LATELY, it’s as if we’ve been living through the aftermath of cataclysmic explosions: the release of generative artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT and Midjourney, a fusion breakthrough that could someday generate zero-carbon energy, and AlphaFold’s protein-folding algorithms that predicted structures for nearly all catalogued proteins known to science, to name a few. These and other forces of change are colliding, resulting in an unfathomable amount of new signals — bits of change that, over time, will result in the trends that shape society.
In this increasingly complex world, leaders who focus on the trends that matter and adapt to changing circumstances will make better decisions and see improved outcomes.
Some of the trends featured in the Future Today Institute’s 2023 Tech Trends Report are new advancements on mature technologies, while others represent frontier technologies and areas of science. When we look at the trends collectively, new centres of gravity come into focus, and we can glimpse the impacts they will have on every sector.
In this article I will share a sampling from three categories of trends with you. For those interested, the complete report can be downloaded on our website (www.futuretodayinstitute.com).
CATEGORY 1: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
If the 2010s were known for ‘perception AI’ — systems that sensed signals such as images, the 2020s will be known for ‘generative AI’. These systems not only sense and understand the world but can also generate new content, concepts and ideas while communicating with us. As a result, AI is emerging as an assistant for all knowledge workers. Within the next 18 months, we will see assistive technology developed for a variety of professions. Think GitHub’s Copilot for financial analysts, commercial real estate developers and lawyers.
Generative AI will also be incorporated into consumer applications. Already, , the popular online graphic design tool, has integrated Stable Diffusion in its platform; has incorporated ’s DALL-E 2 image-generating system into its Designer’s Bard includes an application programming interface (API) to encourage developers to start building new products.
