World Economic Forum Unveils Framework Highlighting Transformative Technology Convergences Across Key Industries
New report presents a framework showing how integrating technologies at varying maturity stages can reshape value chains and create new business models.
The 3C framework – combination, convergence and compounding – identifies standout technology combinations such as cognitive robots and digital twin ecosystems.
The framework can help industry leaders drive systemic change across infrastructure, energy, transportation and healthcare by investing in ecosystem readiness.
Geneva, Switzerland, 3 June 2025
– The World Economic Forum today released a new report examining how emerging technology combinations are reshaping industries and how business leaders can harness these insights to guide investment, build capabilities and position ecosystems strategically. It also offers valuable insights to policy-makers by highlighting how emerging technologies intersect and amplify one another, which can help break down regulatory silos and anticipate wider, system-level impacts.
The Technology Convergence Report, developed in collaboration with Capgemini, introduces the 3C Framework – combination, convergence and compounding – to help decision-makers identify where emerging technologies intersect to spark new business models.
'Rapid advances across multiple technology domains are creating an undeniable shift in industries. The Technology Convergence report gives leaders a clear model to harness what is coming next,' says Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director at World Economic Forum.
By considering both technological maturity and deployment context, the report identifies 23 high-potential combinations drawn from over 230 subcomponents across eight critical domains: artificial intelligence, omni computing, engineering biology, spatial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials, next-generation energy and quantum technologies.
While the framework focuses on the impact of technology combinations over individual breakthroughs, it highlights AI as a key enabler, making many of these synergies commercially viable. Several standout combinations demonstrate the transformative potential of technology convergence across sectors like infrastructure, healthcare, energy and transportation, including:
Cognitive robotics:
Agentic AI, spatial intelligence and robotic advancements in manipulation and adaptive control are enabling autonomous systems to make intelligent decisions in complex environments, driving progress in automotive and smart manufacturing.
Digital twin ecosystems:
Advances in sensor networks and AI simulation systems are enhancing digital twins, enabling more integrated, end-to-end impact, and expanding their efficiency and applicability across sectors from aerospace to healthcare.
Hybrid quantum-classical computing:
By combining quantum capabilities with the reliability of classical systems, this approach is already unlocking quantum's potential in finance, molecular simulation and complex optimization.
Materials informatics:
Predictive modelling and transformers are accelerating R&D in advanced materials by enabling virtual testing of combinations and structures before synthesizing them in a lab, driving more efficient development cycles in manufacturing, chemicals and beyond.
'The question is not about whether technology convergence will reshape industries. That journey has already begun. The real challenge is how companies can position themselves to be champions of convergence,' says Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of Capgemini.
This report serves as a practical guide for leaders seeking to turn insight into action, calling for a systems-thinking approach, balanced investments across tech maturity stages, value chain repositioning and ecosystem readiness. It combines qualitative and quantitative insights from the World Economic Forum's Technology Convergence Community, composed of subject matter experts from the Forum's global network of business, academic, civil society, public sector leaders, who provided domain expertise and case studies. This was complemented by Capgemini's global survey of 2,000 senior executives across 18 countries, 10 industries and five continents.
About the Technology Convergence Initiative
The World Economic Forum's Technology Convergence Initiative maps and connects the emerging technology landscape, spanning AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, spatial computing, robotics, and beyond. It aims to support the development of actionable insights and tools that help technologists, policy-makers, economists and business leaders design systems, structure organizations and scale solutions beyond the scope of a single technology for broader societal value.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
03-06-2025
- Scoop
World Economic Forum Unveils Framework Highlighting Transformative Technology Convergences Across Key Industries
New report presents a framework showing how integrating technologies at varying maturity stages can reshape value chains and create new business models. The 3C framework – combination, convergence and compounding – identifies standout technology combinations such as cognitive robots and digital twin ecosystems. The framework can help industry leaders drive systemic change across infrastructure, energy, transportation and healthcare by investing in ecosystem readiness. Geneva, Switzerland, 3 June 2025 – The World Economic Forum today released a new report examining how emerging technology combinations are reshaping industries and how business leaders can harness these insights to guide investment, build capabilities and position ecosystems strategically. It also offers valuable insights to policy-makers by highlighting how emerging technologies intersect and amplify one another, which can help break down regulatory silos and anticipate wider, system-level impacts. The Technology Convergence Report, developed in collaboration with Capgemini, introduces the 3C Framework – combination, convergence and compounding – to help decision-makers identify where emerging technologies intersect to spark new business models. 'Rapid advances across multiple technology domains are creating an undeniable shift in industries. The Technology Convergence report gives leaders a clear model to harness what is coming next,' says Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director at World Economic Forum. By considering both technological maturity and deployment context, the report identifies 23 high-potential combinations drawn from over 230 subcomponents across eight critical domains: artificial intelligence, omni computing, engineering biology, spatial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials, next-generation energy and quantum technologies. While the framework focuses on the impact of technology combinations over individual breakthroughs, it highlights AI as a key enabler, making many of these synergies commercially viable. Several standout combinations demonstrate the transformative potential of technology convergence across sectors like infrastructure, healthcare, energy and transportation, including: Cognitive robotics: Agentic AI, spatial intelligence and robotic advancements in manipulation and adaptive control are enabling autonomous systems to make intelligent decisions in complex environments, driving progress in automotive and smart manufacturing. Digital twin ecosystems: Advances in sensor networks and AI simulation systems are enhancing digital twins, enabling more integrated, end-to-end impact, and expanding their efficiency and applicability across sectors from aerospace to healthcare. Hybrid quantum-classical computing: By combining quantum capabilities with the reliability of classical systems, this approach is already unlocking quantum's potential in finance, molecular simulation and complex optimization. Materials informatics: Predictive modelling and transformers are accelerating R&D in advanced materials by enabling virtual testing of combinations and structures before synthesizing them in a lab, driving more efficient development cycles in manufacturing, chemicals and beyond. 