Wired launches look-ahead to 2022 industry trends

The Wired World in 2022 annual briefing will launch this week, bringing together science and tech predictions from some of the industry’s brightest minds. With contributions from key industry leaders including Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, and Mohamed Taha, co-Founder and CEO of fertility start-up Mojo, the publication offers insights into the trends and challenges facing our world in 2022. 

Speaking on this year’s predictions, Greg Williams, Deputy Global Editorial Director, said: “It’s never an easy task and the testing nature of the challenge has been thrown into relief over the nearly two years since Covid-19 first emerged in Wuhan.” 

“The weight of opinion appears that while we don’t know the exact form of the next global emergency, there are strong indicators that it will originate in four ways: the climate crisis, antibiotic resistance, another disease jumping species, or a devastating cyber attack on critical infrastructure. But it’s also worth stepping back and celebrating the success of some of the innovators and disciplines that Wired covers.” 

The health and science sections of the issue explore the ethics of brain organoids and the role of AI in IVF. Anil Seth says:

“By 2022, brain organoid – artificially grown masses of cells and tissue that resemble an organ – will be displaying dynamics that bear comparison with the complex activity patterns indicative of consciousness in humans. This will require us to rethink what counts as a brain signature of “consciousness” and raises ethical issues.”

The Wired World in 2022 is available from Condé Nast stores worldwide from Thursday 4th November and can be purchased online, including through Shopify. You can find out more about WIRED here.