was changed, new furniture was brought, it became entirely different in no time. In most other countries, it would take much longer. I wouldn't know all the intricacies, but for India to leap frog other countries some of its systems will have to change.

To realise our 'biggest economy' potential, what critical decisions will India have to take today?

#1 Single Wi Fi hub for the whole country: It will be more efficient and being constantly connected may reap benefits we can't necessarily think of right now.

#2 Driver-less technology: It is the future. Tesla and Ford are working on it, they are in the testing stage. Cars symbolise freedom. Everyone wants one and companies sell them till cities become dysfunctional. So you're stuck in traffic most of the time and the whole purpose of cars is lost. That's because cities aren't equipped to handle the infrastructure requirements. Driver-less technology will make movement far more fluid and current highways are designed for human drivers, so these cars may require different ones—you may need fewer street lights, automated repair work, etc. Elon Musk says you'll be able to summon driver-less cars even from 1000 miles away. As cars will fetch you whenever you want, you may not require garages and parking places that currently occupy so much space.

#3 Contour crafting: Based on 3D printing technology, contour crafting will soon not only be able to print external structures, but also wires, kitchen sinks, roofs...in less than a day. China's Windsor Technology, used it first and the country is leading the way. Architects will love it as they'll be able to create free-form structures that aren't possible today. India should take what's available and improve it; all countries have different requirements. It can offer a lot of creative solutions such as making buildings for a very odd-shaped space, easier. In fact, 3D printed clothes are soon to come.

#5 Sensors: They are tiny, easy to produce and inexpensive.  More and more sensors are being added to cell phones. By 2022-32, there will be about a trillion sensors that will give you information about moisture, light, chemical composition, the works... from all surfaces. All this information will open the door for data analytics, so the one with the most data will win.

#6 Increased bandwidth speed: India should jump right into 5G networks as the internet, and digital technology make scalability so much easier and quicker. It can greatly change people's income levels. It also means today you'll create a product, and in no time your competition may have an improvised version.

Most countries are moving towards better public transit systems to resolve traffic woes? Then why the need for driver-less cars?
Buses or trains can only go up to a certain point. Elon Musk says you'll be able to summon driver-less cars even from 1000 miles away. As cars will fetch you whenever you want, you won't require garages and parking places that currently occupy so much space.

With contour crafting, you also spoke of 3D-printed clothes. Tell us more about it
On a recent trip to Korea, I got a 10 ft colour statue of me printed, based on my picture. So this technology may be used to take exact measurements for clothes. It's especially catching up with shoes. Mirror technology is just as exciting, it could be used to project your schedule, show you how different clothes look on you and even tell your health, with medical mirrors.

Globalisation and speedy transit systems have led to massive migration and travelling. Speedier technology will lead to more of it, so will notions of national identity change?
Creation of nation states in the 1600's helped resolve some issues, form treatise and cooperate. In 100 years who'll be the most powerful: corporations, religions or like a today, a small band of rich guys (laughs)? Or will you have virtual countries? I don't know. But there could be global policies on issues such as privacy; trade will be difficult if 188 countries have different privacy rules. Often people expect technology to make the world borderless, like was believed of internet, but overtime governments have circumvented it with rules. And identity results from a lot of childhood things; sure Hyperloop will make society even more fluid, but parents care about whom their kids are talking to, playing with and so on.

What languages will stand the test of time?
English is the most widespread, and with Mandarin, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, you've covered 95% of the world. Countries will want to propagate their language and there will be language wars. It's happened even in the past and people have refused to speak in another's languages.

Thanks to climate change, everyone's thinking about sustainability. With all this technology, what's the future of sustainability?
I don't like the word climate change, the core issue is pollution and no one wants it. Airlines and ships are greatest polluters, technology like Hyperloop will be far-less polluting and far more efficient.