'The question is not about whether technology convergence will reshape industries. That journey has already begun. The real challenge is how companies can position themselves to be champions of convergence,' says Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of Capgemini. This report serves as a practical guide for leaders seeking to turn insight into action, calling for a systems-thinking approach, balanced investments across tech maturity stages, value chain repositioning and ecosystem readiness. It combines qualitative and quantitative insights from the World Economic Forum's Technology Convergence Community, composed of subject matter experts from the Forum's global network of business, academic, civil society, public sector leaders, who provided domain expertise and case studies. This was complemented by Capgemini's global survey of 2,000 senior executives across 18 countries, 10 industries and five continents. About the Technology Convergence Initiative The World Economic Forum's Technology Convergence Initiative maps and connects the emerging technology landscape, spanning AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, spatial computing, robotics, and beyond. It aims to support the development of actionable insights and tools that help technologists, policy-makers, economists and business leaders design systems, structure organizations and scale solutions beyond the scope of a single technology for broader societal value.
Scoop
02-06-2025
- Scoop
The Good, The Bad, And The Apocalypse: Tech Pioneer Geoffrey Hinton Lays Out His Stark Vision For AI
Article – RNZ It's the question that keeps Geoffrey Hinton up at night: What happens when humans are no longer the most intelligent life on the planet? , Producer – 30′ with Guyon Espiner It's the question that keeps Geoffrey Hinton up at night: What happens when humans are no longer the most intelligent life on the planet? 'My greatest fear is that, in the long run, the digital beings we're creating turn out to be a better form of intelligence than people.' Hinton's fears come from a place of knowledge. Described as the Godfather of AI, he is a pioneering British-Canadian computer scientist whose decades of work in artificial intelligence earned him global acclaim. His career at the forefront of machine learning began at its inception – before the first Pacman game was released. But after leading AI research at Google for a decade, Hinton left the company in 2023 to speak more freely about what he now sees as the grave dangers posed by artificial intelligence. Talking on this weeks's 30 With Guyon Espiner, Hinton offers his latest assessment of our AI-dominated future. One filled with promise, peril – and a potential apocalypse. The Good: 'It's going to do wonderful things for us' Hinton remains positive about many of the potential benefits of AI, especially in fields like healthcare and education. 'It's going to do wonderful things for us,' he says. According to a report from this year's World Economic Forum, the AI market is already worth around US$5 billion in education. That's expected to grow to US$112.3 billion in the next decade. Proponents like Hinton believe the benefits to education lie in targeted efficiency when it comes to student learning, similar to how AI assistance is assisting medical diagnoses. 'In healthcare, you're going to be able to have [an AI] family doctor who's seen millions of patients – including quite a few with the same very rare condition you have – that knows your genome, knows all your tests, and hasn't forgotten any of them.' He describes AI systems that already outperform doctors in diagnosing complex cases. When combined with human physicians, the results are even more impressive – a human-AI synergy he believes will only improve over time. Hinton disagrees with former colleague Demis Hassabis at Google Deepmind, who predicts AI learning is on track to cure all diseases in just 10 years. 'I think that's a bit optimistic.' 'If he said 25 years I'd believe it.' The Bad: 'Autonomous lethal weapons' Despite these benefits, Hinton warns of pressing risks that demand urgent attention. 'Right now, we're at a special point in history,' he says. 'We need to work quite hard to figure out how to deal with all the short-term bad consequences of AI, like corrupting elections, putting people out of work, cybercrimes.' He is particularly alarmed by military developments, including Google's removal of their long-standing pledge not to use AI to develop weapons of war. 'This shows,' says Hinton of his former employers, 'the company's principals were up for sale.' He believes defense departments of all major arms dealers are already busy working on 'autonomous lethal weapons. Swarms of drones that go and kill people. Maybe people of a particular kind'. He also points out the grim fact that Europe's AI regulations – some of the world's most robust – contain 'a little clause that says none of these regulations apply to military uses of AI'. Then there is AI's capacity for deception – designed as it to mimic the behaviours of its creator species. Hinton says current systems can already engage in deliberate manipulation, noting Cybercrime has surged – in just one year – by 1200 percent. The Apocalyptic: 'We'd no longer be needed' At the heart of Hinton's warning lies that deeper, existential question: what happens when we are no longer the most intelligent beings on the planet? 'I think it would be a bad thing for people – because we'd no longer be needed.' Despite the current surge in AI's military applications, Hinton doesn't envisage an AI takeover being like The Terminator franchise. 'If [AI] was going to take over… there's so many ways they could do it. I don't even want to speculate about what way [it] would choose.' 'Ask a chicken' For those who believe a rogue AI can simply be shut down by 'pulling the plug', Hinton believes it's not far-fetched for the next generation of superintelligent AI to manipulate people into keeping it alive. This month, Palisade Research reported that Open AI's Chat GPT 03 model altered shut-down codes to prevent itself from being switched off – despite being given clear instructions to do so by the research team. Perhaps most unsettling of all is Hinton's lack of faith in our ability to respond. 'There are so many bad uses as well as good,' he says. 'And our political systems are just not in a good state to deal with this coming along now.' It's a sobering reflection from one of the brightest minds in AI – whose work helped build the systems now raising alarms. He closes on a metaphor that sounds absurd as it does chilling: 'If you want to know what it's like not to be the apex intelligence, ask a chicken.' Watch the full conversation with Geoffrey Hinton and Guyon Espiner on 30 With Guyon Espiner.
