Trends Identified

Population
We are confronted by the evidence of our rapidly changing world every day and are contributing to its change each in our own way. In the past 50 years, we’ve doubled the number of people alive on our planet, reaching seven billion people at the end of last year. In the next 40 years we are expecting over two billion more people to be alive than today.
2012
The future
Steria
Planetary Stewardship in an Age of Scarcity
We are experiencing a confluence of powerful trends. Huge, extraordinary, universal trends, any one of which could impact upon our present way of life are coming together. The scale is planetary; the scope is centuries; the stakes are civilisation; and the speed headlong. At times the problems seem intractable, and all tax the capacity and competency of bureaucracies to tackle them. There is the interplay of three potent forces – growing demand, constrained supply and increased regulation. As one participant put it: “We are like the sorcerer’s apprentice – having started something we can no longer control”. Nevertheless, understanding an organisation’s full exposure to resource risk, especially energy and the environment, will be a defining factor determining long‐term viability.
2011
Just imagine - RICS strategic foresight 2030
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
Don’t invent, evolve
We are on the cusp of a new era in the history of invention. That’s the implication of software that can automatically “evolve” technology, and create designs that often no human would come up with. It’s already transforming fields as diverse as robot locomotion, computer security and drug design.
2011
Seven technologies to disrupt the next decade
NewScientist
Financial Markets and New Economics
We are on the cusp of a new industrial revolution; one that addresses the triple challenge of global economic recovery, energy security and climate change. We stand, perhaps somewhat portentously, at a turning point in the history of humanity. What is missing, however, is an economic vision or financial game plan that can bring the myriad issues and foremost priorities together with the common goal of creating a new political economy and monetary infrastructure fit for the 21st century.
2011
Just imagine - RICS strategic foresight 2030
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
Printable organs
We are on the verge of the “internet of everywhere”. It will be far more democratic: accessible to everyone, rich and poor. The excitement of the internet of things will be a small footnote in history as the internet of everywhere becomes our reality. Do you remember the old movie, Minority Report, with Tom Cruise? Ultra cheap, internet-enabled solar-powered screens that display in HDTV resolution will be on bus stops, in shopping centres, at tables in restaurants – all operating on a centralized advertising model. Gone are the days of the static acetate poster on the wall of a shopping mall. And finally, since these HD monitors have beacons, they will dynamically change content as your phone passes by, telling the monitor all your preferences.
2014
14 tech predictions for our world in 2020
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Sustainable consumption and production
We are used to see consumption as a key driver of economic activity. Its current level, composition, associated production methods and resource use are not sustainable though. The distinction between consumers and producers is becoming increasingly blurred together with the dichotomy of goods and services allowing efficiency gains through shifting from ownership of products to use of services. Monitoring technologies will make citizens more aware of resource use and could change behaviours. Advanced manufacturing helps to pave the way towards an industrial renaissance in Europe while aging populations will be a driver for new products and services across various sectors. There may be trade-o s between environmental issues and new ways of accessing and using resources for an increasingly urbanised population.
2015
Preparing the Commission for future opportunities - Foresight network fiches 2030
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
AI will be in every industry and every job.
We asked 200 LinkedIn Top Voices about their Big Idea for 2019; one in four mentioned some application of AI, from parsing evidence in medical research to… helping surfers spot the best wave. Six of the 15 hot emerging jobs of the past year — which LinkedIn will unveil on Thursday — relate to AI, while AI skills are the fastest-growing on our platform, up 190% globally from 2015 to 2017. “While 2018 was the year of AI hype, it feels like we're at an inflection point where these technologies are being incorporated into more of the tools we use everyday,” says Sharon O’Dea, co-founder of communications consultancy Lithos Partners. “It's when technology trends start to become invisible that they really make a major impact.”
2018
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
LinkedIn
Advanced (smart) materials and devices
We believe novel and advanced materials and devices for sensors, actuators, and wireless communications, such as tunable glass, smart paper, and ingestible transmitters, will create an explosion of exciting applications in healthcare, packaging, appliances, and more. These technologies will also advance pervasive, ubiquitous, and immersive computing, such as the recent announcement of a cellular phone with a foldable screen. The use of such technologies will have a large impact in the way we perceive IoT devices and will lead to new usage models.
2018
IEEE Computer Society Predicts the Future of Tech: Top 10 Technology Trends for 2019
IEEE Computer Society
Augmented reality
We can see this being useful in education and training because it basically overlays virtual images onto reality.” Augmented Reality (AR) can simulate real-world scenarios. “That allows orientations or training to take place in a safe environment vs. a real-world environment that can be more dangerous. Surgeons will be able to practice complex procedures before operating on patients, for instance.” AR might also have entertainment value, by enabling consumers to enjoy unique experiences like sitting on the field at a sporting event or traveling to exotic locations.
2017
5 big disruptive trends investors should watch
Morgan Stanley
Embracing the Rise of Enterprise Behavioural Science
We expect to see 2018 as the year that behavioural science takes hold in the enterprise, with savvy companies embracing these economic and social science principles to increase worker productivity and nudge consumers towards desirable outcomes. Media attention on early adopters and Nobel Prize recognition of the discipline’s founder will prompt growing adoption in 2018. Brace yourself for a flurry of behavioural science consultancies, as well as more behavioral scientists in HR, strategy, and marketing positions.
2018
Top 10 Tech Trends For 2018
Forbes