New technology looks set to transform the offices of the future beyond recognition: Workers in offices in Amsterdam run by Edge Technologies are already a few smart technology steps ahead of the rest of us, this Financial Times video shows (watch, runtime: 02:22). Using an app, they can control multiple aspects of their environment — from finding a parking spot (imagine having that in Cairo…) to customizing the temperature and light in their working space, or locating one another easily. The app even remembers how each person likes their coffee.

But this is nothing compared to what we can expect by 2050, with successive digital developments set to keep the pace of change accelerating all over the world. Offices are expected to contain innovations such as intelligent glass windows that can adapt to the weather and turn into screens, real-time translation software for virtual meetings, movable walls to transform shared space, and more options for health-conscious employees to stand and move around. While these developments may be a convenience seeker’s dream, they will have their downsides. Above all, they will impinge on privacy, with much of the technology relying on tracking systems and storing huge amounts of our personal information.