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Agriculture is becoming more automated, data-driven and less constrained by daylight, location and traditional operating rhythms.

1. 4D Printing: 3D printing is already so yesterday. In fact, while it's getting a lot of attention, it's actually 30 years old. And yes, it's got a long way to go in terms of its real adoption and impact; it's barely scratched the surface in the world of manufacturing. But the newest buzz is around 4D printing, or what we might call 'customizable' smart...

Even as trend #1 - "techno-skepticism" - takes hold in our global consciousness, a second more profound trend is underway. For lack of a better phrase, let's call it "Accelerating Acceleration." How does this reconcile with techno-skepticism?

Speed up the identification of new disease mechanisms, therapeutic targets, and diagnostic tools, leading to faster development of innovative treatments and cures for a wide range of medical conditions.

Build a skilled workforce capable of designing, operating, and maintaining the advanced technologies that are transforming industries, ensuring future competitiveness.

The youngest generation now entering the full-time workforce was born right after 9/11.

Follow the trend involving the exponentiation of pure science, and we might soon be able to architect aircraft that are lighter than air - just like that of Wonder Woman's jet! That's where the fast emerging trend of new materials science might potentially lead us.

Accelerate the potential for rapid prototyping, customized part production, on-demand manufacturing, and the creation of complex geometries, leading to faster product development and supply chain optimization.

Meet individual customer needs more precisely, reduce inventory waste associated with mass production, and enhance product relevance and customer satisfaction.

Boost productivity through automation, protect human workers from hazardous or strenuous tasks, and create platforms for AI to further optimize and control industrial processes.

2. Amazonification of Industries: Amazon has everyone in its crosshairs as it moves beyond the sale of hard products. This include the home repair/renovation business, to optometrists or heading specialists, to automotive repair. Amazon isn't just about selling goods -- increasingly, it's about selling the services that go with those goods. And if your...

Enable greater design freedom, facilitate the use of sustainable and innovative building materials, reduce material waste, and potentially lower construction costs for complex structures.

Enable highly personalized disease risk assessment, tailor preventative strategies based on an individual's genetic makeup, and optimize drug selection and dosage to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse effects.

Enable manufacturers to quickly adapt to changing market demands, produce smaller, customized batches efficiently, and integrate new technologies like AI and IoT for smarter, more responsive production systems.

Minimize environmental impact, reduce operational energy and water consumption, improve indoor environmental quality for occupants, and enhance long-term asset value.

Increase energy system resilience, integrate diverse renewable energy sources more effectively, reduce transmission losses, and empower consumers with more control over their energy generation and usage.

Protect communities and economies from the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other climate-related hazards.

Optimize the flow of electricity, accommodate intermittent renewables like solar and wind, reduce energy waste, improve grid reliability, and empower consumers with more choices.

Technology destroys some tasks and roles while creating new categories of work, often faster than education and career systems can respond.

15. Chief Robotics Officers / Chief Automation Officers . According to IDC, 30% of tech and companies in the automation space will fill such a position in the coming year. Automation is all the rage, with many dire predictions on the impact on jobs and careers. But there is more to it than that, with the result that as robotics and automation continues...

10. Collaborative careers take over. With ongoing specialization of knowledge, organizations will find that they will have to spend more time simply coordinating access to knowledge. The trend is already playing out in health care: one study found that physicians believe they will send more time on leading teams and coordinating care, than on the...

17. Complexity partnerships drive innovation. AS things become more complex, companies realize they can't do it all on their own. More JV's, skills partnerships, and other forms of talent access become critical. Consider a GE study: 85% of senior executives are concerned about the velocity introduced by digitization and are open to idea collaboration;...

The time between idea, design, launch and obsolescence is shrinking across many industries.

You won't be selling tomorrow what you sell today. You'll either be selling something very, very different, or you won't be selling anything at all. You need to reinvent, continuously, and quickly.

The pace of new ideas, innovations, concepts, scientific discoveries, and product breakthroughs is occurring at such a pace that the need to align to a world of tomorrow is even more necessary today.

Tap into the Earth's consistent subsurface heat for a reliable, renewable, and low-emission source of electricity and direct heating, available 24/7.

Improve forecasting, logistics, and inventory management from farm to consumer, minimizing spoilage and losses, and ensuring more efficient distribution of food resources.

Safeguard global crop diversity and wild plant relatives against climate change, disease, and habitat loss, ensuring future food security and preserving biodiversity for research and restoration.

Provide automated assistance, remote health monitoring, safety alerts, and user-friendly interfaces that support autonomy, well-being, and quality of life.

