At the heart of the World Economic Forum’s mission of improving the state of the world lies the belief in the power of human ingenuity, entrepreneurship, innovation and cooperation. That power is on full display in this year’s edition of the Top 10 Emerging Technologies report.

Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), such as deep learning, generative AI and foundation models, enable remarkable progress in strengthening human innovation. The world is on the cusp of a science discovery revolution driven by AI. Uniquely able to ingest and organize vast amounts of information, AI-enabled discoveries will likely improve disease management, propose new materials and better our understanding of the body and mind. Meanwhile, synthetic data can protect personal privacy while providing new global data sharing and collaboration opportunities.

Collaboration, of course, relies on connection, and several of the top 10 herald a shift to more adaptive, efficient and inclusive connectivity. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) change shape dynamically to optimize wireless communication links; they combine meta-materials, smart algorithms and advanced signal processing to control and manipulate electromagnetic waves. High-altitude platform stations, through aircraft, blimps or even simple balloons, can bring mobile network access to remote regions lacking the infrastructure required to deploy ground-based systems. Such technology can bridge the digital divide, bringing internet access to over 2.6 billion people in 100 countries that still lack internet service as of 2023. With the emergence of 6G systems, networks can now act as sensors, using radio signals to scan the physical world, improving communication performance and enabling integrated sensing and communication.

Improving the state of the world also means protecting our planet and people. This year, human health saw the first genetically engineered organ from a pig implanted successfully into a human, giving hope to the millions waiting for transplants. Immersive technologies, combining computing power and virtual approaches, promise rapid improvement in the systems and physical infrastructure we rely on daily.

On the environmental front, many of the top 10 demonstrate how technology can play a multifaceted role in addressing climate change, encompassing mitigation strategies, sustainable infrastructure development and promoting energy- efficient solutions. Elastocalorics, releasing heat under mechanical stress and absorbing it upon relaxation, promise much higher efficiency and lower energy use than current technology. Similarly, another positive environmental development is the emergence of alternative livestock feeds, reducing agroindustry waste or residues, native crop depletion and related resource consumption. Additionally, addressing global warming head-on, engineered organisms that convert emissions into products such as biofuels offer hope for mitigating increasing carbon dioxide levels.

The following pages delve into the specifications of the top 10 emerging technologies of 2024 and how they can help improve the state of the world. We invite you to engage and welcome your feedback.