In League with Ray Kurzweil ? - Part 1

 I asked GROK :

" About Ray Kurzweil it is said that a large percentage of his predictions have come

true.

Take a look at the predictions that I made 36 years ago ( Jan 1989 ) in my report

" Quo Vadis " and tabulate and against each , comment on the current " State of

Realization " .

You may also want to look up attached news report about Finland experimenting

with wireless transmission of electric power inside homes

> https://www.livehindustan.com/international/research-on-wireless-power-in-finland-now-electricity-like-wifi-know-how-wireless-power-will-come-to-homes-201768908645783.html /

My old notes :

http://hcpreports.blogspot.com/2014/05/strategy-inputs-primary-resources.html

http://hcpreports.blogspot.com/2014/05/diversification-strategy-outputs.html

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GROK replied :

Predictions from the "Quo Vadis" Report (January 1989)

Below is a tabulated summary of the key predictions extracted from the provided

sources, which appear to be excerpts or sections of the "Quo Vadis" report dated

January 5, 1989.

I've focused on forward-looking statements about technologies, business

strategies, and societal developments.

Predictions are grouped by category for clarity, with a brief description, the

predicted timeline (if specified), and an assessment of the current state of

realization as of January 2026.

Assessments are based on known technological, economic, and societal

advancements.

Category	Prediction	Predicted Timeline	Current State of Realization (2026)
Manpower	Manpower will be the most crucial resource, with managements demanding higher productivity and quality dependent on attitudes, skills, and knowledge.	Next years and decades (1990s–2020s)	Largely realized. In 2026, human capital is widely recognized as a core asset in global economies. Productivity metrics emphasize soft skills (e.g., adaptability) alongside technical ones, driven by automation and AI. Companies like Google and Amazon prioritize employee engagement for innovation.
Manpower	Employee participation in management at all levels must become an article of faith, demonstrated by top management examples; failure means losing the 21st-century battle.	21st century	Partially realized. Employee involvement has grown through agile methodologies, ESOPs (employee stock ownership plans), and flat hierarchies in tech firms (e.g., Valve or Spotify). However, traditional corporations often still have top-down structures, and full participation remains uneven globally.
Manpower	Skills and knowledge will rapidly obsolesce; one-time education will not suffice, requiring continuous unlearning and relearning throughout careers.	Next 25 years (by ~2014)	Fully realized. Lifelong learning is standard in 2026, with platforms like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and corporate upskilling programs (e.g., Amazon's $700M initiative). Rapid tech changes (AI, quantum computing) make reskilling essential; governments like Singapore mandate it via policies.
Manpower	Corporations must establish Corporate Learning Centres (CLCs) for mandatory life-long training and retraining for all employees, from executives to workers, spending weeks annually; key to survival.	Immediate for 21st-century survival	Partially realized. Many companies have learning academies (e.g., Google's Grow with Google, IBM's SkillsBuild), but not all mandate annual weeks-long sessions. Online and hybrid training is common, though adoption varies by industry; it's critical in tech but less so in manufacturing.
Finance	Prioritize internally generated funds; if needed, borrow from public via equity to minimize interest burdens over banker loans.	For diversification in coming decades	Realized in practice. In 2026, companies like Tesla and Reliance Industries emphasize internal funding and equity raises (e.g., IPOs, venture capital) to avoid debt. Low-interest environments post-2020s have shifted preferences, though debt remains common for leverage.
Finance	Optimize financing through diverse sources: lower-rate Indian/foreign banker loans, development banks (e.g., KFW, DANIDA), foreign collaborator equity (up to 40%), NRI funds, Gulf projects, employee equity, dealer deposits, and electronic funds transfers.	For 21st-century projects	Largely realized. Global finance in 2026 includes fintech innovations like instant transfers (e.g., UPI in India, blockchain-based remittances). NRIs invest heavily via apps; employee equity is standard (e.g., startup stock options); international banks and funds (e.g., ADB, IFC) support ventures, though Gulf projects have evolved with oil transitions.
Information	The 21st century will see an "Information Revolution," requiring preparation now; the un-informed or mis-informed will be wiped out.	21st century	Fully realized. The digital age exploded with the internet, big data, and AI. By 2026, information asymmetry decides business success (e.g., data-driven firms like Meta dominate); misinformation challenges persist, but tools like fact-checking AI mitigate risks.
