Gov`ts must promote `nat`l intelligence`: American futurist . JANUARY 03, 2013 03:00. . Governments should promote “national intelligence” to cope with the advancement of high technology such as IT and biotechnology rather than just creating national wealth, a leading futurist said Wednesday.

Jerome Glenn, co-founder and director of the Millennium Project, stressed the state’s active role in preparing for the future, saying governments should set as a long-term goal raising the intellectual capabilities of individuals and strongly pushing ahead with the plan.

In a New Year’s interview with The Dong-A Ilbo held Dec. 19 at his Washington office, he elaborated on the tasks Korea must accomplish while making projections for 2030.

Glenn started out by urging the need for governments to lead in developing knowledge, saying people join fitness centers to stay healthy but do not join "mental-building clubs" to increase intellectual ability. While an agrarian society had no high demand for intellectuals, he added, everyone has to be intellectual in a knowledge-based economy.

Glenn also predicted that the Internet age will change the face of capitalism. Private businesses owned the means of production under capitalism, he said, but the Web and software have also become means of production, with plenty of wealth being created via cyberspace.

He added that the Internet will change the concept of retirement, forecasting that retirees who make money online from home will become economic assets rather than an economic burden on the national economy.