World Economic Forum Reveals Top 10 Emerging Technologies to Change the World
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has identified the top 10 emerging technologies that have the potential to make a significant positive impact on the world in the next three to five years. These technologies are highlighted in the annual Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report.
Key Technologies
Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Scientific Discovery: AI will help researchers make unprecedented advancements in understanding diseases, proposing new materials, and enhancing knowledge of the human body and mind.
Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs): These tools and methods will protect user data privacy while building products and functionalities.
Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: These innovative surfaces will turn ordinary walls and surfaces into intelligent components for wireless communication, enhancing energy efficiency in wireless networks.
High-Altitude Platform Stations: Using aircraft, blimps, and balloons, these stations will extend mobile network access to remote regions, helping bridge the digital divide for over 2.6 billion people worldwide.
Integrated Sensing and Communication: This technology will enable environmental monitoring systems for smart agriculture, environmental conservation, and urban planning.
Immersive Technology for the Built World: Combining computing power with virtual and augmented reality, this technology promises rapid improvements in infrastructure and daily systems.
Elastocalorics: Providing cooling solutions with higher efficiency and lower energy use, elastocalorics release and absorb heat under mechanical stress, offering a sustainable alternative to current technologies.
Carbon-Capturing Microbes: Engineered organisms that convert emissions into valuable products like biofuels, providing a promising approach to mitigating climate change.
Alternative Livestock Feeds: These feeds, sourced from single-cell proteins, algae, and food waste, offer a sustainable solution for the agricultural industry.
Genomics for Transplants: This technology supports the successful implantation of genetically engineered organs into humans, offering hope to millions awaiting transplants.
Expert Insights
Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director of WEF and Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, commented, “Organisations make better choices when they understand the factors shaping the future. The report identifies technologies poised to significantly influence societies and economies.”
Upcoming Event
The 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions will take place on June 25-27, 2024, in Dalian, China. The meeting will gather around 1,600 high-level leaders from business, government, civil society, and international organisations to generate collective insights and deployable solutions that can spur and maintain positive economic momentum globally.