Tailor educational content and pace to individual student needs, enhance engagement, improve learning outcomes, and provide accessible opportunities for continuous skill development.

Growing complexity rewards people who can combine deep expertise with the ability to work across disciplines.

Defend critical infrastructure, data, and digital systems from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks that leverage artificial intelligence for enhanced capabilities and evasion.

Augment human intelligence, rapidly process vast datasets, identify novel patterns and solutions, and significantly shorten the timelines for discovery and innovation.

Optimize food production, distribution, and consumption based on real-time demand and supply data, thereby reducing food waste, improving food system efficiency, and enhancing food security.

Enhance traceability of goods, verify product authenticity and provenance, improve accountability for labor practices and environmental standards, and reduce fraud.

Remove significant amounts of CO2 from industrial emissions and the atmosphere, helping to mitigate climate change and potentially creating valuable carbon-based products.

Make the reasoning behind AI outputs understandable to humans, which is crucial for critical applications in healthcare, finance, and autonomous systems, fostering adoption and accountability.

Provide more accurate and timely alerts for events like earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and wildfires, allowing for better preparedness, evacuation, and response to save lives and reduce damage.

Enhance energy independence for communities, improve grid stability and resilience against large-scale outages, and facilitate the local generation and sharing of renewable energy.

Enable advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), over-the-air software updates, predictive maintenance, enhanced infotainment, and the future integration of autonomous driving capabilities.

Digital twins move experimentation into a virtual environment where products, facilities and systems can be modeled before physical change occurs.

Sometimes it does seem like the world has gone mad – extremely divisive politics, a rise in hate crimes, absolute emotional terrorism on social networks, attacks on public institutions, and increasing violence. Everyone has a feeling that things are getting out of hand. That’s why trend #12 on my “23 Trends for 2023” is the issue of “Doubling Down on...

More of the economy is being reorganized around electricity, storage, renewable generation and software-managed power.

Create a vast network of intelligent devices (Internet of Things) that can communicate and share data, enabling smarter systems, automated processes, and more informed decision-making in all aspects of life.

Most companies are on a path trying to get key employees back to the office. Return to work is the beating drum.

there's going to be more of it it's going to come at us with greater speed and intensity unless we are watching really carefully, we won't be aware of it until we have to deal with it the implications of not dealing with new risks will become more severe as time moves on it's not the known risk that will get us - it's the unknown risk that matters there...

9. "Exercise is medicine" is the new medicine: in which physical therapy becomes a formalized part of medical treatment programs. This will include prescriptions written by doctors that provide for treatment by fitness professionals. The goal of EIM is to slow, stop or reverse the progression of chronic diseases: and as those diseases and the resultant...

Gather crucial data on ocean warming, acidification, sea-level rise, and marine biodiversity, enabling more accurate climate modeling and informed conservation efforts.

Enhance the ecological health of farmland, increase its resilience to climate change, reduce the need for synthetic inputs, and contribute to carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere.

Understand how the trillions of microbes in and on our bodies influence our physiology, immunity, and susceptibility to various conditions, leading to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Produce meat, dairy, and other animal products directly from cell cultures, potentially reducing the environmental impact of traditional livestock farming, improving animal welfare, and enhancing food safety.

Next month will mark 3 years since individuals and organizations began to go through the largest disruption they will ever know. With lockdowns, a staggering loss of human life, work-from-home, and the rapid emergence of a digital lifestyle and e-commerce infrastructure - we all had to learn to adapt quickly.

Empower artists and creators with new tools for generating novel forms of art, music, and literature, exploring new aesthetic possibilities and augmenting human creativity.

7. Gadgets get dumb: In 2017, low-tech innovation will gain increasing attention as the marvel of 'smart things' begins to wear off. People are beginning to realize that many smart things are really 'dumb things' because of bad design. They'll begin to rebel or lose interest in many aspects of the Internet of Things, and all the complexities that comes...

Different generations bring different expectations about technology, work, consumption, institutions and personal priorities.

11. Green China: in 2017, the environment will be under siege: the new political reality will likely result in a pushback against anything environmental in the US. A new of uncertainty will drive away investment. The result? Many of the next wave innovations with wind, solar, tidal and other alternative forms of energy will come from a most unsurprising...

Have ever watched a 2 year old go from an iPad to a flat-screen TV in the living room? They try to get the TV to respond in the same way by touching the screen, and are kind of mystified. Another take - one executive that booked me told the story of their 3 year old wandering around the house talking to all kinds of devices - and wondering why didn't...

