AI is the invisible architect dissolving computing into the very fabric of our lives .
— Jim Carroll
The opportunity
Develop ultra-low-power and highly efficient processors for AI and machine learning tasks by mimicking the brain’s structure and processing capabilities.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #2 : Ambient Intelligence - ""AI is the invisible architect dissolving computing into the very fabric of our lives.”” (June 2025)
We’re living in a world where computing is indeed disappearing into the environment around us, embedded in countless devices without screens or keyboards, creating seamless interactions. How big a trend is it? The global IoT market is now valued at over $1 trillion, with more than 18 billion connected devices actively in use, from smart home appliances to industrial sensors. The IP chip’s promise of low cost and ubiquity has also largely materialized, making these “net devices” an expected, integrated feature of modern life.
Even so, it’s going to happen, My original predictions suggested that these devices would possess a degree of “intelligence ,” but I didn’t anticipate the massive acceleration of all trends related to AI. Thinking about it now, it seems that AI will provide the ” brain ” for this vast network of connected devices, transforming mere connectivity into true ” smartness .” This integration, now referred to as AIoT, enables devices to learn from data, make autonomous decisions, and automate tasks at a scale and speed far beyond what we can do. It allows for real-time data analysis, informed decision-making, and continuous performance improvement by learning from patterns.
From “Megatrends One Year Later – #13: Brain and Cognitive Health – What I Predicted, and What’s Actually Happening” (August 2026)
“What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we will be doing for brain health in the 21st.” - Futurist Jim Carroll
One year ago, in July 2025, I published Megatrend #13: Brain and Cognitive Health as part of my 30 Megatrends series. Time to grade myself.
This revolution is giving rise to a new, multi-trillion-dollar “cognitive economy” — an ecosystem of science, technology, and services dedicated to understanding, preserving, and enhancing the human brain.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: Mastering 2026 – #16 Scale-blindness: “Your brain is built for addition. The future is built on multiplication.”” (December 2025)
It is the gap between intellectually knowing the numbers and viscerally comprehending what they mean for your reality in 36 months. It’s called the scale-blindness epidemic, and why your brain cannot comprehend what is coming.
Why? Because you are a human being. We are linearly wired creatures living in an exponential world. Our brains evolved to track linear threats—a lion moving across the savannah at a constant speed. We understand “ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. ” Slow, linear growth.
That’s why principle #16 in this series isn’t about learning more facts; it’s about forcing your brain to undergo a sort of e xponential shock therapy so you can cure this blindness before it’s too late. That’s because there is comfort in incremental thinking!
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #2 : Ambient Intelligence - ""AI is the invisible architect dissolving computing into the very fabric of our lives.”
Megatrends One Year Later – #13: Brain and Cognitive Health – What I Predicted, and What’s Actually Happening
Decoding Tomorrow: Mastering 2026 – #16 Scale-blindness: “Your brain is built for addition. The future is built on multiplication.”