World Economic Forum Highlights Top 10 Emerging Technologies to Address Global Challenges

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released its annual Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report, showcasing technologies with the potential to significantly impact the world over the next three to five years.

“Organizations make better choices when they understand the factors shaping the future. The report identifies technologies poised to significantly influence societies and economies,” said Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. “It also spotlights technologies with immense potential for revolutionizing connectivity, addressing the urgent challenges of climate change, and driving innovation across various fields.”

Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor at Frontiers, added, “Drawing on the expertise of Frontiers’ Chief Field Editors worldwide brings our shared commitment to transformative science into clear focus, bringing insight and clarity to breakthrough technology that has the ability to change societies, economies, and lives for the better. This is open science in action and we are delighted to partner with the World Economic Forum in bringing these technologies to the attention of business, science, and political leaders across the globe.”

The Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024 are:

1. AI for Scientific Discovery: Advances in deep learning, generative AI, and foundational models are revolutionizing research, enabling unprecedented progress in understanding diseases, developing new materials, and enhancing knowledge of the human body and mind.
2. Privacy-Enhancing Technologies: “Synthetic data” is transforming data handling by protecting personal privacy while enabling global data sharing and collaboration, with powerful applications in health-related research.
3. Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: These surfaces turn ordinary walls and surfaces into intelligent components for wireless communication, enhancing energy efficiency in wireless networks and promising numerous applications, from smart factories to vehicular networks.
4. High-Altitude Platform Stations: Using aircraft, blimps, and 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 allows for simultaneous data collection and transmission, facilitating environmental monitoring systems for smart agriculture, environmental conservation, and urban planning, while reducing energy and silicon consumption.
6. Immersive Technology for the Built World: Combining computing power with virtual and augmented reality, these technologies promise rapid improvements in infrastructure and daily systems. This technology allows designers and construction professionals to ensure accuracy and safety and advance sustainability.
7. Elastocalorics: As global temperatures rise, the need for efficient cooling solutions is critical. Elastocalorics, which release and absorb heat under mechanical stress, offer 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: Proteins sourced from single-cell organisms, algae, and food waste could offer sustainable solutions for the agricultural industry.
10. Genomics for Transplants: The successful implantation of genetically engineered organs into humans marks a significant advancement in healthcare, offering hope to millions awaiting transplants.

About the Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report

Now in its 12th edition, the Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report serves as a vital source of strategic intelligence for professionals. Drawing on insights from scientists, researchers, and futurists, the report identifies technologies poised to significantly influence societies and economies. In addition to promising major benefits, these emerging technologies must also be disruptive, attractive to investors and researchers, and expected to achieve considerable scale within five years.