Amy Webb’s Emerging Tech Trends for 2020 [Video]

Dive into quantitative futurist and founder of the Future Today Institute Amy Webb’s Emerging Tech Trends for 2020. Her 13th annual edition of the tech report is more relevant than ever as our world is rapidly adapting and questioning what will be the new normal.

“Our goal is not predicting — it is preparing for what comes next.”

Webb says that what we're preparing for is the beginning of a synthetic decade, when artificial intelligence not only queues the song we want next or tells us where to turn left, but synthesizes relatable emotional intelligence, stops wildfires and pandemics, and becomes a pathway to where biologists don't just read DNA but also write it.

While these concepts may seem way further in the future to some of us — and in our current reality amidst a pandemic, perhaps too far — Webb encourages us to think near and long term at the same time. The key, she says, is to try and create continuity between the trends presented and figure out actions to take along the way.

"We are at the beginning of synthesizing experiences, relationships, and life itself. It isn’t enough just to note the trends... you have to think about them strategically," Webb urges. And what better community to hand the torch to then the one that gathers every year at SXSW: "a brilliant community of designers, creative thinkers, marketers, entrepreneurs, technologists, educators, filmmakers, government leaders, managers, CEOs, and philanthropists."

Webb brings practicality and hope in the face of an uncertain future. Tune in to learn more about this year's key findings and tech trends, and buckle up for what's next!

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By Hailey Hess

08/21/2020