I spoke to a group of business, education, and nursing graduates last weekend. Afterward I was thinking about how interesting their careers will be. In the next twenty years their sectors will be transformed by customized applications running on smart networks—the personalization revolution.

Personalized Energy. The basis of the personalized energy revolution will be smart appliances running on smart networks sitting on smart grids. We’ll soon have the ability to create micro grids that contribute to and draw power from larger grids—giving consumers the power to decide what kind of power they want to buy when. Our micro grids will be fed by home solar power, neighborhood wind projects, and the batteries in our smart cars. Personalized appliances will help us monitor and manage our energy and carbon footprint and make smarter choices. (The best recent book on this subject I’ve read is The Clean Tech Revolution by Pernick and Wilder.)

Personalized Health. Inexpensive genomic sequencing and other screening technologies will soon enable personalized and preventative health management. We’ll finally be able to create real health management organizations—providers that will help each of us develop healthy routines, diets, activity schedules, and when necessary treatments. Better imaging technology will detect cancer at early stages and nanotech and smart drugs will target treatments. Perhaps we’ll break the expensive trap of employer provided insurance and create new entrepreneurial markets that focus on wellness rather than sickness. Personalized health records, widely available diagnostic tools, and better wellness management will lead to better health at lower costs and extended youthfulness.

Personalized Learning. Engaging adaptive digital content will revolutionize learning. Based on skill and interest, students will chart a unique path through games, virtual environments, projects and tasks. Combined with smart tutoring and guidance, new educational formats and learning options will become possible. More and better educational choices will ensure that students experience success as individuals and team members, have the opportunity to become expert in at least one area, and have the opportunity to be around adults they can imagine themselves becoming (to paraphrase Debbie Meyer). A personalized learning record will catalog learning artifacts and experiences as well as assessment results. We will finally fulfill the public promise of preparing all young people for fulfilling life options.

Over the next few months the X PRIZE team, board, and advisors will be fleshing out the vision and strategy in each of these areas as well as global development and exploration. We’d love to hear from you.

• What’s your vision of a different and better world?
• What kind of breakthroughs will most benefit humanity?
• What areas of research and development are under funded or stuck?