A peek into the future of tech

One of the side effects of getting older is that we get to see a lot of change. Many seniors will remember a time without television or air fryers, or when automatic transmission on cars was a novelty. 

But time and innovation don’t stand still. The world our grandchildren inherit will feel vastly different from the one we grew up in.  

From computers that understand images and speech, to cars that drive themselves (or even fly), to medicines that can edit our genes, it’s all under development – and this may be the year it comes together in a tangible way. 

Here are just some of the things we may be able to expect soon. 

Brain–computer interfaces are moving from science fiction to clinical reality. A company called Neuralink is evaluating a fully implantable, wireless interface to help people with paralysis control devices by thought alone. 

However, early adopters are reminding us to keep our feet on the ground. Magician and molecular biologist Zi Teng Wang implanted a computer chip in his hand to help him perform tricks – but then he forgot the password! This has left him “locked out” of the device inside his own body. 

This somewhat amusing story serves as a practical lesson about durability, support, and security when technology is literally under our skin.

Robotaxis are expanding across cities in America, and safety statistics from Waymo, the main operator, show markedly lower rates of crashes resultig in injury compared with human drivers. 

However, the technology is not yet perfect. In 2025, Waymo needed to tweak the software over concerns its vehicles were passing stopped school buses and were at risk of crashing into some gates and barriers. When a citywide blackout in San Francisco stranded many driverless cars, the company paused its service and pledged to improve its systems.

AI systems now handle text, images, audio, and video in one model, and can work with extraordinarily long documents. 

Concerns about this technology include their ability to create fake narratives – for example, by producing videos that show real people doing things they didn’t do and literally putting words into their mouths.  

There are also concerns for the environment, as these computers chew up vast amounts of water (for cooling) and electricity.

The US Federal Drugs Administration has approved Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) therapy for sickle cell disease, signalling a new era in genetic medicine. 

In 2025, researchers reported a genetic editing treatment created within months for an infant with a rare metabolic disorder, providing an early glimpse of “on-demand” therapies tailored to a single patient. 

Other CRISPR trials suggest new treatments for people with certain liver and heart conditions, and for age-related macular degeneration.