Deep Shift Technology Tipping Points and Societal Impact Survey Report

The World Economic Forum's report identifies 21 technological tipping points across six megatrends, surveying 816 experts to predict when these shifts will hit mainstream society. Key predictions include the commoditization of storage by 2018 and the rise of AI in corporate boards by 2026. The report analyzes cross-cutting impacts on employment, security, and governance, arguing that while these shifts offer immense potential for democratization and efficiency, they risk increasing inequality and disrupting traditional labor markets.

• A survey of 816 executives and experts identified 21 technological tipping points, with weighted mean expectations for their occurrence ranging from 2018 to 2027.
• Eleven of the 21 identified transition points are expected by over 80% of respondents to occur by 2025. The most highly anticipated include 10% of people wearing internet-connected clothes (91.2%) and 90% of people having unlimited, advertising-supported storage (91.0%).
• The report identifies six software and services megatrends: People and the internet; Computing, communications and storage everywhere; The Internet of Things; Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data; The sharing economy and distributed trust; and The digitization of matter.
• Artificial Intelligence is expected to significantly disrupt white-collar employment, with a cited Oxford Martin School study predicting that up to 47% of US jobs in 2010 were highly likely to be computerized within 10-20 years.
• The 'sharing economy' is shifting societal norms from ownership to access, enabled by platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and Spotify, which reduces transaction costs and allows for more flexible economic life based on cash flow rather than fixed assets.
• Blockchain technology is viewed as a mechanism for 'distributed trust' that could disintermediate financial institutions and enable governments to implement new taxing mechanisms directly into the blockchain.
• 3D printing (additive manufacturing) is expected to democratize manufacturing and reduce logistics costs, though it raises concerns regarding intellectual property piracy and environmental waste.
• The report argues that governments must transition from top-down authorities to 'network-based authentic data hubs' to remain effective in the digital age, utilizing big data and blockchain for public resource planning and taxation.
• Ubiquitous computing and smartphone penetration are expected to drive economic participation in underdeveloped regions, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where connectivity could redefine global trade.

APA

World Economic Forum (2015). Deep Shift Technology Tipping Points and Societal Impact Survey Report. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Technological_Tipping_Points_report_2015.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Deep Shift Technology Tipping Points and Societal Impact Survey Report. 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Technological_Tipping_Points_report_2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Deep Shift Technology Tipping Points and Societal Impact Survey Report |date=September 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Technological_Tipping_Points_report_2015.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2015deep, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Deep Shift Technology Tipping Points and Societal Impact Survey Report}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC15_Technological_Tipping_Points_report_2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }