Digital worlds
The next level
“Predictions say that about sixty five per cent of economic growth in large economies will be related to new digital technologies; therefore, the foundation of the digital infrastructure needs strengthening.”
Since the start of the industrial revolution, technological innovation has impacted both lifestyles and living standards. Technological progress impacts our work, communication, production processes and organisations, prompting new products, services and business models to emerge. The impact of technology on how we live our lives is much more than we imagined and this will only increase in the future.
Predictions say that about sixty five per cent of economic growth in large economies will be related to new digital technologies; therefore, the foundation of the digital infrastructure needs strengthening. New technologies offer opportunities for capital gains and a highly skilled workforce. Policies aimed at adopting technology and investing in access and digital literacy for all could lead to a stronger and more inclusive future.
The Internet, artificial intelligence, automation and virtual space are all being developed by people, and the question is, what do they solve? Computers and internet behaviour have a social impact and can lead to detachment from the physical world and reality. Evaluation of the relationship between computers and people can lead to re-attachment and connection to the physical world.
Technology is being developed for both usefulness and fun. With new technological development, we can create a digital reality, a new world that aims at empowering and helping everyone prosper. By working together, we can also inspire and change our physical reality. Everyone is now focusing on being present in the metaverse, there is an opportunity to actively envisage and build a digital world that empowers people.
Banner image: Shoyu NFT platforn
1/ Innovation & value creation
Self-sovereign identity
There has been a radical mental shift, and criticism is growing about technology’s influence on societies and our dependence on it. Digital identity is the gateway for accessing the systems. A decentralised approach to identity protects individual privacy and shields them from continuous surveillance and cybersecurity issues. Digital sovereignty introduces fundamental discussions of democratic principles, civil rights and national identities in the digital world. Technological self-determination should be an option for every individual in their dealings with the digital sphere.
Technological development is ongoing, but technology in itself does not solve problems. People make the technology and can change it. The digital domains of our connected world are constantly evolving; new worlds and ways of communicating and working are emerging. Over the past thirty years, the Internet has evolved from visiting a simple website with a slow internet connection to a web where millions of users participate in virtual worlds. The following thirty years will bring about faster-paced multi-dimensional changes.
The digital is a fluid domain with no boundaries that is caught between unravelling old realities and emerging new strange ones. Create something that delights; the business model has to be compelling in and of itself; monetisation will flow from that. Imagination is at the heart of transformation, and the next big thing in technology often starts off looking like a toy. Innovation in technology often starts through play and a community to talk to. Engagement should drive monetisation, and people will go where the real value is for them.
Why this matters
Describe the plan and measure the value and effectiveness of a digital innovation to help move the world forward.
CARLA & C.A.R.L.A. in the park(s) by Carla Gannis
Carla simulated herself and her surroundings as a digital twin. See more of her work here
Meta Space/ Studio Roar
Roar has bought plots of digital land in Decentraland to turn them into Roar Meta Space, a studio to design property for the virtual environment. See more here
Web evolution/ Eva Visch Web 3.0 is the next stage of the web focussing on the following principles: decentralization, trustless and permissionless, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and ubiquity & connectivity.
Metaverse Platform of Seoul/ Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul is creating a virtual public service center and virtual tourist zone of the city of Seoul in the metaverse. See more here
2/Speed & motion
Future innovation
Machine learning, datasets, cloud infrastructure, search engines and quantum computers have the potential to alter our existence and industries as we know them. Bold partnerships to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital domain determine how prosperous a country will be in the coming decades. According to WEF, China, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil are the top three digital risers in the G20.
Moore’s law is expected to end around 2025 as technological advancements push the limits of what is physically possible. Quantum computing is still in its infancy, but it is considered valuable for expanding computing potential beyond the limits of Moore’s law. The field is still developing, but companies need to start preparing.
Examples of applications of quantum computing are offering quantum computing facilities as an on-demand service. Quantum can solve a specialized array of complicated and interesting problems that could take millennia without it. It is also able to create highly customised experiences for people.
The risk of quantum computing is the cybersecurity of networks and systems; companies need to migrate to more sophisticated encryption schemes. The United States, Canada, and China are the leading countries in quantum computing adoption. South Korea’s presence in the quantum cryptography sector is led by the three telecom companies, SK Telcom, KT and LG Uplus.
Why this matters
The speed of technology development will be most likely to continue through quantum computing and AI.
Chip manufacturing/ ASML
Delivering higher performance at lower cost with each chip generation, the relentless pace of Moore’s Law has changed the world we live in. Read more here
The world’s most powerful magnet/ ITER France
ITER will be the largest fusion reactor once it is complete, with 2025 as the current end goal. Engineers working on the project aim to make it the first reactor that will provide more energy from fuel than is required to sustain the fusion reaction. The plan is to create five hundred megawatts of usable energy from an input of fifty megawatts. Read more here
Apollo 10 1/2/ Richard Linklater
A childhood animated movie about growing up during the 1970s Space Age, a time of technological acceleration and a vision for the future, something that is very much needed today. See more here
3/Speed & motion
Future innovation
Reimagine the future and build it in order to help solve the major issues facing our world. We urgently need to solve the climate crisis by building better cities and energy systems. The smart city is a city that uses data to make the best use of the available space; it is a data-driven approach towards future proof systems and innovations. Mobility will be shared, and the city will be utilized differently.
