Future Technologies Robots and ComputersWith major technological developments on the horizon, Pew Research Center and Smithsonian Magazine surveyed Americans to find out their opinions on the future of technology and its impact on society.

Americans believe that the next 50 years will bring a lot of scientific developments. Majority of the surveyed (59%) think the changes will make a positive difference, but 30% fear that the progress will make society worse.

Some of the technologies that Americans expect to see in the next half century are positive ones. Eighty-one percent of Americans think that organs will be lab-grown, making transplants more readily available to patients who need them.

However, Americans are skeptical about other potential scientific advances like altering DNA to create “better” children (66% think it would be a negative change) or having robots become primary caregivers for the sick or elderly (65% think it would be a negative change).

Americans also felt negatively about some potential business changes like commercial drones flying across the U.S. (63% think it would be a negative change) or wearing or implanting technology that consistently shows the user information (53% think it would be a negative change).

Some of these opinions could give companies an idea of consumer interest in a potential product before it goes to market. Less than half of people would feel comfortable riding in a driverless car and only 20% of people are interested in eating lab-grown meat.

The most eagerly-anticipated technologies are ones that improve travel options (like flying vehicles), the potential for time travel, curing diseases and extending life.

Missing from the survey was how people felt about the potential for being replaced by a computer or robot. A 2013 survey by the Oxford Martin School showed that 45% of jobs in America have high risk factors for being replaced by computers in the next twenty years.

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