“Within twenty years, tulpas—sapient, autonomous mental entities constructed for one's well-being or companionship—will be a known phenomenon in the public eye.”

"Known phenomenon in the public eye", for the sake of clarity, means here that the concept is referred to explicitly by name in at least one mainstream news broadcast, podcast, and academic journal on a yearly basis. Tulpas are an intriguing phenomenon with a varied history that have come to a cult status on the Internet over the past decade. With the indefinite potential information has to proliferate on the Internet, they could reach a much more mainstream status there and ultimately find their way into the public consciousness. A few podcasts and scattered academic writings have already superficially delved into the concept. Whether this is in a good light or poor one is beyond the scope of this prediction, though the latter is more likely in the case that they are misconstrued as self-induced mental illness.