By 2030, new technologies such as exoskeletons, genetic editing, smart drugs and brain-computer interfaces will give us the ability to upgrade our human capabilities. Already today, one-third of consumers would consider having a microchip put into their brain to improve physical senses, improve life expectancy and learn new skills.

However, as a consequence, we’ll see a new health divide between the lucky few able to afford such enhancements as, and those who cannot.

By 2030, interest in eSports and immersive gaming will force ‘real-world’ sports and activities to innovate, creating new arenas of potential sponsorship and partnerships for brands.

Audio and visual content overlayed through the next generation of augmented technology will elevate day-to-day experiences, opening up a new range of immersive experiences.

Nearly half of consumers report enjoying watching eSports as much as they do live events.

In the next decade, technological innovation will increasingly foster human connection and togetherness, despite distance or solitude.

For brands, technology’s potential to enable new emotions and sensations will provide new ways of communicating with and engaging potential customers, through senses beyond sight and sound.

New forms of companionship and care will be normalised as widening definition of wellbeing has also been pushing mental health up the agenda of consumers and public bodies alike.

One-third of consumers by 2030 would consider allowing AI or robots to care for an elderly relative unsupervised.

Want to meet the consumer of the future? Kim embodies a world of Universal Activism. Find out more about her life in this chapter, as well as the potential events that will shape the future from now to 2030.

dentsu consumer vision

48%

Victoria Alonsoperez
Engineer and entrepreneur

33%

What potential events could unfold between now and 2030 that would show we’re on the path of to a Synthetic Society? Will access to tech enhancements become a human right? Could the FIFA eWorld Cup become the most watched virtual sporting event on the planet? In this chapter we imagine a pathway of key events out to 2030.

Synthetic Society

pathway to 2030

Exoskeletons are introduced to assist people with physical disabilities

First VR rehab clinic opens in Tokyo

Elon Musk’s Neuralink successfully implants the first brain-computer interface in a human to treat brain disorder 

Big Pharma rolls out class-A medicines such as MDMA and ketamine to treat severe illnesses

FIFA eWorld Cup is the most watched sporting event on the planet

CRISPR genetic editing is legally regulated and applied in first patient trials for disease prevention

Universal Basic Upgrade becomes a UN human right