The World Economic Forum (WEF) has identified the ten technologies with the greatest potential to make a positive impact in the world in the next three to five years.

The WEF unpacks these technologies in a ‘Top 10 Emerging Technologies’ report, published on June 25, explaining that technology enables improved decision-making through understanding the factors that shape the future, and revolutionising connectivity.

Among the ten technologies are AI for scientific discovery; reconfigurable intelligent surfaces; high-altitude platform stations; and integrated sensing.

While AI has been used in research for many years, advances in deep learning, generative AI and foundation models are revolutionising the scientific discovery process.

The WEF says AI will enable researchers to make unprecedented connections and advancements in understanding diseases, proposing new materials and enhancing knowledge of the human body and mind​​.

The report also finds that protecting personal privacy is becoming more prevalent, while providing new opportunities for global data sharing and collaboration. “Synthetic data” is set to transform how information is handled with powerful applications in health-related research.

On the topic of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, the WEF says these innovative surfaces turn ordinary walls and surfaces into intelligent components for wireless communication while enhancing energy efficiency in wireless networks. They hold promise for numerous applications, from smart factories to vehicular networks​​.

Moreover, high-altitude platform stations using aircraft, blimps and balloons, can extend mobile network access to remote regions, which helps to bridge the digital divide for people worldwide​​.

Additionally, the advent of 6G networks facilitates simultaneous data collection (sensing) and transmission (communication). This enables environmental monitoring systems that help in smart agriculture, environmental conservation and urban planning applications.

Integrated sensing and communication devices also promise to reduce energy and silicon consumption.

The WEF further explains that immersive technology for the built world involves combining computing power with virtual and augmented reality. These technologies promise rapid improvements in infrastructure and daily systems and allow designers and construction professionals to check for correspondence between physical and digital models, ensuring accuracy and safety and advancing sustainability.

In terms of climate change, as global temperatures rise, the need for cooling solutions is set to increase. The use of technology such as elastocalorics, which release and absorb heat under mechanical stress, can present a sustainable alternative to current technologies with higher efficiency and lower energy use.

The WEF adds that carbon-capturing microbes, which are engineered organisms that convert emissions into valuable products, such as biofuels, can provide a promising approach to mitigating climate change.

Alternative livestock feeds, such as protein feeds for livestock sourced from single-cell proteins, algae and food waste, could offer a sustainable solution for the agricultural industry.

Another lifesaving technology that is becoming more prevalent is genomics for transplants. The WEF states that the successful implantation of genetically engineered organs into a human marks a significant advancement in healthcare, offering hope to millions awaiting transplants.

REPORT DETAILS

Drawing on insights from scientists, researchers and futurists, the 'Top 10 Emerging Technologies' report identifies the technologies poised to significantly influence societies and economies.

In addition to promising major benefits to societies and economies, these emerging technologies must also be disruptive, attractive to investors and researchers and expected to achieve considerable scale within five years.

This year’s edition introduced an innovative trend analysis methodology, incorporating academic literature, funding trends and patent filings, to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the selected technologies.

The technologies featured in the report, produced in collaboration with Frontiers, were identified through a rigorous selection process involving more than 300 world-leading academics and experts from the WEF’s Global Future Councils, the WEF’s university network, the Frontiers network comprising 2 000 chief editors worldwide from top institutions, and Mariette di Christina and Bernard Meyerson, co-chairs of the Emerging Technologies Steering Group.

The full report can be accessed at https://www.weforum.org/publications/top-10-emerging-technologies-2024/.