‘Schools will have to focus on the arts’

David Sinclair, 43, is the director of the International Longevity Centre. He is married to Michelle, and has a son, George, 11

David:

I really do feel it’s never been harder to prepare your child for the world through education, simply because of the advances we are likely to see. If I was a teacher of a five-,10-, or 15-year-old, I would be tearing my hair out about what to teach them because of that uncertainty. So I think that schools will have to move back to a focus on humanities, as more and more is automated. We will need well-rounded individuals who can react. We are in a transition phase, where we are talking about working creatively with the sciences. George wants to become a roller-coaster designer. That’s the perfect example.

As a family, we talk about having the confidence to grab opportunities. For example, you can engage with anyone across the world now so easily...

George:

I love roller coasters, so I wrote to the German company Mack Rides, which makes the best roller coasters. They wrote back inviting me to visit them. I couldn’t believe it. They told me what I need to do, to study [physics, maths, mechanical engineering] to work for them when I grow up.

I really think that the way to success is to set goals. I think the world in future will be a place where we will all be able to find the right thing to do, wherever we are.