?? Unveiling the Future with Decoded: Insights from the 2024 Tech Trends Report

One of my favorite SxSW regular speakers is Amy Webb, CEO of the Future Today Institute. This year, Amy unveiled crucial insights on navigating the future of technology. The spotlight was on Artificial Intelligence, Connected Ecosystems, and Biotechnology—three pillars poised to redefine our 2024 and beyond.

???The Technology Supercycle?is upon us. In economics, a supercycle is defined as a period marked by a significant increase in demand that significantly impacts prices and spans years or even decades. This supercycle is driven by profound and lasting changes within the economy. Amy suggests that we are at the beginning of such a supercycle in technology, with innovation so impactful it is expected to fundamentally alter everything from global supply chains to daily life, political dynamics, and societal norms. Amy stressed the importance of strategic foresight to survive and thrive in this dynamic landscape. With 695 trends and 95 scenarios across 16 sections, her report is a roadmap for the future.

???AI: The Everything Engine. Beyond large language models, the emergence of Large Action Models marks the next frontier, pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve by statistically predicting your best next action, breaking it down into smaller tasks, and doing those on your behalf. I strongly agree with this point - as this has been the basis for creating our AI Business Assitant Platform, Decoder, which aims to analyze business processes and automate and enhance the underlying steps. There was also a discussion on ethics, accountability, and the potential misuse of AI, which underscores the need for vigilance and ethical frameworks.

There was also an interesting discussion on how Generative AI will move from requiring concrete prompts to very much conceptual ones - where the AI can brainstorm alongside the user and work towards a solution collaboratively. Pika (https://pika.art) is an example of an AI platform that is starting to go in this direction.

???The Connectables Era?introduces a network of devices that could lead to new forms of social scoring and a deeper digital divide. Yet, it also allows real-time data collection, fueling AI's growth. Apple's Vision Pro was hailed as a new generation of "face computers" - it also led to an interesting intersection with the Large Action Model concept, as the Vision Pro can analyze pupil movements. Pupils involuntarily react to thoughts earlier than a human's ability to speak or move, allowing a connectable device to respond to pupil movements to understand your intentions and predict the next best move — scary stuff.

???Generative Biology: There was a significant discussion of developments in Materials Science, such as Evo (https://arcinstitute.org/news/blog/evo), an AI model for biological research that can interpret DNA, RNA, and proteins and enable generative design at the molecular and genomic levels.

A leap into the future was discussed, where we could grow our computers rather than build them, moving beyond silicon-based systems to "organoid intelligence, where biocomputers are made out of human brain cells - which could be faster, more powerful, and cheaper than their silicone equivalents.

???Recommendations for Governments and Businesses: Amy's closing recommendations were establishing a Department of Transition, helping businesses to map value networks, and embracing strategic foresight, which are all crucial steps to adapting and thriving in this supercycle.

?? As we stand at the cusp of monumental changes, it is vital to ask "What if?" and explore personal and professional scenarios that prepare us for the unknown.

?? This talk is a call to professionals, governments, and businesses to gear up for an era where adaptation, foresight, and ethical considerations will dictate success.

Get in touch to see how Decoded can help unlock valuable business opportunities utilizing the latest technologies and how Decoder can automate and enhance core business proceses.

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