Trends Identified
Brexit, break-up of the Eurozone; ongoing EU economic weaknesses and debt problems
23% of the respondents view this as a negative trend
2017
Adoption of intelligent automation does not equal success. 4Q 2017 KPMG Global Insights Pulse Survey Report.
KPMG
Brexit will continue to consume the European political scene.
Prime Minister Theresa May is now touring European capitals to attempt to renegotiate her Brexit deal with the EU after she canceled a parliamentary vote, which should have taken place today. Brexit should have been the most predictable geopolitical event of 2019 – we’ve known for two years the clock runs out at the end of March. Instead, it continues to defy predictions. Negotiations will be uncertain to the very last minute, Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, warns. “May now needs to be thinking about plan B, since she’s lost so many [members of parliament],” he says. A revamped “Norway plus” deal is becoming the most likely outcome, but the tail risks of a no deal Brexit or a second referendum are also increasing, he adds. “It is really, really hard to come to terms to negotiate something this complicated with one of the most challenging supranational institutions in the world, the EU, and one of the most dysfunctional developed governments in the world today, the U.K.” Writing any more about Brexit at this point would just be handing the stick you’ll beat me with in a day or two.
2018
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
LinkedIn
Brands won’t be able to stay neutral.
Consumers and employees increasingly expect companies to take a position on the day’s issues and live their values, says Blackbird CEO Ross Martin. “You’re forced, as a company, as a leader, to stand for something, otherwise everyone will know you stand for nothing,” he warns. “You won’t be hated, you’ll become completely irrelevant, and the people who worked for you, won’t work for you anymore because you didn’t stand up when it mattered.” These expectations will only intensify in 2019, agrees Marianne Cooper, senior research scholar at Stanford and the lead researcher on Lean In. “To prepare, leaders need to get clear on their own and their company’s values, decide which issues make the most sense to weigh in on, and pre-plan how they will respond — or at least establish a process for dealing with situations that need a rapid response.”
2018
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
LinkedIn
Brand Youth as Politics Undergoes a Generational Shift
Justin Trudeau is perhaps the most recognizable among a new generation of political leaders from around the world—New Zealand to North Korea, and Austria to Saudi Arabia—who are redefining politics as usual. While some of these new leaders champion political views stereotypical of their generation, others have veered towards more conventional ideas. The emergence of these young leaders marks a watershed: it will signal either a rising tide of millennial leaders, or will relegate these early entrants to a short-lived experiment with change.
2018
Top 10 Tech Trends For 2018
Forbes
Brain-machine Interface
Brain-machine interface enables control over machines with brainwaves. The technology is primarily used on neuroprosthetics applications that aim to improve the quality of life for those with disabilities by analyzing and processing information on neural activities.
2009
KISTEP 10 Emerging Technologies 2009
South Korea, Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP)
Brain-inspired technologies
Understanding the human brain is one of the greatest challenges facing 21st century science. Advances in this understanding can help us gain profound insights into what makes us human, develop new treatments for brain disease and build revolutionary new computing and robotic technologies. Modern ICT has now brought these goals within sight.
2015
Preparing the Commission for future opportunities - Foresight network fiches 2030
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Brain-computer Interfaces
The ability to control a computer using only the power of the mind is closer than one might think. Brain-computer interfaces, where computers can read and interpret signals directly from the brain, have already achieved clinical success in allowing quadriplegics, those suffering “locked-in syndrome” or people who have had a stroke to move their own wheelchairs or even drink coffee from a cup by controlling the action of a robotic arm with their brain waves. In addition, direct brain implants have helped restore partial vision to people who have lost their sight. Recent research has focused on the possibility of using brain-computer interfaces to connect different brains together directly. Researchers at Duke University last year reported successfully connecting the brains of two mice over the Internet (into what was termed a “brain net”) where mice in different countries were able to cooperate to perform simple tasks to generate a reward. Also in 2013, scientists at Harvard University reported that they were able to establish a functional link between the brains of a rat and a human with a non-invasive, computer-to-brain interface. Other research projects have focused on manipulating or directly implanting memories from a computer into the brain. In mid-2013, MIT researchers reported having successfully implanted a false memory into the brain of a mouse. In humans, the ability to directly manipulate memories might have an application in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, while in the longer term, information may be uploaded into human brains in the manner of a computer file. Of course, numerous ethical issues are also clearly raised by this rapidly advancing field.
2014
Top 10 emerging technologies for 2014
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Brain-Computer Interface – Merging with the Machine
In the years to come, we will explore new ways to collaborate with machines. One way, still considered to be radical by most today, would be brain-computer interfaces, moving towards a human-machine convergence. Now that wearable technology gets miniaturized and more powerful and hands-free applications are within reach, it is likely that non-invasive versions of this technology will be included in VR headset designs. Brain-computer interface designs have shown major progress and can be seen as the ultimate human-machine communication. Prominent organizations working on it are Elon Musks Neurolink, Facebook, Kernel, Emotiv and DARPA. The market is segmented into neurogaming, neuroprosthetics, and neuroanalysis, with interfaces increasingly used in healthcare for locked-in syndrome, paralysis, artifi cial limbs and others. Neuroanalysis and neuroprosthetics are the largest commercial segments driven by rehabilitation, psychological research centers and military applications. Neurogaming is mostly nascent. Currently there are three approaches used, but in all cases extensive training is necessary: • Invasive, where electrodes directly connect to the brain • Partially invasive, where the skull is penetrated, but not the brain • Noninvasive headbands • The human brain is probably the most complex organ in the universe, so brain surgery and even noninvasive neurolinks might have unknown impacts on psychology and neurology
2018
Trend Report 2018 - Emerging Technology Trends
SAP
Brain-computer interface
A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a direct communication pathway that connects nerve signals in the brain to an external computer. BCIs can be invasive (implanted within or just above the brain), or non-invasive (on the scalp surface). BCIs are used therapeutically to assist, augment or repair human cognitive, sensory or motor functions. Today, it requires training and practice to make BCIs useful and reliable. Research, artificial intelligence and more data, however, will improve this significantly. Potential near-term applications include the use of BCIs to detect lapses in attention among occupations requiring vigilance, and as a communication tool for those who have lost motor skills but retained cognition. In the future, this technology could be used to improve cognitive functions, to better understand human preferences, and to augment human capabilites such as coordination and response times. It may even be used to develop senses new to humans, such as the ability to sense magnetic fields, infrared light or radio waves.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Bottle fed
Liquid meals are typically the staple of babies and toddlers — but companies such as Soylent and Ample are creating “meal-replacement” drinks by fusing obscure ingredients, such as bioengineered algae (to provide lipids and fatty acids) and artichoke inulin (a source of carbohydrate). Beyond criticizing the potential tedium of drinking the same bottle each day, nutritionists have struggled to find fault with the health benefits of such drinks — which meet stringent US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requirements.
2017
How we eat now: five disruptive food trends
EY