Provide city planners and citizens with detailed, up-to-the-minute data on environmental quality, enabling better pollution control, public health interventions, and urban biodiversity management.

Automate repetitive tasks, improve decision-making accuracy, identify anomalies and suspicious activities more effectively, and free up human capital for more complex and creative endeavors.

Create optimized building designs based on specific performance criteria, automate complex construction tasks, minimize material waste, and enable novel architectural forms.

Identify potential pandemic threats earlier, forecast disease spread more accurately, optimize resource allocation, and accelerate the development of countermeasures like vaccines and treatments.

Provide workers with real-time information overlays, step-by-step visual guidance for complex tasks, and immersive training experiences, thereby improving efficiency, accuracy, and safety.

Improve operational efficiency, enhance safety by reducing human error in hazardous environments, enable 24/7 operations, and optimize resource utilization in sectors like mining, logistics, and agriculture.

Expand access to healthcare services, enable continuous health tracking for chronic conditions, reduce hospital readmissions, and provide more personalized and timely medical interventions regardless of patient location.

Enhance transaction speed and convenience for consumers, improve hygiene by reducing physical contact, and streamline payment processing for businesses.

Enable virtual modeling, simulation, and real-time monitoring of construction projects, leading to reduced errors, faster project completion, improved safety, and optimized lifecycle management of built assets.

Enable farmers to efficiently assess crop health, identify pest infestations or nutrient deficiencies early, optimize irrigation and fertilization, and improve overall farm management and yields.

Gather vast amounts of real-world data, enable remote control and automation of devices and systems, and create new services and efficiencies across homes, cities, and industries.

Optimize dietary recommendations according to an individual's unique biological makeup and health status, improving overall well-being and preventing diet-related diseases.

Companies and people fight the future. Inevitability, they come to accept the inevitability of it all!

A futurist must always be a relentless optimist, particularly on stage. We've been engaged to provide a tour of the future that provides our audience a sense of hope and opportunity. As I will often joke, I can't go in front of a 1,000 people and start out by saying, "Guess what! Your future sucks!"

Transform traditional products into smart, connected devices, offering enhanced user experiences, new functionalities through software, and valuable data insights for manufacturers and users.

Do you ever stop and stare at streetlights and wondering how they are changing in the era of acceleration? I do!

Unlock novel functionalities, improve performance characteristics (e.g., strength, conductivity, efficiency), enable entirely new technologies, and drive innovation across diverse sectors from electronics to aerospace.

Provide a sustainable and secure source of fresh water for arid regions and drought-stricken areas, reducing reliance on over-exploited freshwater resources.

Engage the public in scientific data collection and analysis, expanding research capacity, fostering scientific literacy, and enabling large-scale studies that would otherwise be impossible.

Speed up delivery times, reduce operational costs, lower carbon emissions from traditional delivery vehicles, and meet consumer demand for faster and more convenient shipping.

Increase access to mental healthcare services through digital platforms, offer tailored interventions, reduce stigma, and provide continuous support for individuals' well-being.

14. IoIT takes over from IOT - Connected intelligence is the new AI, as the Intelligent-Internet-of-Things takes over from boring old Internet-of-Things devices. Quite simply, smart devices become smarter by talking to other smart devices. As they do so, insight gained from connectivity comes to redefine the future of the product. Consider this simple...

The useful life of knowledge and skills is shrinking while the volume of available knowledge keeps expanding.

It used to be about what you know. Now it's not only about what you know, but how fast you need to know it!

30 years of studying and working with global innovation leaders - and those who have failed - teach me the key lesson of transformative innovation: those who succeed are not afraid to step up and look out over the leading edge.

Folks don't want to talk about the pandemic anymore, but we should, for despite all the awful things that happened, and the massive divisions it has caused in society, one thing is clear: the way that organizations organize, learners learn, science sciences, and experts' expertise, has forever changed.

Manufacturing is moving away from standardized volume alone toward flexible systems that can produce greater variation at scale.

8. Micro-personalization. We'll witness the acceleration of the trend to the world of 'you.' One size solutions that don't 'fit-all', but fit you. Think, for example, about advances in genomic medicine that allow for engineering of medical treatments for particular genetic profiles - a trend that is closer to reality as a result of the ongoing reduction...

Part of the art of figuring out the future is knowing this - you'll often find the real trend by looking beyond the hype to what's actually happening! The hype? Virtual headset virtual reality, best epitomized by the bold but somewhat doomed bet by Mark Zuckerberg with his Meta initiative. The reality? The return of Google Glass ideas with smart heads-up...