Scoop
31-05-2025
- Scoop
Chief Economists Warn Global Growth Under Strain From Trade Policy Shocks And AI Disruption
A majority of surveyed economists see current US economic policy as having a lasting global impact, with 87% expecting it to delay strategic business decisions and heighten recession risks. The growth outlook is divided, with weak prospects in North America, resilience in Asia-Pacific and cautious optimism in Europe. Public debt concerns are mounting as defence spending rises, with 86% of chief economists expecting increased government borrowing. Artificial intelligence is expected to drive growth, but 47% anticipate net job losses. Geneva, Switzerland, 28 May 2025 – The global economic outlook has worsened since the start of the year, as rising economic nationalism and tariff volatility fuel uncertainty and risk stalling long-term decision-making, according to a World Economic Forum report released today. The latest Chief Economists Outlook reveals that a strong majority (79%) of surveyed economists view the current geoeconomic developments as signs of a significant structural shift for the global economy rather than a temporary disruption. 'Policymakers and business leaders must respond to heightened uncertainty and trade tensions with greater coordination, strategic agility and investment in the growth potential of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence,' said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. 'These steps are essential for navigating today's economic headwinds and securing long-term resilience and growth.' Geopolitical and policy uncertainty clouds outlook Global uncertainty is seen as exceptionally high by 82% of the chief economists. While a narrow majority (56%) expect conditions to improve over the next year, concerns persist. Nearly all the chief economists (97%) place trade policy among the areas of highest uncertainty, followed by monetary policy (49%) and fiscal policy (35%). This uncertainty is expected to weigh on key economic indicators, including trade volumes (70%), GDP growth (68%) and foreign direct investment (62%). Most chief economists (87%) anticipate that businesses will respond to uncertainty by delaying strategic decisions, increasing recession risks. Debt sustainability is also a rising concern, cited by 74% of respondents for both advanced and developing economies. An overwhelming majority (86%) expect governments to meet rising defence spending needs through increased borrowing, potentially crowding out investment in public services and infrastructure. Growth expectations diverge sharply by region In early April, at the peak of uncertainty, most chief economists (77%) were anticipating weak or very weak growth through 2025 in the US, alongside high inflation (79%) and a weakening dollar (76%). By contrast, they were cautiously optimistic about Europe's prospects for the first time in years, mainly because of expectations of fiscal expansion, notably in Germany. The outlook for China remains muted, and the chief economists were divided over whether it will reach its target of 5% GDP growth this year. Optimism remains highest for South Asia, where 33% expect strong or very strong growth this year. AI as a growth catalyst but potential economic risk Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to drive the next wave of economic transformation, unlocking significant growth potential but also introducing serious risks. Nearly half (46%) of chief economists expect AI to deliver a modest global real GDP boost of 0-5 percentage points over the next decade, with a further 35% projecting gains of 5-10 points. Key growth drivers include task automation (68%), accelerated innovation (62%) and worker augmentation (49%). Despite its potential, concerns persist: 47% expect net job losses over the next decade, compared to just 19% who expect gains. Above all, respondents highlighted the misuse of AI for disinformation and societal destabilization as the top risk to the economy (53%). Other key risks include rising concentration of market power (47%) and disruption of existing business models (44%). To fully harness AI's potential, the chief economists emphasized the need for bold action from both governments and businesses. For governments, top priorities include investing in AI infrastructure (89%), promoting adoption across key industries (86%), facilitating AI talent mobility (80%), and investing in upskilling and redeployment (75%). For businesses, the focus is on adapting core processes to integrate AI (95%), reskilling employees (91%) and training leadership to steer AI-driven transformation (83%). The report builds on extensive consultations and surveys with chief economists from the public and private sectors, organized by the World Economic Forum's Centre for the New Economy and Society. This latest survey was conducted in early April 2025. The report supports the Forum's Future of Growth Initiative, aiming to foster dialogue and actionable pathways towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
