By Futurist Thomas Frey
A Creative Epiphany on Mt. Soledad
My wife and I recently spent a few days in La Jolla, California, exploring the stunning coastline and wandering through neighborhoods that once inspired some of America’s most imaginative minds. Nearby sits Mt. Soledad, where Dr. Seuss—Theodor Geisel himself—lived and created his whimsical worlds of Whos and Things and impossible creatures doing impossible things.
Standing there, looking out at the Pacific Ocean with the creative energy of that place washing over me, I found myself thinking: How would Dr. Seuss describe the transition we’re living through right now? The arrival of AI, robots, drones, and driverless cars isn’t science fiction anymore—it’s our daily reality, arriving faster than most people can process. We need a way to talk about this transformation that captures both the wonder and the strangeness, the opportunity and the adjustment. And what better voice than the man who taught generations of children that change, however peculiar, can be an adventure?
So here, inspired by the creative spirit of La Jolla and Mt. Soledad, is how I imagine Dr. Seuss might help us understand the magnificent, bewildering, robotic future we’re building together.
Oh, the future you’ll see!
Oh, the things that will be!
With robots and drones flying wild and free,
And cars driving themselves—no driver, you see!
You’ll wake up one morning, still sleepy in bed,
When a bot brings you coffee and pats your warm head.
“Good morning!” it chirps with a whir and a beep,
“Your driverless car is awake from its sleep!”
Your car knows the way—every turn, every street,
While you nap in the back or just prop up your feet.
It takes scenic routes through the hills and the trees,
Past oceans and mountains and soft morning breeze.
But wait! Look up there! Do you see what I see?
A drone dropping packages—one, two, and three!
They buzz and they zoom with such delicate care,
Delivering tacos and socks through the air.
“But who,” you might ask, “does the cooking these days?”
Well, kitchen bots do it in so many ways!
They chop and they dice, they sauté and they bake,
Parisian soufflés and grandmother’s cake.
Your robot named Gizmo does dishes and more,
While Whiskers the robo-cat mops up the floor.
And Murphy the dog? Well, he’s learned how to play
With Atlas the robot who guards you all day.
But teaching them manners? Now that’s quite a feat!
You’ll train them to work and to share and compete.
Eight robots together? A challenging thing!
They’ll argue and fumble ’til they learn how to swing.
You’ll program and tinker from morning till night,
Adjusting their settings to get it just right.
“Don’t bump into Murphy! Don’t trip on the stair!
And please, Atlas, stop putting shoes everywhere!”
And drones, oh the drones! They patrol all around,
Detecting those mice that burrow underground.
(For Gwen really hates them—those squeaky small pests—
So drones guard her house like the very best guests.)
Now some folks are worried, “What will we all do
When robots can work better, faster than you?”
But here is the secret that I’ve come to know:
The future’s not scary—it’s YOUR chance to grow!
You’ll learn in new ways with AI by your side,
Building courses custom-made, perfectly sized
For YOUR way of thinking, YOUR style, YOUR brain—
With videos and images that clearly explain.
You’ll train for 30 minutes, maybe 60 at most,
And learn about subjects from coast to coast.
From robot psychology to drone navigation,
From coding your car to French food preparation!
Your credentials will grow like a living CV,
Showing all you can do—what employers can see:
“She trained eight robots! She programmed a car!
She even learned Thai from a trip that went far!”
And what about jobs? Will there still be a need
For humans to work at a meaningful speed?
Oh yes! There’ll be jobs we can’t even conceive—
New problems to solve and new dreams to achieve.
You’ll fix broken robots (they break, yes they do!),
You’ll teach them new tricks and reprogram them too.
You’ll design the next gadgets and systems and tools,
You’ll write all the AI’s new thinking-cap rules.
Some folks will build startups for lonely hearts seeking
A safe, honest place where two people are meeting.
Not swipes or algorithms that sort you like parts,
But genuine connection that speaks to real hearts.
And Main Streets will change, but they won’t disappear—
They’ll become cozy places where neighbors stay near,
With co-working spaces and robot repair shops,
And bistros with robo-chefs flipping pork chops.
The theaters might shrink, but experiences will grow—
VR adventures and interactive shows,
Where YOU are the hero, not just watching a screen,
The most immersive entertainment you’ve seen.
Now some will resist (they always resist),
Saying, “This isn’t natural! I must insist!”
But remember when cars replaced horses back then?
When phones replaced letters and ink-written pen?
Change always arrives with a whir and a zoom,
With worry and wonder both filling the room.
But those who embrace it with courage and cheer
Will find that tomorrow’s already here!
So don’t be afraid of the robots you’ll meet,
Or drones in the sky or smart cars on the street.
They’re tools, not your masters—YOU hold the key
To the future you’ll build and the life you’ll decree.
You’ll wake up each morning and learn something new,
30 minutes of training is all you must do.
You’ll master new skills that would take years before,
Then open your AI-built competence door.
And one day you’ll look back and think with a grin,
“Remember when robots and drones just flew in?
When we worried and wondered if we’d be okay?
Now look at this magical, marvelous day!”
So here’s what I’ll tell you, the truth and what’s real:
The future’s not something you wait for—it’s STEEL.
You BUILD it! You SHAPE it! You make it YOUR own,
With robots and drones and your new smartphone.
Oh, the robots you’ll train!
Oh, the drones you’ll deploy!
Oh, the driverless cars that you’ll learn to enjoy!
The future is coming with circuits and gears,
But YOU’RE in the driver’s seat, conquering fears!
So welcome the robots! Make friends with the bots!
Connect all the sensors and tie all the knots!
For the future’s not frightening when YOU understand
That YOU hold tomorrow right here in the palm of your hand.
Written from the creative heights of La Jolla, where Dr. Seuss himself once looked out at the ocean and imagined impossible things that somehow became real.
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Meet Gwen Lawster: The Woman Who Trains Robots Before Breakfast and Builds Startups by Lunch
The Rise of Robot Money: When Machines Start Earning, Spending, and Investing Without You
The Coming Maintenance Apocalypse: When Everything Breaks and Nobody Knows How to Fix It
