500 years in the future, Santorini is engulfed in flames. The sun-drenched island of Santorini - once known for its stunningly clear waters, white-washed buildings and volcano views - is now a raging inferno, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The cause of this destruction remains unknown.
However, if we had to guess, we'd have to say volcanic eruptions would be the most likely cause. It is the most active volcanic area in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc and it is said to have been active as far back as 4 million years ago. However, much of the activity is under water, or is it?
Just when you thought Russia couldn't get any colder...
St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is covered in snow with not a person in sight. Could temperatures get so low that even the Russians would find their land uninhabitable, or are they facing a nuclear winter? The effects of climate change are not yet known to man.
For now, we will be without answers, and hopefully, AI's prediction will not come to fruition but when it comes to the future, all bets are off. And with that said, we wish you the very best of luck Russia. You may need it. We have to say though, this isn't even the worst one.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai rests upon the remnants of the city, resting idly, surrounded by smoke and debris. What happened to this city with a population in the millions? AI may have an answer but all we have is this picture.
Easily one of India's most popular destinations, the city here is now void of existence. The mysterious glow emanating from the bottom is unsettling and we'd really like to know what's going on there. Although, maybe we wouldn't...
Whatever happened to this once thriving city is a tragedy to be sure but is it a man-made occurrence or a threat from beyond?
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable wrought-iron structures in the world. Named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower, construction on the tower began in 1887. The tower measures 330 meters and is one of the most visited monuments in the world.
AI shows us a pretty grim future for the city of Paris, as it looks like an apocalyptic wasteland. We can also see two Eiffel towers because why not reel in twice the amount of tourist revenue? Hopefully, the future of Paris isn't that dark, but a lot can happen in the next 500 years, so you never really know.
Looking ahead, things don't look good for Sedona. Anyone who lives there can tell you that it's pretty hot there, but this hot? Yikes. No doubt anyone that lived there had to move. It literally looks like the ground itself is on fire! However, that little oasis seems to be making it.
We'll cheer it on. Maybe this is just an example of what the fires would look like in the future. The best bet is to figure out a solution for this now so that we don't get this bad in the future. We can't imagine what the states with a higher risk of wild fires would look like...
Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, is renowned for its geological features and hydronuclear activity. Located largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming, it is also part of Montana and Idaho. Among it’s most notable features is the Old Faithful geyser, a geothermal phenomenon. Geysers like old faithful rarely occur here on earth.
What some people are not aware of when visiting Yellowstone National Park is that the park’s volcano is still active. Earthquakes occur in the area up to 3,000 times per year. An eruption could technically happen at any moment, so in 500 years, this image could very well become a reality.
Devils Tower is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the west. Located in Crook County, Wyoming, it was the first national monument as established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. This natural wonder will likely remain for another 500 years to be admired by generations of humans and maybe even non-humans.
It appears there's some crazy extra-terrestrial event occurring here with Devils Tower at the center of it all. We have to admit, if there was one play in Wyoming to land your alien spacecraft, Devils Tower makes an amazing natural landing pad.
Scientists have been warning that the rising sea levels could put the Leaning Tower of Pisa right underwater. That being said, now's your best chance to see it before that happens. We imagine it will be a lot more difficult to take one of those cheesy tourist photos of Pisa if it's underwater.
We say difficult, however - not impossible. But imagine for a second, if you will, those same photos but in scuba gear. It wouldn't have quite the same effect if it looked like you were trying to hold up a tower underwater. But hey, at least it would be something new.
Mount Fuji, located on the Japanese Island of Honshu, is the highest mountain in Japan, but it’s not just any mountain. It’s actually an active stratovolcano that last erupted back in the 18th century. Located 100 km southwest of Tokyo, Mount Fuji is a cultural icon of Japan.
Here AI looks at Mount Fuji 500 years into the future and sees a possible eruption. While it wouldn’t be ideal for that city below, an eruption is likely to occur in another 500 years and the destruction could certainly look like this. When it comes to nature, beauty and danger often go hand-in-hand.
What exactly has happened to the Forbidden City? Your guess is as good as ours, but it doesn’t look good. The city is shown here looking absolutely torn up. The city as it looks today is quite well kept, so it's hard to imagine it looking like this in 500 years but certainly not impossible.
Perhaps it will see some kind of natural disaster or maybe even a man-made one. Hopefully, this future can be prevented. The Forbidden city was constructed back in 1406 and was the former Chinese imperial palace. It also served as a residence for the Emperor of China.
