Thought this week​

The following article was originally published in the March issue of SPUR magazine in my Tomorrow column. These are written by myself 2 months prior as my Tomorrow Column is exclusively in print and needs time, something that always encourages me to work on topics that are not hype.

What does ‘Cutting edge’ mean? In the English dictionary, it is ‘the most modern stage of development in a particular type of work or activity’. Did you notice the word technology was not mentioned? That’s because the cutting-edge lives in cultural moments that create a groundswell of change. In seeking to decode our complex world and ways to author better futures, I have been exploring the idea of Quantum Beauty.

While there isn’t a universal definition of "quantum beauty," the idea is that the underlying laws of the universe have inherent beauty and are all interconnected by the same fundamental principles. For example, the way that two particles can be "entangled" and affect each other, even when they're far apart, or the way the Saharan winds directly impact the health and fertility of the Amazon Forest. Those deep hidden connections can be seen as Quantum Beauty and are key in shaping the behaviour of the universe. With a Quantum Beauty perspective, we can look at cutting edge innovation from a whole systems approach, connecting scientific and technological advancements with imagination and resilience. This type of regenerative thinking is critical as we face the global polycrisis.

Based on my research nature will form the nucleus for innovation. The field of biomimicry will gain traction, equipping designers with a deeper understanding of nature’s billions of years of proven solutions. The Biomimicry institute’s Ray of Hope Prize identifies the top nature-inspired start-ups in the world. This year’s award winner Sparxell is creating the next generation of colours and effects, with pigments that utilize the physical structure that gives birds and butterflies their magnificent colours, eliminating the need for toxic chemicals. Motorskins is designing adaptable soft-robotic materials and reactive wearable devices inspired by nature’s intelligence. Such innovations will popularise the idea of being a regenerative business with notions such as Regenerative Capitalism already outlined by the World Economic Forum. We will also look to ancient cultures and their long-held wisdoms to inform cutting edge innovations. The National Science Foundation has committed $30 million for “two-eyed seeing”. The goal is ‘to weave together traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and Western science.’

A groundswell of biosynthetic and AI advancements will fuel a material renaissance, with Google DeepMind’s new AI tool helped create more than 700 new materials. Deep Mind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman in his book ‘The next wave’ predicts that AI and synthetic biology will define the future. The Biomaterials sector start-up funding reached $2.2bn in 2022, and forecasts predict it this will go up to $4tn over the next 20 years. As these materials are scaled, affordability will improve. Ecco Leather's partnership with Ecovative is a prime example of this trend towards scalability. Fashion brands will distinguish themselves as science-based collectives following the footsteps of Pangaia, reframing a designer’s approach to how we are in constant collaboration with living organisms.  

Circular fashion will underpin a fundamental rethinking of the current fashion model of consumption. The Circularity Gap Report 2023 suggests circularity could help reduce the human footprint on the planet by using only 70% of available resources. The leave no trace approach will fuel decarbonising, one of the biggest issues across all industries as temperatures continue to reach dangerous levels. We will see a proliferation of DNA based technologies that enable traceability and accountability with companies such as Haelixa which uses synthetic DNA markers in fibres, as well as digital IDs. As consumers seek durability, we’ll also see an uptick of modular designs like Nike’s recent Feng Chen Wang collaboration. 

With big world problems and responsibilities will come the urge to escape and unleash creativity. By harnessing the power of imagination, people will challenge existing systems. Vegan cheese company Nobell Foods tasked writers and artists with reimagining how Pizza will adapt because of the climate crisis in their report Pizza Futures. Equipped with AI tools that can easily generate otherworldly images or realistic avatars, we will also escape through visual creations. Note AI generated images do have a high carbon footprint, but AI could also enable and energy revolution.

We are in transition. What is time and space? What is human identity, self, or plural? Meta’s Instant Codec Avatars could allow people to create lifelike avatars of themselves quickly and easily in the future. The global market for AI digital humans is forecast to be worth $527.5bn by 2030.  Simultaneously, mixed realities and spatial computing technologies will infuse storytelling into everyday experiences with what experts such as the Imvizar team call Spatial Storytelling. This signals an era with more intuitive physical interactions between humans, screens, and digital interfaces. Future Deluxe, in a collaboration with Disguise and MoveAI explored fun-charged AI-driven, real-time motion capture in Unreal-Engine.

These tools will change the way online creators, brands and campaigns approach their platforms. Humane’s much anticipated wearable 'Ai Pin' employs a laser projection system to display text and images onto the user's hand. When clipped on clothing, a virtual assistant supported by OpenAI's ChatGPT technology and Microsoft's cloud computing powers user’s lives. Meanwhile, a team of researchers as well as Meta have just achieved the ability to read brains by using AI. The brain activity decoder can reveal stories in people’s minds, taking us a few steps closer to interacting with tech based on direct brain prompts.  

This past year in our Tomorrow column we have covered everything from the Future Fashion factory, Interspecies Harmony to Space Age Fashion Futures. As we enter 2024, I invite you to think of through the lens of harmony and quantum beauty. There will always be more gadgets and shiny objects, more tech innovations as outlined in Wired's 2053 projections. As has been my mantra before and continues going forward: the biggest innovation is philosophical. 

By Geraldine Wharry