Information	Upheaval in all business facets: intelligence compilation, customer needs, tech scouting, markets, government follow-up, channels, R&D, financing, manufacturing, training, client satisfaction, advertising, resources, and inputs.	21st century	Fully realized. Digital transformation has disrupted every area— e.g., AI for customer analytics (CRM tools like Salesforce), supply chain optimization (e.g., blockchain), and remote collaboration (Zoom). Businesses not adapting (e.g., Kodak) have indeed been "wiped out."
Information	Total elimination of wires and cables in residential/commercial complexes; low-powered appliances/office equipment will draw energy from an electrically charged field via micro-processor devices (no wires, plugs, sockets).	By end of 21st century (possibly in 25–50 years, i.e., by ~2014–2039)	Emerging but not fully realized. In 2026, wireless charging is common for devices (e.g., Qi standards in phones, EVs like Tesla's wireless pads). Finland's research (as per the provided article) demonstrates progress with resonant coupling, magnetic induction, and ultrasonic waves for home/industrial use, achieving 80%+ efficiency for short distances. Full building-wide wireless power is in prototypes (e.g., Aalto University's demos for robots and sensors), but long-distance/high-power home adoption is years away due to efficiency losses and safety studies.
Information	Rapid storage tech developments: erasable optical disks storing gigabytes on 5.25-inch disks (500,000 pages), CD-sized optical disks for encyclopedias; magneto-optical replacing older tech, obsoleting narrow businesses.	Immediate to next decades	Realized and surpassed. Optical disks peaked in the 1990s–2000s (e.g., DVDs, Blu-ray) but were obsoleted by SSDs, cloud storage (e.g., AWS S3 holding petabytes), and NVMe drives. Gigabyte storage is trivial; businesses broadened to "data management" as predicted.
Information	Broaden business from specific products to satisfying entire needs (per "Marketing Myopia"); foresee/anticipate via information tech foundations.	For 21st-century survival	Fully realized. Companies like Apple shifted from computers to ecosystems (iPhone + services); Amazon from books to everything. Predictive analytics (AI) drives this, with failures like Blockbuster illustrating the point.
Information	Establish expert-systems (cumulative wisdom) manipulating data-banks on all enterprise facets (past/present/future, India/worldwide); e.g., auto-generate orders, assess designs, evaluate media plans.	For 21st-century management	Realized. In 2026, AI expert systems (e.g., ChatGPT, IBM Watson) handle these—e.g., automated compliance (RegTech), CAD optimization (AutoDesk), and marketing AI (Google Ads). Data banks are cloud-based (e.g., Snowflake).
Information	21st-century management via expert-system data-banks connected to international networks; instant consultations, satellite-linked conferences; already used by leading companies.	21st century	Fully realized. Tools like Microsoft Teams, Starlink satellites, and AI-driven ERP (SAP) enable global real-time collaboration. Indian firms like Infosys use this; primitive examples like ONGC/TELCO have evolved into sophisticated systems.
Telecommunications	Telecommunications will be one of the fastest-growing sectors; public sector control eases, opening private/joint sector participation.	Next 25 years (by ~2014)	Fully realized. India's telecom boom (e.g., Jio's disruption) shifted from public (BSNL) to private dominance. Global growth exploded with 5G/6G; private players like SpaceX (Starlink) entered satellite comms.
Telecommunications	Revolutions via supercomputers, AI/expert systems, miniaturization, optical computing, large-scale optical fiber.	Next decades	Fully realized. Supercomputers (e.g., Frontier exascale), AI (LLMs), miniaturization (nanotech chips), optical computing (research at IBM), and fiber optics (global internet backbone) are standard in 2026.
Telecommunications	Integrated generation/storage/retrieval/manipulation/transmission of voice, data, text, images through a single instrument (covering eyes/ears).	Next 10 years (by ~1999)	Fully realized. Smartphones (e.g., iPhone since 2007) integrate all this; apps like WhatsApp handle multimedia seamlessly.
Telecommunications	Third-generation revolution: long-distance transmission of feelings from taste, smell, touch senses.	Next 25 years (by ~2014)	Not realized. Haptic feedback (e.g., VR gloves) transmits touch, but taste/smell transmission remains experimental (e.g., digital scent devices in labs). Full sensory telecom is in early R&D, not commercial.
Telecommunications	Japan/USA/Europe lead tech development; "sunrise" industries with 2–3 year product cycles, heavy investments; India incapable of manufacturing but will get applications faster.	By turn of century (~2000)	Largely realized. Leaders like TSMC (Taiwan, influenced by US/Japan) dominate chips; India imports but applies rapidly (e.g., 5G rollout). Sunrise industries (e.g., AI chips) have short cycles; India's semiconductor push (e.g., 2020s incentives) is catching up.

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