In this episode of Modem Futura, Sean Leahy and Andrew Maynard cover the World Economic Forum’s newly-released “Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025” report, unpacking what makes each breakthrough matter and how foresight professionals can turn hype into actionable insight. After a quick update on recording in Apple’s Spatial Video, the hosts explore the World Economic Forum’s rigorous selection methodology—crowdsourced nominations, AI-assisted clustering, and a STEEP (social, technological, environmental, economic, policy) readiness map—before running down this year’s stand-outs.
Every June the World Economic Forum (WEF) drops its much-anticipated “Top 10 Emerging Technologies” report—a document that often sets the tone for board-room discussions, academic research agendas, and policy debates for the next 12 months. In our latest Modem Futura episode, Andrew Maynard and I move beyond the headlines and unpack the real-world momentum (and challenges) behind this year’s picks:
Structural Battery Composites – load-bearing parts that double as energy storage.
Osmotic Power Systems – harvesting electricity at salt-freshwater boundaries.
Advanced Nuclear Technologies – Gen-III/IV reactors and compact SMRs promising safer, low-carbon baseload power.
Engineered Living Therapeutics – probiotic microbes that manufacture drugs inside the body.
GLP-1 Drugs for Neurodegenerative Disease – weight-loss stars repurposed for brain health.
Autonomous Biochemical Sensing – self-powered nano-sensors for real-time health and environmental monitoring.
Green Nitrogen Fixation – low-carbon ammonia production to feed half the planet.
Nanozymes – man-made catalysts mimicking enzymes for cleaner industry and medicine.
Collaborative Sensing Networks – vehicles, infrastructure, and devices sharing data seamlessly.
Generative Watermarking – invisible markers that flag AI-generated content to restore trust.
Sean and Andrew weigh the massive opportunities—clean energy, precision medicine, resilient supply chains—against ethical and governance pitfalls such as privacy erosion and bio-risk. They close with practical advice on using the report’s “strategic outlook” section to stress-test business models, craft policy roadmaps, and frame classroom discussions.
🌐 Read the Full Report: wef.ch/emergingtech25
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/44hzHLO
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🌐 Read the Full Report: wef.ch/emergingtech25
🎧 Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/44hzHLO
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6hi014lBLsRhn8bOs1zNbP?si=5Jmezck7Qg2kf_0eHUB1IA
📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/0pBzRD-LQsI
🌐 Website: https://www.modemfutura.com/