Some thoughts compiled from friends, students, faculty, professional organizations, universities, and government agencies.
The current information technology trajectory is better, faster, and cheaper devices and an accelerated deployment of communications networks, robotics, automation, and group-based software for telework, telefinance, telemedicine, and distance learning.
The current demographics trajectory is increasing numbers of Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans along with a decline in the numbers of White Americans. By the mid-2040s, the percentage of White Americans will be under 50%. Increasing diversity is baked in; how we live with it is not.
The current social trajectory includes social distancing, hygiene factors such as wearing face masks, frequent hand washing and hand sanitizing, and not touching your face in addition to other social factors such as denser living in cities and reduced numbers living in rural areas. Most likely, these new habits will continue for months to possibly years to come.
The current business trajectory includes social factors covered plus new ways to reduce human interaction such as noted in information technology. Additionally, many restaurants may fail yet others survive via takeout and home delivery. Online shopping will accelerate as people may be reluctant to congregate in stores and malls. Overall, we should expect both homes, businesses, hospitals, stores, and government agencies to become more automated, use more robots, and employ fewer people.
Infrastructure has been on hold for decades and this is the time given the need and low interest rates to rebuild our highways, bridges, dams, and such and to extend the concept of infrastructure to include our social safety net, which by now is ripped to shreds. Additionally, rural infrastructure needs to be build out; not just highways and bridges, but hospitals, and communications networks.
These ideas are just the beginning of what we need to do to build a healthier, wealthier, stronger, and a more resilience and robust society.