The infographic below draws from a recent CB Insights report on eleven Tech Trends To Watch Closely in 2023. As described in the visual, CB Insights used a technology intelligence platform to analyze signals like investment activity, executive chatter in earnings transcripts, media mentions, patents, and more to identify these top eleven trends. A very interesting list with additional detail provided in the report. The invasion of super Apps is an interesting one, as WeChat has long delivered that in the east, but the west has lagged behind. It will be interesting to see if the various obstacles that have prevented its emergence in the west can be overcome. Immortality as a service is not new, but with recent advances and the growing focus of billionaires, it’s easy to see why it made the list.
Continue readingTrends and Predictions
What Experts See Coming In 2023
A recent article provides an overview of how experts think the markets will move, how trends will develop, and which risks and opportunities to watch over the coming 12 months. As usual, Visual Capitalist provides an easy to digest view of 2023 predictions based on analyzing over 500 sources. The article provides details for several of the major squares on the visual – and I recommend the quick read. Thanks to Joanna Lepore for bringing it to my attention. An example of one key take away:
Continue readingMany of the expert opinions in this year’s database are pointing to inflation easing off as the year progresses. On the downside, few predict that inflation will drop back down to the 2% range that Fed policymakers favor.
Nick Routley – Prediction Consensus: What the Experts See Coming in 2023
Rehearsing 2023
As a new year approaches, it is natural to want to predict what’s next. But, a caveat: I prefer not to speak in terms of “predictions.” I speak about “rehearsing possibilities” – understanding possible futures and envisioning outcomes.
Frank Diana – Digital Twins Reach a Tipping Point & Save Lives
That quote above was included in a recent article about digital twins. That article focused on the role that digital twins are likely to play in 2023.
Continue readingIt’s The 2023 Prediction Season
It seems like you blink and prediction season is upon us again. Futurist Bernard Marr shares his top ten technology trends list in the video below and associated article. He touches on AI, Metaverse, Web3, Digital Twins, 3D Printing, CRISPR, Quantum Computing, Green Technology, Humanoid Robots, Autonomous Systems, and Sustainable Technology. A very good list from a technology standpoint. It’s time for this ritual to focus as much on geopolitics, economics, philosophy, and society, as these domains will play a significant role in shaping possible futures.
Continue readingThree Mind-Blowing Predictions – Michio Kaku
What lies in store for humanity? Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explains how different life will be for your descendants—and maybe your future self. Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku looks decades into the future and makes three bold predictions about human space travel, the potential of ‘brain net’, and our coming victory over cancer. Here is a brief summary – but be sure to check out the video.
Continue readingSignals To Watch for In 2022
Understanding possible futures is all about signals – and there is no shortage of them. A dominant conversation these days is focused on how to sense these signals, derive foresight, and respond. While foresight helps us see possible futures, the next challenge is moving from a high degree of uncertainty to some level of actionable certainty. That step in the process is a combination of science and art. Signals manifest themselves through the current and emerging building blocks that shape our future – and they are coming at us from every corner of society. Since I don’t believe in prediction, I will focus my year-end post on signals to look for in 2022 across four key areas.
Continue reading2022 Prediction Consensus
In truth, experts are merely guessing at what will happen over the coming year. In 2020, almost nobody had a pandemic on their bingo card. In 2021, NFTs completely flew under the radar of experts, and nobody saw a container ship get lodged in the Suez Canal in their crystal ball.
Nick Routley – Prediction Consensus: What the Experts See Coming in 2022
We may not be able to predict the future but we can create it. Analyzing the thoughts of experts helps us envision possible futures – and through envisioning we open a path towards creation. In this recent article via Nick Routley, we get a big picture look at what experts predict for the coming year. This visual from the article is attributed to Visual Capitalist.
Continue reading2022 Prediction Season
It’s that time of year when the airwaves are filled with predictions. I launched my post on signals prior to the holidays, consciously avoiding the term prediction. Regardless of how I feel about predicting in the current environment, there are many thoughtful articles to consider. Here are several prediction articles that I have curated.
Continue readingWhat Big Things Can We Expect In 2021?
This week’s release of the Future Today Institute 2021 Trends Report gave leaders a lot to digest. What foresight can we quickly glean from the content? A recent Article via Amrita Khalid focused on the big trends to expect this year and beyond. At a high level, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, 5G, and social credit scores make the list. More specifically, the article identifies six big trends for this year.
Continue readingFuture Today Institute: 2021 Trends Report
Each year the Future Today Institute releases a very comprehensive trends report during SXSW. In announcing this year’s report, Founder Amy Webb had this to say:
The cataclysmic events of the past year resulted in a significant number of new signals. As a result, we’ve analyzed nearly 500 tech and science trends across multiple industry sectors. Rather than squeezing the trends into one enormous tome as we usually do, we are instead publishing 12 separate reports with trends grouped by subject. We are including what we’ve called Book Zero, which shows how we did our work. There is also an enormous, 504-page PDF with all content grouped together as one document.
