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Associated Emerging Topics:
1.1Advanced AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) aims to build machines that are able to behave in ways we associate with human activity: perceiving and analysing our environment, taking decisions, communicating and learning. There are various approaches to achieving this. The most well-known, and arguably most advanced, is machine learning (ML), which itself has various broad approaches.
1.2Quantum Revolution
Systems made up of subatomic particles like electrons and photons are subject to physical laws unlike the ones we are familiar with. Quantum technologies make use of two phenomena unique to such quantum systems. One is “superposition”, where a quantum entity’s physical properties remain undefined until they are measured, creating an entirely novel mechanism for encoding information. The other is “entanglement”, where quantum entities have intertwined properties that mean action on one entity instantly affect the outcome of future actions on its entangled twin, even when they are physically separated.
1.3Unconventional Computing
The silicon transistor is one of the most fundamental inventions in human history, birthing the Information Age and transforming the lives of billions of humans in just a few decades. But the exponential improvements in computing performance predicted by Moore’s Law have begun to falter as the technology hits fundamental physical limits. This has sparked renewed interest in alternative computing technologies that could provide workarounds to these constraints.
1.4Augmented Reality
People's digital experiences have become a central part of their daily lives, thanks to the advent of personal computers, smartphones and social media. Now real and virtual worlds are poised to become even more tightly enmeshed as augmented reality (AR) technology advances.
1.5Collective Intelligence
Solving the world's biggest challenges will require input from large numbers of people with diverse experience and expertise, all of whom must be able to work collaboratively. The field of Collective Intelligence (CI) aims to understand the dynamics underpinning human collaboration and discover new ways to enhance and guide these processes. The field is founded on the principle that when people come together to solve problems, the sum is greater than its parts.
Related Content:
Opportunity
Quantum technology is an issue of geopolitical importance, becoming a critical infrastructure important to national security and innovation capability. The last decade has seen major breakthroughs in research, leading to an increase and investment from the private sector from $1.5b to $22b in the last five years.
Opportunity
There are 56 artificial intelligence (AI) startups worth over $1 billion today. That is a testament to the enormous power of deep learning, which has found transformative applications in everything from finance to healthcare. These approaches require huge amounts of data and computational power, however, which means that advances are increasingly driven by a handful of large companies and governments.
Invited Contribution
During the past year, the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) has consulted over 1200 scientists globally about which scientific advances in the coming 5, 10 and 25 years could have strong implications on the individual, our societies and the planetary ecosystem. This anticipatory mapping is described in the Science Breakthrough Radar and provides an overview of some of the emerging scientific topics which require significant anticipation and attention from world leaders. However, the pace of science and technology is such that this anticipation needs to be constantly reviewed and updated, and take in consideration the latest developments.
Opportunity
In 2019, Google used a computer with 54 quantum bits, or qubits, to perform a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world's most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years to complete. The answers had little practical use, but it marked a major inflection point in the development of quantum technology.
Actions & Debates
Our monitoring tool — which provides live data on the actions of selected civil society actors (citizens, small groups and NGOs) — detected close to 43,000 “actions” in the areas covered by the Quantum Revolution & Advanced AI scientific platform. This is less than for other platforms. However, we see a steady increase of activity related to generative AI over the months across our four indicator categories: raising public awareness; entrepreneurial activities; policy-oriented activities, and contributions to science and technology.
Actions & Debates
Analysis of mainstream media articles, blog posts and scientific articles over a period of 12 months reveals that the overall sentiment towards Advanced AI and Quantum Revolution is very positive.
Opportunity
Augmented and extended reality technologies which blend our digital and physical experiences are beginning to transform industry, work, education, and social platforms. With tens of billions of dollars being invested today to lead to a transition in the way people use their smartphones, consume information, and interact with each other, the extended reality ecosystem could be a $1.5 trillion opportunity by 2030. The blurring of boundaries between realities, however, holds enormous implications for how citizens, communities, and leaders comprehend the world around them.
Invited Contribution
We have entered the “age of abundance”: a huge number of historical sources – books, documents, pamphlets and media of all sorts – have by now been digitised, and the amount of digital-born material is growing at an even faster pace. This boom is paired with new forms of access: in principle, digital sources that are made available online can be studied from anywhere in the world, and powerful digital tools allow us to study the big data of the past in a new fashion.