WEF lists top 10 emerging technologies for 2023
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently named the top 10 emerging technologies of 2023.
Topping the list are flexible batteries, and thin and lightweight power sources that can be manipulated without losing functionality. The WEF predicts they will revolutionize sectors such as medical wearables, flexible displays, and smartwatches.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) also stands out with applications spanning education, research, and beyond.
The list also includes sustainable aviation fuel, a crucial innovation for decarbonizing the aviation industry, derived from biological and non-biological sources.
Designer phages, viruses that selectively infect specific types of bacteria, and the metaverse for mental health, an innovation using video games and VR-enabled meditation, also made the cut.
Moreover, the list highlighted wearable plant sensors, spatial omics, flexible neural electronics, and AI-facilitated healthcare.
Sustainable computing is also named a crucial trend. With data centers accounting for approximately 1% of global electricity production, the organization highlights the growing relevance of technologies such as liquid cooling systems and modular data centers in achieving net-zero-energy data centers.
“New technologies have the power to disrupt industries, grow economies, improve lives, and safeguard the planet — if designed, scaled, and deployed responsibly,” said Jeremy Jurgens, WEF Managing Director and Head of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We hope that this year’s report serves as a powerful tool for business leaders and policy-makers to unlock the transformative potential of emerging technologies and shape their inclusive adoption.”
