Trends Identified
Autonomous driving and artificial intelligence
The future of transportation will branch in two directions. One is the Waymo approach, which essentially seeks to remove human drivers from the equation, leaving us with almost an AI-powered Uber alternative. The other is exemplified by Tesla, which is infusing manned vehicles with a series of innovative autonomous features. Each will be here quicker than most realize. One of the reasons is that advances in artificial intelligence are driven, in part, by the availability of more data, so with each new Tesla or Waymo test vehicle that hits the road, semi-autonomous and autonomous capabilities grow exponentially. This is especially true for Tesla’s systems, thanks to the company delivering almost as many cars last year as all previous years combined. AI-enabled transportation is yet another area where investors have an excellent opportunity to back chip makers Nvidia and Intel, whose valuations in recent months have become far more reasonable due to trade-related issues that will likely dissipate going forward. As we move to the next level of internet, entertainment and transportation, there will be huge opportunities for the companies that are best positioned to take advantage of the new technology trends. Investors should take notice.
2019
Three Big Tech Trends For 2019
Forbes
Climate change and planetary boundaries
As evidence mounts that the impacts of human-caused climate change are already upon us, the future of international development cannot be considered in isolation from the need to adapt. Furthermore the Earth’s natural systems are under enormous pressure, with huge consequences for the world’s most vulnerable people. As UNep’s 2012 Global Environment Outlook assessment concludes: “Scientific evidence shows that Earth systems are being pushed towards their bio-physical limits, with evidence that these limits are close and have in some cases been exceeded”.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Demographic shifts
The global population could reach 9.6 billion by 2050 and 10.9 billion by 2100. In 2000, for the first time, there were more people over the age of 60 in the world than children under five. By 2050, four-fifths of older people will live in developing countries, where 80% of them will have no regular income. Youth unemployment is also growing. In 2012, 15- to 24-year-olds made up 40% of the total unemployed population.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Urbanisation
Globally, more people live in urban than rural areas and this is expected to gather pace. But the urban transition is taking place at different rates in different parts of the world. By 2050 most northern regions are expected to be at least 84% urban. In contrast, even by 2050, Africa’s urban dwellers are projected to make up just 62% of its total, and Asia’s 65%. Even in Asia and Africa, though, rapid rural-to-urban shifts are taking place. Urbanisation is a key engine of economic growth, but with this comes the risks of social marginality, conflict and exploitation.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Natural resource scarcity
Demographic pressures create food and water insecurity, and supplies of non-renewable natural resources including fossil fuels are depleting. Scarcity could push prices up, creating further hardship for those most in need. Notwithstanding the current low oil price, from 2000 to 2013 metal prices rose by 176%, energy prices by an average of 260% and food prices by 120%. Depending on political responses, this may drive humanitarian crises, population movements and a rise in protectionist or nationalist policies.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Geopolitical shifts
In 2012, the Brics countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were reported as being responsible for more than 25% of the world’s GDP based on purchasing power parity and home to 40% of the global population. The axis of the world’s economic and geopolitical power has shifted – and will continue to shift – from west and north to east and south. Poverty patterns and distributions are changing alongside the wider geopolitical shifts, and donor policies are changing alongside them. Declining overseas development assistance to middle income countries and new donors entering the landscape are reshaping the nature of aid. Moreover, there is a risk that some growing political powers restrict the space for civil society action.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Processes of technological transformation and innovation
Technological innovation could have a very significant impact on the ability of people to meet their needs and to adapt to climate change. The world is becoming hyper-connected. Technological changes and the rapid diffusion of information and communications technologies, particularly among young people, have also broken down many of the old barriers between northern and southern publics. By 2030, it is estimated that 50% of the global population will have internet access. There is also growing appreciation of how technology links to human and environmental systems, escalating conflict or cooperation.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Inequality
Economic growth in at least 40 countries has helped to lift many hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. It is important not to allow rising GDP per capita in middle-income countries mask remaining underlying challenges – including rising inequality, weak social protection, poor infrastructures (particularly in urban areas), environmental degradation, and rising citizen expectations. Already, according to an Oxfam report, 85 billionaires have the same wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population. In 2012, 71% of the world’s population was reported to live in nations where income inequality is increasing. As well as stifling economic growth, inequality has a significant negative impact upon health and educational outcomes as well as security.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
5G Fixed to 5G Mobile
Here’s the thing about 5G: we’ve been talking about it for a while. And if you’re a world traveler or on certain networks like Sprint, you know it’s still possible to slip back into 3G zones from time-to-time without realizing it. So, what’s the big deal with 5G now? In short, we’re finally in a spot where we will start seeing 5G everywhere. If you have been following the tech community, you will have seen that there are a wide number of fixed and test deployments with companies like Qualcomm, Intel, Nokia, Ericcson, Samsung and Huawei all getting into the action. We are also seeing new companies like Mimosa Networks making it possible to roll 5G out to both rural and urban locations, paving the way for bullish 5G mobile providers—i.e. ATT and Verizon—to start offering new, cooler, faster, more innovative services for mobile users. It’s an exciting time for 5G and mobile alike. While 2018 was the year that fixed 5G applications found their legs, in 2019 we are going to see 5G finding its way into the upper corner of our Mobile devices, albeit for you iPhone users it is more likely going to be 2020 or later.
2018
Top 10 Digital Transformation Trends For 2019
Forbes
Chatbots Good to Great
Hear me out on this one. I know we’ve all had extremely frustrating chatbot experiences as we round out 2018. But the good news is that huge steps continue to be made in the way of natural language processing and sentiment analytics—so many, in fact, that some believe NLP will shake up the entire service industry in ways we’ve never imagined. Think about all the services that could be provided without humans—fast food lines, loan processors, job recruiters! What’s more, NLP allows companies to gather insights and improve their service based on them. Some 40% of large businesses have or will adopt it by the end of 2019—which makes it one of our top 2019 digital transformation trends. Now, I know many are alarmed by where AI and Chatbots may impact the workforce, but I’m also bullish that companies are going to be upskilling their work forces rather than displacing them as machines may be good at delivering on clearcut requests but leave a lot to be desired when it comes to dealing with empathy and human emotion required to deliver great customer experiences.
2018
Top 10 Digital Transformation Trends For 2019
Forbes