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DUBAI / WAM
Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) launched the “Future Opportunities Report: The Global 50” on Wednesday, highlighting the major opportunities, transformations and trends shaping the future of governments, economies, sectors, and ultimately the future of humanity. The 50 opportunities outlined in the report are categorised into five main categories: Health Reimagined, Nature Restored, Societies Empowered, Systems Optimised, and Transformational Innovations. The opportunities were identified based on four assumptions: Lives Will Be Longer and Healthier, Climate Change Will Persist, Inequalities Will Continue, and Technology Will Continue to Advance.
Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation, stressed that challenges and rapid changes require the governments and societies of the world to act quickly and effectively to respond to them.
However, a positive outlook towards new opportunities and the willingness to benefit from and employ them are the cornerstone of success in preparing for the future and anticipating its transformations.
He added, “It is natural that these rapid and radical transformations become opportunities for some, but they may also turn into great challenges for others. What is important here is to identify these gaps and work to bridge them as efficiently and promptly as possible. Since opportunities are born from challenges, there is no alternative to continually moving forward and making progress, fuelled by optimism and hope for a brighter future. This is what drives us to develop new ideas about how to live together, care for our planet, grow our economy, and enhance our quality of life.” The launch of this report comes within a series of reports issued by DFF, the latest of which was “10 Megatrends Shaping Our Future,” launched during the World Governments Summit 2024 hosted in Dubai in February. Health Reimagined Key opportunities include: establishing a global bank of bacterial strains to facilitate the development of treatments; clothes that deliver essential nutrients; nanobots that regenerate muscles and combat aging; 3D printed human organs; personalised radiology; addressing loneliness on Earth through experiments in space; learning from the ocean to enhance pharmaceutical and food sectors; and technology that compensates for human senses. Nature Restored Key opportunities include: Approaching cities as ecosystems; the ability to provide infinite drinking water; expediting the growth of trees and plants; redesigning environmental policies; and tidal energy.
Opportunities in the area of empowering communities include: leveraging digital transformations to safeguard culture; adopting new approaches to promoting mental health; making AI solutions accessible; and benefiting from new pathways of development in different societies.
Systems Optimised Some of the opportunities in this category include: improving monetary policy in the age of AI; keeping pace with new technologies in data collection, analysis and storage; the role of AI in automating legal and judicial tasks; accelerating the development of drugs and vaccines using AI; using DNA to store information; using foresight to shape foreign policy; and a global business license so people can establish their own businesses worldwide in just one step.
“The Global 50” report addresses the impact of future opportunities on over 40 vital sectors, including health, space, energy, transportation, data, and the economy. It was prepared in collaboration with 25 global experts and several partners of DFF.
Transformational Innovations The opportunities in the last category include: harnessing generative AI; reinventing batteries to provide energy in remote areas; solar-powered cars; learning while sleeping; developing self-maintenance machines; employing large language models for scientific breakthroughs ; converting food waste into organic plastic; bridging classic and quantum computers; and the evolution of communication technologies. 10 Megatrends The report outlined the top 10 megatrends that will shape the future of these opportunities and help turn them into reality. They include: Advanced Health and Nutrition, Living with Robots and Automation, Saving Ecosystems, Future Humanity, Borderless World–Fluid Economies, Digital Realities and Energy Boundaries, Technological Vulnerabilities.