The 50 most promising opportunities for governments, societies and individuals in the future were unveiled today with the publishing of a new report at the World Government Summit 2023.
The Future Opportunities Report: The Global 50, launched by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), highlights opportunities across various sectors, as well as 10 global megatrends. Among the opportunities are solutions to overcoming some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as tools and technologies that support scientific advancement, economic growth, government work and social development.
His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: “The world is witnessing a continuous race against changes that are measured in hours and days, and we have to deal with rapid developments as countries, cities and societies. The primary task of governments today is to anticipate the occurrence of major transformations, to anticipate the opportunities they bring, and to reduce the risks associated with them. In order to live the future that we want to see, we must be prepared to tackle its challenges and start shaping it today.”
“This report highlights 50 promising opportunities that provide an accessible framework to encourage thoughtful reflection about the future: a navigation tool in an era of quantum shifts. We hope that such efforts will enhance the ability of societies to identify future scenarios and continue to explore new opportunities. These include changes in education systems, increased reliance on robotics, innovative agriculture, the provision of unlimited energy, new materials and energy storage in space,” added Al Gergawi.
“The UAE believes in the ability of societies to design the future and harness its opportunities. We are working under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build the future we aspire to by continuing to prepare for challenges and opportunities as well as understanding the major trends that will shape our future,” he continued.
HE Al Gergawi concluded: “History has proven that human creativity makes us capable of addressing challenges and creating better futures. We occasionally need to re-evaluate what we have achieved and adjust our course when we identify a better potential future by learning from the past and seizing new opportunities.”
The report is part of DFF’s work to enable decision-makers, entrepreneurs, experts and legislators to stay abreast of global trends to help them keep pace. The Global 50 report was created alongside 30 international experts and several of DFF’s partners from the public, private and academic sectors. The report offers inspirations and insights across 5 categories including:
Health Reimagined
The Health Reimagined section of the report explores using gene therapies and advanced nutritional approaches to boost health. It also delves into topics such as the possibility of regenerating critical tissues throughout life and bioengineering in developing treatments for diseases, providing prevention and treatment for diseases. It also explores materials to reduce stress and improve sleep, advancements in neuroscience to erase past trauma, and the establishment of digitally disconnected zones where people can recharge, protected by powerful shields to block electromagnetic radiation and interference.
Enhanced Collaboration
The report addresses many future opportunities in the field of human and technological collaboration, such as the ability of artificial intelligence to innovate and generate new business ideas. It also explores how human creativity can challenge machines and counterbalance embedded artificial intelligence, the future of a collaborative economy, advances in brain mapping techniques, and the importance of generational diversity on boards. This section also explores developing space legislation.
Nature Restored
Nature and sustainability are key themes. The report examines phasing out excessive land use to restore biodiversity, adapting wheels and tires to reduce pollution, and the possibility of developing a responsive centennial plan for the planet. Nature Restored also explores global efforts to advance nanotechnologies to build a self-repairing atmosphere, preserving ice coverage on the planet, strengthening global cooperation to achieve climate neutrality, purifying air from particulate matter, and reducing agriculture’s water use.
Societies Empowered
The report looks at employing advanced connectivity to enable better collaboration and exchanges. Other future opportunities include the possibility of developing a global voting system to enable whole-planet decision-making, the possibility of advanced machine intelligence to help policy-makers design policies, an international convention to protect human rights in the digital world and using quantum encryption to protect the integrity of avatars in virtual worlds.
Transformational Opportunities
The report also addresses several opportunities in future innovations, including the possibility of generating solar energy in space, the development of Web 3.0 legislation, new tools for detecting fraud, and using artificial intelligence to deliver orders. The section also explores a new global future growth index to measure the progress of countries and the possibility of X-raying the entire planet Earth to discover new resources.
10 Megatrends
The 10 global megatrends listed in the report include increased research activity and funding in the area of materials science, data becoming more available, cybersecurity, the growing need for energy driving exploration and innovation, and environmental impact management increasingly moving towards the management of ecosystems.
Other megatrends include the emergence a borderless world, the acceleration of the transition to new digital realities, human relationships with robots, a shift in people’s understanding and expectations of self-realization due to advanced technology, and the increased interest in nutrition and improving health.
The full version of the Future Opportunities Report: The Global 50 can be found in both Arabic and English on Dubai Future Foundation’s website: www.dubaifuture.ae