Tech Experts Predict What 2025 Will Look Like

A World Economic Forum report contains predictions from more than 800 information technology executives and researchers about what impacts technology will have on the world by 2025.

Nearly everyone surveyed was bullish on the life-changing prospects of the Internet of Things.  More than 90 percent of those queried for the report said they believed at least 10 percent of people will be wearing Internet-connected clothing by 2025, and 90 percent of people will have access to unlimited and free digital storage supported by advertising.

More than 89 percent believe there will be at least 1 trillion Internet-connected sensors by 2025. Some of the major firsts expected by more than 80 percent of the respondents include the first robotic pharmacist in the U.S.

3D printing—a technology that still hasn’t revolutionized any industry—will apparently upend multiple industries in the near future. 80 per cent of respondents predict the first car produced by a three-dimensional (3D) printer, the first government replacing its census with big-data sources, and the first commercially available implantable mobile phone.

Nearly four in five expect 90 percent of the population will be using smartphones and have regular access to the Internet by 2025. Slightly more than 75 percent believe a 3D-printed liver will have been successfully transplanted by 2025.

Some of the predictions with less broad support include several dealing with self-driving cars and blockchain technology, and an artificial intelligence being given a seat on a corporate board of directors.

The report includes the full list of the tipping points this group of experts believe we’ll reach in the next ten years. Read the report