Technology in software has a critical role to play in addressing each of the major challenges the world faces, yet it also poses significant economic and social risks. As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is vital that we develop shared norms and protocols to ensure that technology serves humanity and contributes to a prosperous and sustainable future.
There are some technologies that have been known for a number of years, but are only now reaching a level of maturity where their impact can be meaningfully felt, as following:
Nano-sensors and the Internet of Nano-things:
With the Internet of Things expected to comprise 30 billion connected devices by 2020, one of the most exciting areas of focus today is now on Nano-sensors capable of circulating in the human body or being embedded in construction materials. Once connected, this Internet of Nano-things could have a huge impact on the future of medicine, architecture, agriculture and drug manufacture.
Next Generation Batteries:
One of the greatest obstacles holding renewable energy back is matching supply with demand, but recent advances in energy storage using sodium, aluminum and zinc based batteries makes mini-grids feasible that can provide much clean, reliable, round the clock energy sources to entire villages.
The Block-chain:
Many projects have already been made for the distributed electronic ledger behind the online currency Bitcoin. With related venture investment exceeding $1 billion in a year alone, the economic and social impact of block-chain’s potential to fundamentally change the way markets and governments work is only now emerging.
2D Materials:
Graphene may be the best-known, single-atom layer material, but it is by no means the only one because Plummeting production costs mean that such 2D materials are emerging in a wide range of famous applications, from air and water filters to new generations of wearables and batteries.
Autonomous Vehicles:
Self-driving cars may not yet be fully legal in most geographies of the world, but their potential for saving lives, cutting pollution, boosting economies, and improving quality of life for the elderly and other segments of society has led to rapid deployment of key technology forerunners along the way to full automation.
Organs-on-chips:
Miniature models of human organs – the size of a memory stick – could revolutionize medical research and drug discovery by allowing the researchers to see biological mechanism behaviors in ways that never before possible.
Perovskite Solar Cells:
This new photovoltaic material would offer three improvements over the classic silicon solar cell: it is easier to make, can be used virtually anywhere and, to date, keeps on generating power more efficiently.
Open AI Ecosystem:
Shared advances in natural language processing and social awareness algorithms, coupled with an unprecedented availability of data, will soon allow the smart digital assistants help with a vast range of tasks, from keeping track of one’s finances and health to advising on wide wardrobe choice.
Opt-genetics:
The use of light and color to record the activity of neurons in the brain has been around for some time, but recent developments mean light can now be delivered deeper into brain tissue, something that could lead to better treatment for patients with brain disorders.
Systems Metabolic Engineering:
Advances in synthetic biology, systems of biology and evolutionary engineering mean that the list of building block chemicals that can be manufactured better and more cheaply by using plants rather than fossil fuels that is growing every year.
The World Economic Forum’s Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies, and panel of global experts, drew on the collective expertise of the Forum’s communities to identify the most important recent technological trends. By doing so, the Meta-Council aims to raise awareness of their potential and contribute to closing gaps in investment, regulation and public understanding that so often thwart progress.
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