Futurists predict ICT trends

Robotics, cognitive recognition, mobile convergence, simulation and nano-surgery will be among the technologies characterising the future.

This is according to David Smith, CEO of Global Future Forum (GFF), speaking last night at a conference hosted by The Johannesburg Centre for Software Engineering.

Smith revealed the results of the GFF`s annual survey of 300 futurists, academics and business people, from 28 countries.

The survey covered four areas: people, services, business forms and technology.

"Our research has found that technology and new forms of business will allow people increasing choices in life, which will in turn raise a host of ethical questions," he told attendees.

He believes that buying patterns in general are changing: "Spending will not be so rationally determined, it will be emotionally driven."

For this reason he sees a company`s ability to personalise products and services as critical in allowing the consumer to feel a 'relationship` to the product.

"This movement will raise a host of concerns over access to one`s private information, and identity security," he continued.

According to the GFF findings, consumers today wish to be seen by their peers as 'savvy`, to be the first with new products, and to be able to find the best deal.

Flexibility and adaptability in business structures will become more important than operational performance, indicated the research.

The GFF expects people in the future to work more independently, in small networks, as outsourced clients or consultants for corporations, added Smith.

"People will be free agents; they will want to protect themselves from the vagaries of corporate life," he said, explaining that most people today have seen the hurt caused by corporate downsizing, retrenchments, "and other such euphemisms".

Smith referred to the growing popularity of Weblogs, saying that we are increasingly valuing what ordinary people are saying. "We are losing trust in the established institutions, like government, legal systems, the press, civil service, the church and the police force," he said.

Analysis also revealed that many organisations around the world are struggling to implement the latest technologies, he said. Smith noted that the legal profession in his home country of England has in general been slow in appreciating the advantages of technological development in the industry.