Have you checked if the car is already streamtracked?
Dad slides into the driver’s seat, which adjusts to his profile. Mum makes herself comfortable in the passenger seat, juggling snacks. Their 10-year-old’s hand suddenly springs from the back, repeating a grabbing gesture.
- Your manners should check for updates, young man.
- Can I have my water, please?
Mum passes the bottle from the passenger seat, toying a little with the boy. Dashboard flickers, ambience lights up, and they start moving. She asks in her “just wanted to double check” voice.
- Have you checked if the car is already streamtracked?
Dad points to the dashboard display, where a glowing icon indicates the car's collection of their footage from the passing CCTV cameras.
- Yup, we’re online.
He presses his face to the widow, smiling.
- Everyone, smile for the exit cameras.
Their teenage daughter suddenly shouts angrily in the back shaking down her brother’s hand.
- Stop it! Can’t you see I’m doing something?
- Dad asked everyone to smile…
Mum interrupts them.
- Be nice to your brother.
A pink smoothie gets passed back from the passenger seat as a peace offering. The car joins the highway flow. The father toggles the autopilot, lets the wheel loose, and asks.
- What are you working on? Can we play it?
He crosses his arms.
- I can’t drive here anyway.
The daughter flips her palm and takes down the headset.
- Let me put it on the car.
Melodic background music fills the car.
This game is brought to you by the National Highway Authority.
The first player to spot a colourful vehicle shouts the name of something of the same colour for points.
Points are adjusted for your seat and current traffic.
The rarer the vehicle’s colour in your area, the more points you get.
Player One, present yourself.
- Me! Me!
Gentle ding confirms.
Player Two, present yourself.
- Here.
Lower tone jingle sounds. Two numbers light up on the front mirror.
Are there any more contenders?
- Add me.
- And me and we’re ready.
Two more dings and now four numbers shine in the corners of the mirror. A countdown appears in its centre.
Your game will begin soon. Exchange qualifying scores for toll credit or reStation coupons.
Music filling the car speeds up the tempo, turning into melodic trans.
[Drone Trucks] appears in the centre of the mirror.
- Strawberry!
Ding.
- Banana.
Ding.
- Pinguin!
- Bluebird.
[SUVs]
- Flamingo!
Colourful dots and increasing scores crowd the screen as they play.
- Orange.
- Pig!
The teenager claps twice. Game freezes.
- Stop! Screaming!
- You’re just jealous I was winning.
The dad looks in the mirror and asks, ignoring the argument.
- Where are you pitching it?
- This is my idea for a road safety awareness contest. It’s a modern reinterpretation…
The boy mocks her.
- Rein-shit-pretation.
Mum turns around seriously.
- Language! Enough of your moods. There’s CCTV everywhere. We paid for nice shots for our trip videos, and I won’t let you ruin our stream track.
The boy’s tongue sticks out with anger. After a generous eye roll, the teenager continues.
- It’s a modern reinterpretation of a game people played for centuries on long journeys. When the Roman Empire built roads, soldiers played this game using the colours of the beards of people they spotted on the road. Later, it was played using horses and popular car models, and today, we can play it with drone trucks.
Dad comments unconvinced.
- This is different. Cars and horses were controlled by humans.
Mum adds.
- Those fleets have human operators.
Dad interrupts her.
- Yeah, and their only job is to record angry drivers and ridicule them online. First, they mandated autodrive in congested areas, and now mixed lanes. The roads are not for people anymore. It’s an insurance conspiracy. I don’t feel comfortable with all those robots around. Every time we drive out of town I boost our car insurance for a peace of mind, and they make big bucks on this.
Their daughter smirks.
- Just say it, dad.
He sighs.
- Driving is not what it used to be.
The car fills with laughter.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome back from the future where cars gather CCTV footage for safety or entertainment as they drive.
This is Practical Futures, where we help professionals build a future-ready mindset for the age of AI not through vague trends or speculative stats but through relatable products and services we might be using in the next few years.
Hit the "Like" button at the top or bottom of this page to help other change-makers build a future-ready mindset.Great leaders practice experiencing the future, not just thinking about it.
Like athletes visualising their performance, they build vivid mental pictures of tomorrow to make better decisions today.
Our weekly workouts use futures thinking and practical sci-fi to help you create a library of future memories - turning abstract possibilities into reference points that can inform your choices.
To spark your imagination, here's a thought to start with:
Let's make this future personal.
We'll start by connecting this story to your life, transforming abstract possibilities into memories you can use to navigate tomorrow's challenges.
Personal life reflection prompts
1. Would videos from your last holiday look more interesting if enriched with CCTV footage sourced and secured by your insurance provider?2. Picture your first streamtrack subscription: - What moments were you hoping to capture? - How did you balance privacy with memories? - What unexpected benefit emerged? - How did it transform you being present for others? - What new traditions emerged around streamtracked recordings?
3. What are 2 ways in which you balance the comfort of surveillance with the need for trust in monitoring your kids or elderly parents? 4. What incentives would motivate you to change your daily travel habits for better safety or efficiency?5. Imagine your daily commute transformed into a gamified experience. What would make you engage with such a system? - What rewards would motivate you most? - What skills would you want to develop through such games? - How would competition affect your travel choices?
6. In what 3 ways does your family's use of technology inform your leadership style?Nice work!
Your future memory library now has some valuable personal references. Let's fire up your thinking to add some professional leadership moments.
How will you help others navigate this future? It's time to create those memories.
Professional life reflection prompts
1. Think of a recent example of your own resistance to change involving technology. How can understanding that situation help you lead others through change?2. What new skills would your team need to develop in order to manage mixed autonomous and human systems?3. Picture managing a system with both autonomous and human operators. How did you build trust between these different types of users? - What protocols ensured smooth interaction? - How did you handle disputes between human and AI operators? - What new roles emerged in your industry as automation and human oversight needed to coexist?
4. What 3 strategies can you try out to maintain human connection and teamwork in an increasingly automated work environment?uman systems?5. How could your organisation use gamification to improve safety or efficiency without trivialising serious matters?6. Create a memory of your first implementation of a streamtracked gamification system: - What behaviour were you changing? - How did you make safety engaging? - What unexpected adoption pattern emerged? - How did it transform operations?
7. In what ways can you use the role of consumer trust in your industry to manage organisational resistance to change?You did amazing! Excellent work!
Today's memories are added to your growing library of future experiences.
Thank you for expanding your imagination with us. Leaders with bold ideas move our world forward.
Think bright, and see you soon.
Pawel Halicki
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