Olivia Heeren, Denver
Who do you think will be in charge in 2050?
I think there will be the first girl president by then. It’s going to take a couple of years for everybody to start voting for girls. And I feel like the girl will be nice and kind. And probably arrest all the bad people.
Liam Kwon, Queens, N.Y.
What will technology be like in 2050?
We’ll still have laptops, but with chips that can read your mind. Maybe there could be a sensor in your brain, and whatever you’re thinking can just go into the app.
Will people go to space?
In the old days, they paid Americans to go to the West. They might pay people to go to space, because the population is so big that there might not be enough room.
Amani Green, Denver
What’s life going to be like in 2050?
Companies will start using A.I. instead of human workers. That’s probably going to cause a pretty big job shortage.
What will happen to people who lose jobs to A.I.?
Lots of anger. Probably protests. Just lots of outrage.
What will other technology be like?
Higher-class citizens will start owning robot butlers. But I feel like with the rise of robot butlers, humans will start to lose competence and basic everyday skills.
Sarah Fink, Denver
Where will you live?
I want to live in the ocean, honestly. I want to be an architect, designing homes underwater — coral-friendly hotels and apartments and homes. They’ll have underwater taxis, too. Or you could swim. That would be like walking.
Henry Zotti, Western Springs, Ill.
Will the world be in a better spot than it is today?
Way better. I just think it’ll be kinder, and a better environment. I think people are kinder each day.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
What do you think life will be like in 2050? Will we still draw, paint, read and write? Will we finally have jetpacks or hovercrafts? Will there be a female president? Will we still have nations and presidents? Will we be living on other planets? Let us know your predictions — big or small, realistic or fanciful.
How old will you be in 2050? What do you want your life to be like then?
What’s your reaction to the article? Which predictions by the 10-year-olds profiled in it do you think are most likely to come true? Which, if any, do you hope will become reality?
A lot of the children expressed worry about the future: skyrocketing prices, a loss of human interaction, war. But others, like, Henry Zotti, imagine a more hopeful, “kinder” world. Are you optimistic about the future? Do you think the world will be better or worse than it is now?
What do you think adults should be doing now to make sure that we have a better world in 2050? What could you do?
Student Opinion, produced by The Learning Network, invites teenagers to add their voices to the conversation around New York Times articles. Find a teaching guide here.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