Amy Webb – Future Today Institute
These reports allow us to explore weak and strong signals in a way that helps us envision possible futures. Given the high levels of uncertainty, the sheer number of building blocks, and the Convergence occurring across domains, exploration, learning, and dialog are as critical as ever. You can download the report Here. There is a lot to digest – but that is exactly the point. Thanks to Amy and her team for their continued support of this exploration process.
Hardships Are Real…But We Live In Someone Else’s Dream World
“For all the real hardships we face, we are also living in someone else’s dream world… and we now get to build towards our own future dreams.” – Jason Feifer
That is a quote from a recent Article about what the people of 1921 predicted for the year 2021. Those that follow my work as a Futurist know that I am a big believer in Applied History, with a recent focus on the thirty-year period starting in 1915. That work was recently articulated in my post on a Post Pandemic Society. In the referenced article, author Jason Feifer states that the people of 1920 recently survived World War I and the Spanish Flu of 1918, and they were witnessing a technological revolution. That was the era of electricity, commercial aviation, radio, and many other inventions in a period of great invention. Given all that transpired, those alive in that time were wondering what our world would look like in the future; something that we are also experiencing today.
Continue readingThirty Experts and Their 2021 Predictions
It is the time of year when predictions become a popular topic of conversation. To that end, Fast Company senior writer Mark Sullivan asked startup CEOs, executives at big companies, investors, and other experts for their predictions for the year ahead. Those predictions can be found Here. Here is a glimpse at what thirty experts believe we can expect.
Continue readingNon-Obvious Mega Trends
I just completed another book titled “Non-Obvious Mega Trends”. Author Rohit Bhargava focuses on seeing what no one else sees, and helping his readers do the same. Per the Amazon abstract, in the past ten years, his signature annual Non-Obvious Trend Report has helped over a million readers discover more than 100 trends changing our culture. The opening section focuses on the art of non-obvious thinking. From there, he explores the five mindsets of non-obvious thinkers, and reviews his Haystack Method for curating non-obvious Ideas.
Continue readingTechnology Pioneers Describe How the World Will Change By 2025
In a recent Article via the World Economic forum, author Saemoon Yoon identified 17 ways that technology could change the world by 2025. While the current pandemic exposed our vulnerabilities, it also shows what is achievable through collaboration. While efforts to collaborate globally must improve, a heightened visibility to the issues combined with an appreciation for the power of science and technology is a step in the right Direction. Here are snippets from the article that captures insight from 17 experts related to the world of 2025.
The Future Today Institute – 2020 Tech Trends Report
Last year I was introduced to the Future Today Institute Tech Trends Report. The free report provided a great view into 315 different trends. The 2020 Version was just released, tracking 406 strategic technology trends. As their website describes, a broad view of these trends is the best way to see around corners and spot emerging disruption. Amy Webb and her team provide one of the best reports of its kind. The link above provides access and the download page provides the following additional highlights:
The Mega-Trends that Shape the 21st Century
In a recent Article by Bryan Walsh, he describes the mega-trends that are likely to shape this century. These trends are driven by the Acceleration of innovation and a growing set of Societal Factors. In describing the seriousness of these trends, our author points to a forthcoming book titled “The Precipice”. In the book, author Toby Ord of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute gives one in six odds that humanity will suffer an existential catastrophe during the next 100 years — almost certainly due to our own actions.
In the book The Fourth Turning, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe illuminate the past, explain the present, and reimagine the future. They offer an utterly persuasive prophecy about how America’s past will predict its future. Here is what they had to say:
Looking at Possible Futures
Many Future Scenarios are spawned by convergence across multiple domains. The most obvious Convergence is occurring between science and technology. I have been posting links to numerous articles that explore possible futures. These futures are important for us to understand, as they usher in a very Pivotal Decade. Here is another set of articles that help us envision the future.
Change Has Never Been This Fast – It Will Never Be This Slow Again
Happy New Year all! As we enter the next decade, an expression that is now popular rings true: Change Has Never Been This Fast – It Will Never Be This Slow Again. It is not just the speed of change – which many attribute to Exponential Progression driven in part by the Convergence of Science and Technology – 
but the sheer number of Dots Connecting in what is a very complex system. As is customary this time of year, there is no shortage of content focused on the year or decade ahead.
What things are Likely to Disappear in the Next Ten Years?
To dematerialize is to become free of physical substance; cease to have material character or qualities. In the digital age, many things have dematerialized. The iPhone for example has eliminated cameras, GPS devices, and several other pieces of hardware. More is likely to disappear in the next ten years, as innovation renders relics from our past obsolete. Here is a List of ten things that are likely to disappear in the next ten years.
Life in 2030 could be Unrecognizable
Predictions for the new year are a normal phenomenon as the current one draws to a close – but the close of a decade is different. As we approach a new decade, predictions focus on the broad arc of the coming decade – and this Article does just that. Author Eric Mack seems to view the 2020s through the same lens that I have – a society-altering decade may lie in wait. As the author notes; life in 2030 could be unrecognizable if some of what he describes is realized. Take a read to explore these possibilities:
Reimagining the Future 