And here we have Machu Picchu about to get totally wrecked by a tidal wave. Machu Picchu has seen better days to be sure, but its future won’t be so bright after this. Where is this water coming from, though? At Machu Picchu, natural springs located on the slope of the mountain provided a source of water to the citadel.
The Incan citadel of Peru was constructed back in the 15th century as an estate for Inca emperor Pachacuti. It ended up being abandoned just a century after it was built. Today it is enjoyed by travelers who have admired the old architecture and rich history of the area.
Phoenix is currently one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country, but there's one big issue: wealth disparity. In the city, wealth disparity is widespread among the population, with nearly half of the families not earning a living wage. Here AI gives a visual representation of that as it peaks 500 years into the future.
Below we see a dying city stuck years behind in the past, a place where the poor would undoubtedly be forced to live. Then, above, we see a portal to another city, a thriving city of the future with highrise building and lights...lots of lights - a NYC of the future if you will, a place for the rich to thrive.
The Louvre Pyramid is unlike the stone pyramids of ancient Egypt in that it's made of glass and metal, and instead of being thousands of years old, it's only decades old. Completed in 1988, its history may not be as impressive as the pyramids of Giza but it certainly is beautiful.
One of Paris's most recognizable landmarks, the Louvre Pyramid was designed by Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. The pyramid is made up of 673 panes. In 500 years, it may be standing but the surrounding area may not be so recognizable. Here it looks like winter hit Paris really hard.
The Taj Mahal sits here in Agra, India, in a desert wasteland. Is this the future that awaits India? Only time will tell. Those dust storms can get pretty rough. But hopefully, for their sake, not this rough. The marble mausoleum is already about 400 years old and should well survive another 500.
Commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, it was built as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal and is his tomb as well. It cost around $32 million to build at the time, which is about the equivalent of $1 billion today. It is definitely the most recognizable structure in India.
Tower Bridge doesn't look to be doing well in 500 years. Surrounded by flames, London looks to be in trouble. What is the cause? A global conflict? Alien Invasion? Zombies? Guess we'll have to wait and find out. But likely it will just be someone else's problem.
The combined bascule and suspension bridge was built in the late 19th century. It was designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry. It crosses the River Thames and is one of London's most recognizable landmarks. But hey, it looks to be okay so far in this image, even if everything else is burning to the ground.
This looks like a scene from Independence Day, but according to AI, it may be a possibility in the future. The prospect of getting visited by aliens has fascinated people for years as it answers the age-old question about whether or not we are alone in the universe. Even the government has not ruled it out completely.
The universe, in its infiniteness, makes the possibility of extraterrestrial life probably, but for some people, the real question is whether or not we have been or ever will be visited by beings from another planet. Sure, maybe we'll never be visited by little green men, but it would be a lot cooler if they did.
Political strife will undoubtedly be the undoing of Washington, DC. It's inevitable. While America may be standing in 500 years' time, it's also likely to look different, and that includes the location of a new capital if the old one falls. Here the AI shows us a glimpse into a possible future where Washington is in flames. Probably because of the aliens.
The Lincoln Memorial can be seen here in ruins with flames and surrounding smoke. Even the founding fathers had predicted that a future revolution may happen and suggested that it should, saying, "I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing." At the same time, that doesn't have to mean violence, so hopefully, we can all just change our attitudes instead and learn to exist peacefully together.
The Grand Canyon is one of America's greatest natural wonders. The steep canyon offers one of the most majestic views in the west, and its thought to be as much as 6 million years old. It was once a place of volcanic activity, but that has subsided, so what is happening here?
Well, just because there isn't volcanic activity now, doesn't mean there won't be. The Uinkaret volcanic field is made up of multiple monogenetic volcanoes. It's been thousands of years since the last eruption, but in 500 years, it's possible that another eruption could occur.
It's that or maybe it's an air raid by aliens...who can say really?
Undoubtedly another victim of the rising sea levels in 500 years looks to be Christ himself, or rather the famous statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, called Christ the Redeemer. Millions of tourist and citizens alike, flock to see this famous statue, which is one of the most famous landmarks in the world.
Designed by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it was constructed by two engineers, the Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and the French Albert Caquot. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida worked on the face. It was completed in 1931 and measured 30 meters high, which doesn’t even include the pedestal, which adds another 8 meters. That’s a heck of a lot of Jesus.
Giza in Egypt has never been known for being a place, of much, or really any snow for that matter. But with the way man-made climate change is rapidly destroying our planet, all bets are off. AI shows us a future in 500 years, where the Great Pyramids of Giza are covered in snow.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest pyramid in Egypt and it’s the tomb of pharaoh Khufu, said to have been built in as early as the 26th century BC. It stands nearly 147 meters tall and for thousands of years it was the tallest manmade structure in the world. But now it’s just really tall.