With an endless stream of data and thus deeper analysis, the city has the opportunity to build on previous achievements. The best quality of the smart city will be in its simplicity to use and understand. Smart cities will also be built under an interconnected ‘net’, much like the structure of an electrical grid, that digitally builds on the physical presence of the city. Through cyclical experiences, a feedback loop of user and technology is created, and patterns in daily routines will be recognized.
High-speed trains and monorails have lower carbon emissions and can compete with planes. Replace reliance on offshore manufacturing with highly automated factories that produce every conceivable kind of product at the highest possible quality and lowest possible cost. For a fairer world, investments in education are needed, link every student to a personal tutor and connect realities in education, research and culture.
One of the concerns of digital growth is the impact on the environment. Currently, digital technology is responsible for four per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, and predictions for 2050 are that the internet will consume more than a fifth of the world’s electricity.
Why this matters
Phasing out old systems and setting up new systems can take ten years.
Babel 4.0/ Dewan Architects + Engineers
The Babel 4.0 NFT is a tower helix silo that connects digital communities. Babel 4.0 has no owners. The plots are occupied by members eager to share their knowledge and relies solely on autonomous dialogue and exchange. See more here
Microfactory/ Arrival
Arrival builds micro factories to manufacture their EV’s close to customer base which allows them to hire local workers as well as reduce the shipping cost on the product, which is a benefit for the environment as well as for local economy. Read more here
Smart Farm Innovation Valley/ Koheung and Miryang South Korea
Creation of sustainable agricultural ecosystem combining ICT with young entrepreneurship. Read more here
4/ Digital design futures
The old and the radically new
Digital design is a seamless process where everyone can watch and contribute to the progress. It is a system that amplifies itself infinitely through a continuous loop of updating. Linked systems make it possible to transfer designs between platforms and between worlds.
Digital design fully connects developers and creators in live operations with real-time interactions. Every element is adaptive, and a design can be tested by working with digital twins. Working with digital twins and entwined realities is a hybrid exploration of spaces and objects. The digital can become an extension of practices. Digital design can be directly connected to the factory, which makes production faster. Future concepts can be generated through collaboration with AI. For instance, if you feed design history into an AI, it can create ideas that individuals would never think of, wild and random combinations, moving through time and picking up ideas.
The developments and efficiency of the digital have not yet translated into the physical. A long-term vision is needed as the speed of the physical must keep pace with the digital. The construction of new worlds through the possibilities of digital worldbuilding and digital art can inspire new social and artistic physical scenarios. Worldbuilding aspects can provide inspiration for fair, equal and safe spaces.
Why this matters
Digital design links designers, developers and customers; design will be collaborative and real-time.
[AG-002].002/ AireGan
Machine learning designed sneakers created by using a general adversarial neural network trained on 32000 images of Nike sneakers and a handpicked collection of sneakers from across the Internet. See more here
Digital fashion/ Uthetic
Uthentic is a digital first, gender neutral fashion brand led by circular fashion principles. See more here
Digital design/ NVIDIA Canvas
NVIDIA Canvas, the free beta app, uses advanced AI to quickly turn simple brushstrokes into realistic landscape images, speeding up concept exploration and freeing more time to visualize ideas. Try it here
Further reading
The Future of Money/ Eswar S. Prasad
The transformation of money will fundamentally rewrite how ordinary people live. The concept of money is changing, unbundling its traditional functions as a unit of account, medium of exchange, and store of value. The promise lies in greater efficiency and flexibility, increased sensitivity to the needs of diverse consumers, and improved market access for the unbanked. The risk, on the other hand, is instability, lack of accountability, and erosion of privacy.
Exponential/ Azeem Azhar
Constant acceleration is leading to an exponential gap between the rate of technological change and society's ability to keep up. In this book, Azhar explains how exponential technology can become a force for good.
Atlas of AI/ Kate Crawford
How is AI shaping our understanding of ourselves and our societies? This book reveals how this planetary network is fueling a shift toward undemocratic governance and increased inequity. Rather than taking a narrow focus on code and algorithms, Crawford describes a material and political perspective on what it takes to make AI and how it centralizes power.
Automation Anxiety/ Cynthia Estlund
Ongoing innovations in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics are replacing more decent middle-skill jobs than they are creating and maybe leading to a future of growing job scarcity. But there are many possible versions of that future, ranging from utterly dystopian to humane and broadly appealing. It all depends on how we respond.