IDEAS TO SHAPE THE FUTURE

Date: Monday morning, May 15, 2050, 8:17:00 CET 

Name: Harper Knowles   

IDs: Global Citizen GC-13253131421, Global Worker GW-J33KW921DM  (Psuedonym BrandSparkler) 

Body Status: Blood Glucose +6, Cortisol +2, Oxytocin -1, 

Serotonin +3, Endorphins +5, Dopamine -3, Testosterone/Estradiol: 0 

Device Inventory

- ExNR: In-skull extended neural reality chip

- BodyBot: In-bloodstream circulating nanobot

- HoloBar: Desktop holographic room projector

Professional Competency Ledger (PCL)

- Core PCL: Marketing Automation (Level 5), Brand Proliferation (Level 5), 

  Digital Retail Design (Level 4),

- Sales Algorithm Design (Level 3), Immersive Experience Development (Level 3), <more>

- Intra-Human PCL: Focus (A-), Multitasking (B+), Time Management (B), <more>

- Inter-Human PCL: Project-Teaming (B+), Mentoring (B), <more>

- Human-Bot PCL: Prompt Formulation (A), Algorithmic-Adaptation (A-), 
  Feedback Provision (B), <more>

Current Workboard

- Project Nike-DE-524342, Role = Lead, Mission = Rebrand NutriFit ExNR Module

- Project IKEA-SE-953113454, Role = Support, 
  Mission = Prelim Design for SleepPod Retail Kiosk

- Project BritAir-UK-54425, Role = Mentor, 
  Mission = Skill Transfer to Level 1 Brand Proliferator

<more>

“Welcome to Monday, Harper, you have 45 minutes before your first meeting. I gave you 17 minutes of extra sleep to maximize your cycle, but now you need to get moving! Nothing urgent on your message radar, for once. Shall I add almonds and fruit to your morning probiotic yogurt to boost blood glucose? You’ve got a meeting with ‘you-know-who’, and we both remember last time – it didn’t go well. You were tired, low blood sugar, and emotions ran high. You said some things you wish you hadn’t…” said Syro, Harper’s intelligent personal assistant via her ExNR.

Harper stayed up later than she wanted last night watching a 2026 drama about workplace politics and intrigue. It’s hard to imagine people used to work like that. They had a job, a title, a boss, worked for a single company and spent large amounts of time staring at paper and computer screens – doing tasks that by today’s standards were boring and menial, like messing around with numbers in 2D tables called spreadsheets and sitting in long meetings arguing about things that team-bots can resolve in seconds.

***

WorkNet: The new network of project work. 

The world of work has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two decades. In Harper’s world, routine and ongoing company processes are managed largely by bots overseen by humans working in Process Management roles. Meanwhile, non-routine activities like developing new products and services, launching new commercial campaigns, and driving process improvement are carried out by people working in Project Professional roles that are facilitated via a trans-company and trans-national network of projects called WorkNET.

Competency Ledgers: The new economy of skills. 

Within WorkNET, professionals like Harper win projects through a digital marketplace where their work-bots negotiate with company bots to match project requirements with their specific skills. These bot-to-bot negotiations also determine fees and other contractual terms. Skills are stored in distributed Professional Competency Ledgers that get updated as a professional gains experience. Bots efficiently handle the collection and processing of project feedback from both humans and bot team members, as well as the company as project owner. The ledgers also get updated with project outcome quality. All of this information becomes part of every professional’s competency ledger.

Augmented Reality: A world without “the office”. 

In this new world of work, professionals like Harper seamlessly blend social and professional lives. When she’s not feeling well or has family obligations, she stays home and works with project teammates (human and bots) in rich digital workspaces using her ExNR system. On most days she goes to a few of the thousands of Work Hubs in her city where she rents a 3 square meter isolation booth. There she can work independently using her ExNR or alongside dispersed colleagues working on the same project. At her favorite Work Hubs, she plays sports, eats, and relaxes with others. Because WorkNET not only considers an individual’s Competency Ledger but also the combined ledgers of professionals who have formed Guilds, Harper’s hub-based professional relationships allow her to win better projects and work with the same people with some frequency, enhancing her professional relations and social friendships.

***

“Harper, you’re tired, I can tell… your BodyBot doesn’t lie… how about a break? You haven’t spoken with your friend Kim in a while. I just communicated with her IPA and Kim is available. Would you like me to bring her up on the HoloBar, send her some D-coins, and invite her to join you for a quick drink?” 

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