From AI-driven healthcare and deep-sea colonies to loneliness epidemics and karma capitalism, the book sketches a bold, data-backed vision of tomorrow
From vertical farming in a skyscraper big enough to feed Mumbai to nanotechnology that could cure mental illness, 61-year-old Dutch author and futurist Adjiedj Bakas in his book #Forwardism takes readers on a vivid voyage into the future. What makes this journey unique is its breadth and accessibility — Bakas draws on lessons from history, critiques the present, and predicts possibilities ahead. Co-authored with his late husband, geopolitical strategist Vinco David, the book explores themes from the loneliness epidemic and the future of love to virtual workplaces and deep-sea AI colonies.
Bakas describes a “perfect storm” shaped by megatrends that could herald a new Renaissance. Just as Europe was adrift after Rome’s fall, he sees the West trapped in “emocracy,” where emotions overshadow reason. Rising inequality, declining intergenerational prosperity, and AI’s looming impact on jobs feed this turbulence.
Yet, Bakas avoids apocalyptic visions, arguing that AI will ultimately create more jobs than it displaces. Kodak’s failure to adapt to digital technology is offered as a warning for businesses today. Among the most compelling megatrends is the shift to digital work, with freelancing and remote employment rendering offices less relevant. Still, he warns against neglecting soft skills: “Seventy per cent of IT professionals work outside the technical sector… empathy, language, cognitive skills, and communication are increasingly important.” He predicts middle management’s decline and envisions businesses using DNA and neuro-profiles to build optimal teams. Healthcare too, he argues, is on the cusp of a data revolution. Genome sequencing is becoming cheaper and faster, opening doors to targeted genetic treatments. Every 50 years, Bakas notes, healthcare undergoes a radical shift — AI may well drive the next one. He highlights business opportunities in wellness centres, loneliness cures, and the care economy. He praises China for doubling forest cover in 70 years and Israel for its desalination and wastewater treatment, urging India to replicate such models.
The book also examines power structures shaping the future — superpowers, diasporas, corporations, and moral communities. Towards the end, author offers advice: To leaders, invest in nuclear energy, embrace thorium, and transform today’s “Capitalism of Greed” into “Karma Capitalism.” To citizens, he prescribes simple but profound steps: Use AI to upskill, invest in soft skills, appreciate art, walk in forests, and perform random acts of kindness.
#Forwardism continues his tradition of blending hard data with imaginative foresight, offering a hopeful, humane vision of the future. It is a must-read for leaders, entrepreneurs, and citizens seeking clarity in uncertain times.
About the Book
Book: #Forwardism
Author: Adjiedj Bakas and Vinco David
Publisher: Soemintra Books
Price: Rs 672/-