Preparing for 2040

Four AI-powered scenarios offer alternative viewpoints on how different features and conditions relevant to continuing skills development might evolve by 2040. Woven around trend of AI use and its interplay with several other trends, the scenarios depict different futures spanning from a very positive outlook, where AI enhances human capabilities and social good, to a dystopian future, where AI is deployed primarily for control and profit maximisation and where most jobs are lost, with those that remain often precarious, low-paying and lacking in benefits. By examining possible future evolutions, these scenarios highlight key challenges and opportunities that may shape the future of skills development and inform the development of a common vision and strategic goals.