The world is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. What seems commonplace in our lives today will be gone in 20 years or so. They will become a relic of the past, just like video recorders, cassette tapes, and record players.

Here are my 8 bold predictions of what will disappear.

01 Drivers and driving tests
Self-driving cars will have taken over

I can still remember how excited I was the day I passed my driving test and also the day I bought my first (secondhand) car. In 20 years there won’t be any driving tests to take and there won’t be any drivers. We’ll just jump in cars that drive themselves.

02 Traffic jams
Self-driving cars won’t create traffic jams

No drivers also mean no traffic jams. Self-driving cars will be able to regulate their speed so that traffic jams just can’t happen. If we’re still commuting to work in the future, it will be a pleasure rather than a pain.

03 Passwords
Think facial recognition

I will be very happy when we no longer have to remember numerous passwords. Facial recognition will be the obvious way that we can get rid of them. We’ll likely have our data stored securely on a blockchain. Life will be wonderful.

04 Debit and credit cards
Facial recognition will also make these obsolete

Why would we need debit and credit cards if facial recognition can do the job? We’ll still be able to buy goods on credit but we won’t need a physical card. There won’t be a PIN number to remember either.

05 Cables for electronic devices
Wireless charging is already a thing. It will grow in popularity and become more sophisticated. We can dump all those cables in the trash. Goodbye, untidy mess.

06 Wallets
Cash and cards will be obsolete

With cash and credit cards a thing of the past, why would we need to carry a wallet? We won’t have anything to keep in them.

07 Condoms
We’ll all be having sex in the metaverse

OK, this is a joke. Well, I hope it is. I’m sure many will indeed to having sex in the metaverse, but I hope I’m still having real sex.

08 Jobs
The robots and AI are already taking over

Not all jobs will disappear, obviously. But the trend toward using robots and AI will speed up. More and more jobs will disappear. Hopefully, jobs will also be created, and those displaced workers will end up doing more meaningful work. I can also see this not ending well if it’s not implemented properly.