“Big Ideas 2018” by ARK Invest presents 14 disruptive trends set to shape the global economy. Deep learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, is predicted to add $17 trillion to global equity market capitalisation in the next two decades. Cryptocurrencies, despite their volatility, are expected to have a profound impact on the financial industry, with Bitcoin’s market capitalisation potentially reaching $4 trillion. Electric vehicles are projected to account for 26 million unit sales by 2023, driven by falling battery costs and increasing energy density.
In healthcare, liquid biopsies could drastically improve early cancer detection, while gene therapies could cure genetic diseases. Automation is expected to increase productivity, with industrial robot costs declining and adoption rates rising. 3D printing could revolutionise manufacturing, enabling on-demand production and reducing supply chain complexity.
Drones are set to transform logistics, with drone delivery services projected to reach $275 billion by 2030. Mobile transactions could reach $3.7 trillion by 2022, facilitated by digital wallets. Collaborative robots or ‘cobots’ are projected to expand across industries, with the cobot market estimated to reach $3 billion by 2025. Long-range batteries for electric vehicles could disrupt energy storage, while next-generation DNA sequencing could transform healthcare. Finally, blockchain technology could create a new internet era, providing a secure, decentralised network for value exchange.