Naturally, Niagra Falls makes the perfect spaceport of aliens, so it would be no surprise to find them there in 500 years' time. Unless those are our ships. But either way, someone has to be taking advantage of those spectacular views.
We can't exactly explain why there are two moons, but that's another story. While many of the world's natural wonders may fade, surely Niagra Falls will be one that will stay with us, at least in 500 more years.
Apparently, in 500 years, we'll have learned nothing from Jurassic Park, because it looks like we are bringing them back in the future. Either that or its an alien from outer space. Regardless, it still looks like a dinosaur and it will be running around Rome. So, that should be a fun time.
The only thing cooler than the ancient Roman amphitheater would have to be a live dinosaur. So, if anything is going to destroy the Colosseum one day, I'd rather it be by a dinosaur than something decidedly uncool like a billionaire who wants to build a shopping mall or something.
Here you can see the world-famous Parthenon submerged underwater. It seems not even the ruins of ancient Greece can escape the rising sea levels. As old as the 5th century BC, it would be sad to see this become a reality, as travelers would no longer be able to enjoy the citadel.
Today, the Acropolis of Athens lies 150 meters above sea level. Having survived thousands of years, the building of the Acropolis are in pretty good shape considering what they’ve been through. In 1687, the Parthenon was badly damaged during a siege by Venetians during the Morean War.
New York City would have to be one of if not the busiest cities in the country. It is the most populous city in the country, with nearly 9 million people living in an area that is just 300.46 square miles. And with so much to see and do there, it should come as no surprise that it is the most photographed city in the world.
It would be a damn shame if the city suffered a zombie outbreak, but that looks like New York's future in 500 years as we see zombies headed for the Empire State Building, undoubtedly the city's most famous building. I mean its possible they are just picking up souvenirs, but I'm pretty sure they are looking for brains.
In the future, the east coast's sea levels will likely rise to levels where the Statue of Liberty will have to be moved, removed or left underwater. It is said that the sea levels around New York are rising at least one inch every several years and that rate may increase over time.
The Statue of Liberty was a copper statue designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and gifted to the United States by France. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and it remains standing to this day. While the statue may be fine structurally, it's probably going to end up underwater eventually.
It seems in the future, the Hollywood sign will have a few too many letters, perhaps to compensate for all the people who have tried to steal or deface the sign. Provided they just steal the Os or the Ls, everything should be just fine in Holll ywooo d.
And Los Angeles isn't quite known for snowy weather, but with the way climate change is going, we certainly wouldn't rule it out. Established back in 1903, it's hard to say just how long Hollywood will remain a mecca for all things celebrity.
The future of Stonehenge is looking a little grim. The area has been known to get tornadoes, so this is definitely not far off. It may just be a matter of time before a tornado does Stonehenge in for good, unless Stonehenge happens to be tornado-proof. Nobody even really knows what it is.
While it's certainly fascinating to see and a popular tourist spot, archaeologists aren't sure of its purpose or where it came from, though they believe it is as old as 3000 BC. But whether aliens built it or some really buff dudes, it's one of the most popular tourist destinations.
Nashville, Tennessee, is well-known for its country music venues and its rich history when it comes to music. And while the city is one of the most populated in the country, it has recently seen one of the largest population declines in the country.
And whatever is going on with that organic alien structure is beyond me. But the city doesn't look to be faring well in 500 years. The air barely looks breathable and the only lights are coming from that spaceship or whatever it is.
Alcatraz Island located in San Francisco Bay was an island prison and lighthouse, established in the mid-19th century. It famously housed the notorious gangster Al Capone. However, the prison closed in 1963 due to operating and maintenance costs and has since become a tourist attraction.
What is all that stuff in the water, you might wonder? I have no idea, and quite frankly, I don't want to know. While the prison may remain somewhat intact, it will undoubtedly be subject to the rising sea levels and whatever the heck those things are floating in the water.
The city of Honolulu is an area brimming with volcanic activity. The Honolulu Volcanics is a group of volcanoes that make up the volcanic field in Honolulu. Volcanic activity in this field began over one million years ago between nearly 40 volcanic vents. While some of the volcanos on the island are dead, a volcanic eruption is possible.
The last eruption is said to have occurred as early as 35,000 years ago, but since there hasn't been an eruption since that time, humans see it as unlikely, even if the AI begs to differ. Currently, the Big Island of Hawaii is the one to watch out for as it has four active volcanoes: Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Mauna Kea.