Not hot: cryptocurrency, the Metaverse, Web 3.0, NFT's, and more

There might be a recession in 2023. Or, maybe not!

We all know the phrase - insanity is doing the same thing and over again and expecting a different result each time. It doesn't happen. Neither does the mindset of clinging to old business models, out-of-date product ideas, irrelevant concepts, and reliance on yesterday's strategy. In the context of that, it also includes the end of the era of oil and...

Medicine is becoming more individualized as genomics, biomarkers and data make diagnosis, prevention and treatment more specific to the person.

Retail is becoming a blended physical-digital environment in which stores, mobile interfaces, identity, inventory and data operate as one system.

Healthcare is shifting from reacting to illness toward identifying risk earlier through data, genomics, remote monitoring and predictive analytics.

Ensure that employees have the necessary skills to collaborate with automated systems, manage new technological tools, and transition into higher-value jobs created by technological advancement.

6. Prognostic diagnostics takes centre stage: While autonomous and self-driving vehicles are all the rage, an equally important transformation is underway. That's the fact that hyper connectivity (aka the Internet of Things) brings companies the ability to diagnose things from afar. It means that transportation, utility, appliance, and other companies...

Empower individuals to effectively use digital tools, critically evaluate online information, identify misinformation, and participate safely and responsibly in the digital world.

5. Ransomware of things. If you thought Internet-of-Things denial of service attacks were bad, wait until you start seeing the impact of this trend. We'll see the emergence of fascinating new hack attacks in which someone will be able to take control of an entire range of Internet connected devices from one manufacturer -- home thermostats, house alarms...

Ensure businesses proactively integrate digital tools, data analytics, and software-defined processes to maintain competitiveness, innovate rapidly, and meet evolving customer expectations.

If what you sell, who you sell it to, how you sell it, and essentially, what it actually is - you've got to change things. If who you are, how you learn, what you know, and what you need to know, you need to reinvent. That means you need to reimagine your future - because it will be fundamentally different from everything you know today.

We need to plan faster with bigger goals in mind – but we’ve been distracted.

16. Same Day Infrastructure Hubs: As 'same day' becomes a regular part of our daily lives, more companies will invest in the infrastructure required to support it. It won't involve just the same day shipping of goods. For example, the trend for same food delivery is leading to the emergence of commercial kitchens being created in low-rent, low-cost...

Conserve precious freshwater resources by treating wastewater to a high quality suitable for non-potable or even potable reuse, creating a circular water economy.

Reduce reliance on fossil fuel-based plastics, decrease plastic pollution in the environment, and create a more circular economy for materials.

Improve construction quality and consistency, reduce project timelines, minimize onsite waste and disruption, and enhance worker safety through controlled factory environments.

We're moving from a world of two-dimensional 'location intelligence' - think of all the things involving GPS technology - to a world of 3D spatial intelligence - and the this will lead the birth of several new "next" billion dollar industries

It hasn't been a great year for tech. Things went too far. And so the tech collapse in 2022 was entirely predictable.

There is a furious rate of scientific advance with the science of bio-materials - and the use of living tissue for medical implants and procedures will be here sooner than you think! Some experts within the industry think it is only a matter of years, not decades, before we can grow living arms and legs for transplant.

"All your base are being to us!" That's what happens with the transfer of control of the future from idea-tired, change-resistant, policy-weak and narrow-thinking baby boomers to the first adult generation weaned on the Internet.

Over the last few years, 3 of the world's largest global legal firms have asked me in for a talk on the new risks and challenges they are faced with in the era of acceleration. In addition, another one invited me for a similar talk in Dallas and Chicago for their major clients - a vast collection of chief legal officers from global Fortune 500 companies.

The same acceleration that creates extraordinary capability also increases the speed, scale and complexity of risk.

We live in perilous, scary times - there are people around you who actually believe the wild conspiracies found in this image below. (And actually, if you go down the rabbit hole of the creator, you will find a store where you can buy a poster of it - and some equally crazy stuff.)

One of the most significant challenges of our time has to do with seniors care - but there is a chance that what we did with heart health in the 20th century, we can repeat with brain health in the 21st century.

As synthetic content and algorithmic mediation expand, signals of human origin, imperfection and direct trust become more valuable.

In almost every single industry, there are people who are thinking big and bold about the opportunities that surround them. This includes completely rethinking about the nature of the product that they are bringing to the marketplace or the service that they might offer.

Supply chains? They'll start to disappear as we move the physical production of product closer to the consumer with 3D printing, end of runway manufacturing, and tremendous innovations in last mile delivery!

