On Saturday, December 6, the Chinese mainland unveiled its “Tech Predictions and Future Visions 2049” report at the Tengchong Scientists Forum in Yunnan Province. This landmark study is the first national forecast outlining long-term technological prospects across AI, digital health and sustainable development.
The forum, running December 5–7 under the theme “Science and AI Changing the World,” brought together leading minds from the Tengchong Scientists Forum Center, Huawei Strategic Research Institute, China Mobile Research Institute, Shanghai AI Laboratory, Tencent Research Institute and SPIC Innovation Center. Over the past year, these experts debated how scientific innovation will reshape society by 2049.
Ten Technology Visions for 2049
- AI Superintelligence: Beyond the technological singularity, seamless brain–machine communication boosts human creativity and decision-making.
- General-Purpose Robots: Intelligent robots become everyday companions in homes and industries.
- Flying Cars: AI-managed aerial mobility redefines urban transport.
- Mirror World: High-precision digital twins simulate and optimize cities, industries and ecosystems.
- Hybrid Computing: A fusion of bit-based, brain-inspired and quantum systems delivers universal quantum computing.
- Internet of Agents: Intelligent agents merge digital and physical worlds through adaptive infrastructure.
- Adaptive Materials: Computational materials science creates programmable structures and moves toward room-temperature superconductivity.
- Fusion Energy: Commercial fusion powers devices, vehicles and homes in a carbon-neutral era.
- Programmable Health: AI and synthetic biology enable personalized prevention and treatment.
- Multi-Domain Cohabitation: Seamless living across land, space and deep sea becomes reality.
Beyond these visions, the report sketches future life scenarios spanning health, education, mobility, finance, manufacturing, energy and environmental protection. Academician Yang Yuliang called the report ‘the first knock on the door of the future.’
The forum aims to foster greater international cooperation and exchange in scientific innovation, inviting global perspectives to refine these bold predictions.
Reference(s):
China unveils first national forecast of future technologies
cgtn.com
