Major problems where advanced technology holds real promise
In health and medicine we can use AI diagnostics for cancer detection and drug discovery. We can have personalized medicine based on genomic data, and antibiotic resistance, tackled through AI-designed novel compounds. Mental health support can be achieved through digital therapeutics. Low-cost diagnostics and telemedicine will enable us to reach remote communities. Predictive models can be developed for pandemic spread and containment. Robotic surgery can improve precision and extend specialist care to remote hospitals. Brain-computer interfaces offer the prospect of restoring movement and communication for people with paralysis. AI-assisted triage in emergency settings can reduce waiting times and identify deteriorating patients earlier.
In environment and climate, we can develop carbon capture and storage on a large scale. Precision agriculture can reduce water and fertilizer waste. We can expand grid-scale energy storage eventually enabling greater transition to renewables. And we can do real-time monitoring of deforestation and ocean health. AI-guided materials science can accelerate the development of biodegradable alternatives to plastics. Ocean plastic collection can be made more systematic through autonomous surface vessels. And AI-optimized city planning can reduce transport-related emissions by matching land use to movement patterns.
Technology offers the prospect of more food and water because vertical farming and lab-grown protein will reduce land use. Desalination can be made cheaper and more energy-efficient, and we can reduce supply chain waste through smart logistics. Soil microbiome monitoring can help restore degraded agricultural land at scale. AI-driven fisheries management can prevent stock collapse while maintaining food supply. And atmospheric water harvesting offers a promising route to clean water access in arid regions where piped infrastructure is not viable.
AI tutoring can provider quality education without infrastructure, and mobile banking and microfinance can be extended for the unbanked. AI-powered translation can deliver educational content in under-served languages where trained teachers are scarce. Blockchain-based digital identity can give people without formal documentation the means to access banking, healthcare, and legal services for the first time.
Our safety and disaster response can be improved by early warning systems for earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. Autonomous search-and-rescue operations can be done in dangerous environments. AI-assisted analysis of satellite imagery can rapidly assess structural damage after disasters, helping to direct relief efforts more precisely. Sensor networks embedded in vulnerable buildings can provide continuous structural health monitoring. Predictive wildfire modelling that integrates weather, vegetation, and topography data can extend evacuation lead times significantly.
We can use technology to cope better for ageing and disability, using prosthetics and exoskeletons with neural interfaces. Companion robotics and assistive AI can enable independent living, and gene therapies will target age-related diseases. Smart home environments that adapt in real time to changing cognitive or physical needs can extend independent living further. AI communication aids are already transforming quality of life for people with non-verbal conditions such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Retinal implants and targeted gene therapies offer a realistic path to reversing vision loss from macular degeneration.
In infrastructure, smart grids that balance energy demand dynamically can be developed. Self-repairing materials in bridges and buildings can extend their safe life-span. And autonomous transport will reduce congestion and road deaths. Digital twins of cities can enable real-time simulation of traffic flows and utility demand, making infrastructure management far more responsive. Underground utility mapping using ground-penetrating radar and AI can dramatically reduce accidental damage during construction. Tidal and wave energy systems can complement wind and solar where geography permits, improving grid resilience.
The common thread is that the hardest problems, those involving scale, complexity, or speed beyond human capacity, are exactly those where computation, AI, sensors, and biotech tend to have the most leverage.
Madsen Pirie