Some of my 19 trends for 2019 aren't profound, in that people are already aware of them. What is important is acknowledging the speed and reality of the trend, and in 2019, the acceleration is real. So here's the thing: despite the current moment of political idiocy around us involving 19th coal, there is one undeniable fact going into the future : oil...

As a futurist, I'm often called on by Fortune 1000 organizations to speak at their global leadership meetings, you get a sense as to what CEO's and senior executives are concentrating on.

4. The expectation gap: This is a huge issue for 2017, obviously, but people aren't really thinking about what to do with it. Quite simply, people have developed expectations that won't be met. The gap has always been there, but it is evident that it is growing! For examples, consider the perception that people have with respect to the payout that their...

Longer lives and changing work patterns are creating societies in which five generations are active at the same time.

What’s the essence of the trend? Simply put, you likely don’t have the skills that you need to get into our faster, more complicated future. You’ve got machine operators, but you need 3D printing experts; land surveyors when you require location intelligence professionals; or gas engine designers when you need experts in penguin behaviour.

#6 - The Gaming Generation Redefines the Future of Work

Globalization as we know it is over -and with that, one of the most basic assumptions which have driven the post-World War 2 economy has come to an end.

3. The Impact of Generational Time Shifting. Baby boomers are living longer and retiring later. Millennials are marrying later, having kids later, and buying houses later. The next generation moves out of their parents homes later. Take a look around, and whatever the case may be, people are doing things later in life than they used to! The implications...

Simply put, megacities are the future. This results in new careers, new infrastructure, new innovation, new trends! Cities own the future, and the impact will be everywhere. One example? The acceleration of vertical farming concepts!

As they say, timing is everything, particularly when it comes to the issue of getting involved in any particular trend. In the era of acceleration, it becomes even more critical. You'd better make sure you are ready with any trend of importance and relevance, because the future might happen before you know it.

There can't be a bigger story in tech this year - other than the self-inflicted destruction of many aspects of the tech sector through hubris, arrogance, and fraud - than what has happened with AI.

They're everywhere! Little robots scurrying about, doing the jobs that humans don't want to do!

13. The Yottabit era. It's said that a self-driving car is capturing and processing 7 terabytes of data per hour !That's a huge amount of information, and is indicative of the fact that the big shift in transportation is that cars are essentially just becoming computers on wheels. The typical truck today contains more technology than a Cessna airplane,...

Trend #5 of my ‘23 Trends for 2023” – Transformation, Not Innovation!

AI is moving from a discrete software capability into a general-purpose layer embedded across products, workflows and decisions.

Significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from transportation, lower reliance on fossil fuels, and decrease vehicle operating costs due to cheaper fuel and maintenance.

Reduce environmental degradation, conserve natural resources, decrease pollution, and create new economic opportunities by keeping materials in use for as long as possible.

12. UI Supremacy. As dumb-devices take centre stage, innovators will work to reverse the trend through better design. User interface design will be HOT, and one of the most in-demand skills going forward! Think about it: in many industries, the first efforts into the world of smart things resulted in some pretty stupid devices! Have you ever tried to use...

Enable more accurate risk assessment through continuous data streams (e.g., from IoT devices, telematics), leading to fairer premium pricing, personalized insurance products, and proactive risk mitigation advice.

Create more sustainable, livable, and efficient urban environments by improving transportation systems, energy distribution, waste management, and public services based on data-driven insights.

Detect cancers at their earliest, most treatable stages, leading to significantly improved patient outcomes, reduced treatment intensity, and lower healthcare costs associated with late-stage cancer care.

Enhance precision agriculture, reduce the need for herbicides, lower fuel consumption, optimize planting and harvesting operations, and free up human farmers for more strategic tasks.

Accelerate the identification of potential drug candidates, predict their efficacy and safety, and streamline clinical trial processes, bringing life-saving medicines to patients faster.

Enable elderly individuals to live independently for longer, provide caregivers with real-time health alerts, and allow for timely intervention in case of emergencies or declining health.

Monitor vehicle health in real-time, anticipate potential failures before they occur, schedule maintenance proactively, and maximize the operational availability of transportation and logistics assets.

Increase production speed and throughput, improve product quality and consistency, enhance worker safety by automating dangerous tasks, and enable more flexible and adaptive manufacturing lines.

Improve the quality and yield of delicate agricultural produce, reduce food loss due to damage, and address labor shortages in the agricultural sector.

When four industries come together to pursue a trend, you’ve got something big happening. And that’s what’s going on as healthcare, the food industry, the agricultural and technology industries come together to pursue one of the biggest trends of our time.