These 10 new technologies will change the world

The World Economic Forum has named the 10 top emerging technologies that will bave an impact on societies and economies within 3 to 5 years.

The annual Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report features AI-powered scientific discovery, carbon-capturing microbes, elastocalorics, as well as applications in health, communication, infrastructure and sustainability.

“Organisations make better choices when they understand the factors shaping the future,” said Jeremy Jurgens, managing director of the World Economic Forum and head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. “The report identifies technologies poised to significantly influence societies and economies. It also spotlights technologies with immense potential for revolutionising connectivity, addressing the urgent challenges of climate change and driving innovation across various fields.”

Frederick Fenter, chief executive editor of Frontiers, said: “Drawing on the expertise of Frontiers’ chief field editors worldwide brings our shared commitment to transformative science into clear focus, bringing insight and clarity to breakthrough technology that has the ability to change societies, economies, and lives for the better,”

The Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024 are:

1. AI for scientific discovery: While artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in research for many years, advances in deep learning, generative AI and foundation models are revolutionising the scientific discovery process. 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.
    
2. Privacy-enhancing technologies: Protecting personal privacy 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.
    
3. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces: 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.
    
4. High-altitude platform stations: Using aircraft, blimps and balloons, these systems can extend mobile network access to remote regions, helping bridge the digital divide for over 2.6-billion people worldwide.
    
5. Integrated sensing and communication: 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. Integrated sensing and communication devices also promise to reduce energy and silicon consumption.
    
6. Immersive technology for the built world: Combining computing power with virtual and augmented reality, these technologies promise rapid improvements in infrastructure and daily systems. This technology allows designers and construction professionals to check for correspondence between physical and digital models, ensuring accuracy and safety and advancing sustainability.
    
7. Elastocalorics: As global temperatures rise, the need for cooling solutions is set to soar. Offering higher efficiency and lower energy use, elastocalorics release and absorb heat under mechanical stress, presenting a sustainable alternative to current technologies.
    
8. Carbon-capturing microbes: Engineered organisms convert emissions into valuable products like biofuels, providing a promising approach to mitigating climate change.
    
9. Alternative livestock feeds: protein feeds for livestock sourced from single-cell proteins, algae and food waste could offer a sustainable solution for the agricultural industry.
    
10. Genomics for transplants: The successful implantation of genetically engineered organs into a human marks a significant advancement in healthcare, offering hope to millions awaiting transplants.