New Research by Virgin Group Looks 20 Years Ahead to Create a Vision of Life in the Future

A new report released by the Virgin Group today, Future Visions, explores what the world of business will look like in 20 years' time. The findings reveal our the world we live in will see pre-emptive crime prevention, offices will become extinct and as artificial intelligence rises so will the need for more female attributes such as emotional intelligence. The future will also see the introduction of brain controlled technology which would allow doctors to operate on a patient remotely from anywhere in the world and also give architects the ability to visualise their designs instantly. Virgin has been supporting entrepreneurs for over 20 years and through the Future Visions research is now helping businesses of today by highlighting what they'll need to consider tomorrow - creating pioneers of new trends, even during uncertain times.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/537206/Virgin_Group_Future_Visions_Haptic_Technology.jpg )

Sir Richard Branson and Virgin have brought together six of the greatest futurists, technologists, business pioneers and strategists of today, to consider the best future of tomorrow. Contributors: Dr James Bellini, Araceli Camargo, Cindy Gallop, Ben Hammersley, Tracey Follows and Peter Smith have all given their predictions on what the entrepreneurs of tomorrow need to be considering today.

The future is often viewed with the doom and gloom of mass-unemployment, marginalisation and poor health which many attribute to rapid technological developments. However, Future Visions lays out a new vision of a more inclusive, intellectual and well-rounded society.

Virgin's Future Vision report key findings include:

• The office will be no more and communities will put increased value on interaction more than ever. It will be a high technology, low geography society as technology removes the need for a fixed location of work. Meaning people will work where they want, when they want. You will be able to log into any networked computer terminal in the world to access your cloud based company - meaning you could do the same job in Reading or Rio.
• Diversity equals profits. In an increasingly connected global community race, gender and sexual discrimination within the business world will be a thing of the past. Companies with diverse recruitment processes will prosper as they will have a richer bank of opinions, in turn increasing productivity and profits.
• Haptic technology will allow the controlling of technology through our brainwaves. This means surgeons could perform brain and heart surgery from anywhere in the world or architects could visualise their own designs immediately
• Rise in Artificial Intelligence technology will create AI Doctors which, will pre diagnose patients using their cloud based profile. AI will also change the type of skills we need, there will also be greater importance in the workplace for 'female' attributes such as emotional intelligence.
• The internet of things will become the internet of everything. Data points across everything you use will help companies stock up your fridge or send you replacement lightbulbs before you know you need it. This same data will be used by security services to analyse human behaviour and pre-emptively stop possible criminal activity.
• Companies will put purpose on the balance sheet. Companies will integrate purpose into their business plan, it won't only be about bank profits but how the world and its citizens can profit. The Trip Advisors of tomorrow won't just score on how good a meal tasted or how nice a hotel was, but how their food was sourced and what the hotel's SKA^[i] rating was.
• Finite resources will evolve. Traditional industries will utilise technology to adapt and conquer current challenges. Farming will revolutionise with vertical above ground and below ground growing which will be aided by the advancement in LED lighting - meaning a rise in inner city farms.

Some visions of the future are already being realised today: remote working has been on the rise, as has unlimited leave with companies like Virgin Management and Netflix offering it to their employees. More and more businesses are putting purpose at the heart of their business models - the corporate world has grown a conscience and this trend is set to explode over the next 20 years.

Sir Richard Branson, Founder Virgin Group, Said: "Now more than ever before in our history fresh ideas become stale very quickly. New innovations are altering the way we work and live at an unprecedented speed. It is important we prepare our future entrepreneurs for what's coming round the corner. This is why we gathered six brilliant minds from across industry to come up with our best answer of what the future will be like. We will help guide our future entrepreneurs and pave the way for what lies ahead."

Sir Richard Branson Added: "It's a future where AI will assist us in our day to day life. Where battery technology will have advanced so far that we'll have electric planes and where data will allow us to predict health problems, crime and weather."

The findings will be presented in a series of essays and a six part podcast series, with each contributor exploring their own vision on the surreal world of tomorrow, with Episode one, Dr James Bellini - "Could human hearts really come from a 3D printer?" launching today.

You can download the first episode here: Acast or here: iTunes

Notes to editors 

Episode One info: Dr Bellini discusses the importance of the 'anywhere economy' a fluid and functioning work/life eco-system which mean through hyper-connect systems you will be able to work anywhere, anytime and for any company. Dr Bellini also notes we're entering the age of disruption as new technologies will see more innovation in the next twenty years than the whole of the 20^th century. Other themes covered will be that of diverse and broad recruiting attitudes further a company's profits and productivity.

Each contributor will have a chapter in the series which will include: an essay, podcast and photo assets:

• Dr James Bellini - Episode 1 - The Future is Entrepreneurial : James is a respected TV broadcaster, futures analyst, writer and speaker. James is also a qualified Executive Coach with extensive experience working across multiple industries.  
• Araceli Camargo - Episode 2 - The Future Is Human: Araceli is a cognitive neuroscientist, with a specialisation on perception. She is the co-founder of THECUBE London and INPUT Lofts in NYC, which are coworking spaces.  As a science communicator she has worked with companies like Lloyds TSB, NHS, Bumpass and Parr, and Communicator Group.  Recently she co-founded The Centric Lab, which is in partnership with UCL. It is a lab focused on research on how people experience the built environment.
• Cindy Gallop - Episode 3 - The Future is Female: Cindy has had a celebrated career in advertising, marketing, branding and future thinking. Her continuous pursuit to challenge and disrupt the status quo has seen her become a voice and contributor to many big debates around hard, topical and challenging topics.
• Ben Hammersley - Episode 4 - The Future is Ours: Ben is a British internet technologist, journalist, author, broadcaster and futurist. He is a frequent contributor to many publications including Wired Magazine and BBC.
• Tracey Follows - Episode 5 - The Future is Predictive: Tracey is an award-winning futurist and works with client such as Google and Diageo. She speaks and writes regularly on the future of AI, gender, work and culture. 
• Peter Smith - Episode 6 - The Future is Direct: Peter is the CEO& Co-Founder of Blockchain, a financial technology and data company. He is a regular contributor and speaker on new pioneering technology in the FinTech space.

About Virgin Group: Virgin is a leading international investment group and one of the world's most recognised and respected brands. Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors including mobile telephony, travel & transportation, financial services, leisure & entertainment and health & wellness.

^[i] (SKA is the environmental assessment tool for sustainable buildings)

Media Contact: Andrew Devoy, +44(0)7590-442-936