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Lydia of EMAP, the UK's largest conference producer, and Bob, CEO of New Civil Engineer (NCE), invited Matthew to keynote NCE's annual summit in London, where the UK's leading construction and infrastructure companies gathered to hear about the innovations and technology breakthroughs that will shape the sector in the years to come.
With NCE celebrating its 50th anniversary, it chose to look into the deep future, and Matthew's keynote was titled The Future of Infrastructure 2080.
"In the future buildings will no longer be printed, but instead grown from genetically engineered seeds."Matthew Griffin, London, December 2022
As he explained, the further into the future you travel, the fuzzier the details of the plausible, possible, probable and preposterous futures become, so forecasting infrastructure in 2080 was no small task. Unlike many 2050 foresight projects, such as those from Arup, it meant jumping the technology S-Curves and going far beyond today's emerging technologies.
Where other foresight teams in the sector picture a future dominated by 3D printed smart infrastructure, Matthew looked instead towards industrial scale molecular assemblers dominated by Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), along with new computing paradigms, new materials and new sensors.
He closed on what he sees as the seemingly inevitable arrival of synthetic biology in the sector, a future in which buildings are no longer printed but grown from genetically engineered seeds.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Look past the next S-Curve.
Matthew argued that many foresight projects stop at today's emerging technologies. Assets built now will still stand when later ones arrive.
Track printing now, biology next.
3D printed buildings are the near term shift. Synthetic biology could follow and change materials altogether.
Plan for machines that design and build.
Artificial Super Intelligence and molecular assemblers could change who designs and builds infrastructure, not just how.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which of our assets will still be in use when construction methods change?
Where could 3D printed buildings change our costs and timelines first?
How would we compete if structures could be grown instead of built?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Infrastructure lasts for decades, so the technologies that arrive in its lifetime matter as much as those available when it is built.
When will 3D printed buildings be common?
Giant printers are building homes and structures layer by layer. The 311 Starburst expects wide use around 2036.
What are molecular assemblers?
They are imagined tiny machines that could build almost any object atom by atom. The 311 Starburst rates them Watch.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector, in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Hundreds of emerging technologies, mapped for industry.
The codex explores hundreds of emerging technologies and their implications for global culture, industry and society, the long-range view that any 2080 infrastructure strategy depends on.
