Trends are what we can know about today and are based on data and evidence. American futurist Amy Webb launched the most expected paper on the topic during the annual South by Southwest (SXSW), in Austin, USA. For her, we are living in a new era, similar to the industrial revolution or the internet age, which reshaped the world, with new components: biotechnology, artificial intelligence and an ecosystem of connected things. The 17th edition of the Tech Trends Report, by the Future Today Institute, lists almost 900 technology trends that will rule from 2024 onwards. Check some of them out:
Artificial Intelligence
AI is a transformative, general-purpose technology with the potential to influence entire economies and alter society. From multimodal AI to self-improving agents and wearables with on-board assistants, the ecosystem is changing rapidly. For Amy Webb, after the so-called LLM (Large Language Models), we will increasingly see what she calls Large Action Models, which are devices that will allow artificial intelligence to recognize and learn from our actions.
Mobility, robots and drones
Another trend in technology is robots and drones. Consumers are adapting to electric and semi-autonomous vehicles and those that collect more and more data. At the same time as battery technology is increasing, allowing vehicles, robots and drones to perform longer, the rise of these machines suggests a future where they complement and even replace human tasks.
News and information
AI is also present in the search and discovery of information and one example that uses this technology is ChatGPT, from OpenAI. This and other technologies are shaping the future of content creation, distribution and monetization.
Healthcare and Medicine
Another subject that will also be on the agenda is the barrier between the digital and the biological, which is gradually disappearing. The fusion between the two worlds allows for a new range of treatments, such as cells inside our bodies that can produce medicines in response to external stimuli.
The report also highlights the uncertainties of these trends. In general, they represent what we cannot know and identify. On the other hand, they help to reduce the risk of blind spots along the way. In particular, Amy Webb’s report focused on five main uncertainties shaping 2024.
For Webb, catastrophic scenarios are a possibility if interventions are not made along the path of technology development. “It’s not technology that’s going to lead us to catastrophic results. Technology is not bad or good. It’s how people use technology. And who are the people building technology, and funding technology and its companies, and increasing the control they have over our daily lives?” the futurist questioned.
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Source: Future Today Institute | CNN
