Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software & Society Survey Report

The report identifies 21 'tipping points' where software advancements hit mainstream society, categorised into six megatrends: People and the Internet, Computing/Communications/Storage, Internet of Things, AI and Big Data, Sharing Economy/Distributed Trust, and Digitization of Matter. Based on a survey of 816 experts, it predicts these shifts will occur primarily between 2018 and 2027, with high expectations (over 80%) for 11 of the 21 points to occur by 2025. Key predictions include the commercial availability of implantable mobile phones by 2023 and 90% of the population having regular internet access by 2024. The document argues these shifts will fundamentally alter jobs, security, privacy, and the role of government, moving society from top-down structures to bottom-up, network-based models.

• A survey of 816 executives and experts identified 21 technological tipping points, with 11 of these expected by over 80% of respondents to occur by 2025.
• The report predicts a shift toward 'ubiquitous computing' where 90% of the global population has regular internet access by 2024, potentially redefining internet access as a basic right similar to clean water.
• Artificial Intelligence is expected to significantly disrupt the workforce; a cited Oxford Martin School study predicted up to 47% of US jobs in 2010 were highly likely to be computerized within 10 to 20 years.
• The 'Internet of Things' is expected to reach a tipping point of 1 trillion connected sensors by 2022, enabling 'digital twins' that can monitor, control, and predict physical processes.
• Blockchain technology is projected to impact global finance and governance, with a tipping point of 10% of global GDP stored on blockchain expected by 2027.
• 3D printing (additive manufacturing) is expected to transform healthcare through 'bioprinting', with the first 3D-printed liver transplant predicted for 2024.
• The 'sharing economy' is driving a shift from asset ownership to access-based models, with a tipping point where car-sharing journeys exceed private car journeys globally by 2025.
• The report argues that software is shifting human organization from top-down hierarchies to bottom-up, 'flattened' structures, empowering individuals over institutions through broadcast power and access to information.
• Digital governance is expected to evolve, requiring governments to move from being top-down authorities to 'network-based authentic data hubs' that provide personalized one-stop services.

APA

World Economic Forum (2015). Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software & Society Survey Report. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Deep_Shift_Software_Transform_Society.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software & Society Survey Report. 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Deep_Shift_Software_Transform_Society.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software & Society Survey Report |date=November 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Deep_Shift_Software_Transform_Society.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2015global, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software \& Society Survey Report}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Deep_Shift_Software_Transform_Society.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }