Top 10 Emerging Technologies 2024

The World Economic Forum [WEF] announced the publication of its annual Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report featuring technologies with the greatest potential to make a positive impact in the world in the next three to five years [June 25, 2024].Now in its 12th edition, the report serves as a vital source of strategic intelligence for professionals. It draws on insights from scientists, researchers & futurists.In addition to promising major benefits to societies & economies, these emerging technologies must also be disruptive, attractive to investors & researchers, & expected to achieve considerable scale within five years.

This year’s edition introduced an innovative trend analysis methodology, incorporating academic literature, funding trends & patent filings, to ensure the accuracy & relevance of the selected technologies. The technologies featured in the report, produced in collaboration with Frontiers, were identified through a rigorous selection process involving over 300 world-leading academics & experts from the Forum’s Global Future Councils, the University and Research Network, the Frontiers network comprising over 2,000 chief editors worldwide from top institutions, & Co-Chairs of the Emerging Technologies Steering Group.

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 & foundation models are revolutionizing the scientific discovery process. AI will enable researchers to make unprecedented connections & advancements in understanding diseases, proposing new materials, & enhancing knowledge of the human body & mind.
2. Privacy-enhancing technologies: Protecting personal privacy while providing new opportunities for global data sharing & 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 & 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 & 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) & transmission (communication). This enables environmental monitoring systems that help in smart agriculture, environmental conservation and urban planning. Integrated sensing & communication devices also promise to reduce energy & silicon consumption.
6. Immersive technology for the built world: Combining computing power with virtual & augmented reality, these technologies promise rapid improvements in infrastructure & daily systems. This technology allows designers & construction professionals to check for correspondence between physical & digital models, ensuring accuracy & safety & advancing sustainability.
7. Elastocalorics: As global temperatures rise, the need for cooling solutions is set to soar. Offering higher efficiency & lower energy use, elastocalorics release & 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 & 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.

Source:WEF