From the beginning of the end for fireworks to an outbreak of silly walks and the chance to meet your digital twin, here are our ten predictions for the year ahead.

Every year Nesta predicts the trends, social movements and technological breakthroughs that we think will shape the world in the coming year, and our predictions for 2020 aim to tease out some of the shifts that could lie ahead.


This year, our ten predictions are tied to some of the major themes of our times – the climate crisis, drone technology, the changing face of democracy, new surveillance tools. But when many see the future as a threat more than a promise, as Nesta chief executive Geoff Mulgan explains, this year’s predictions show how we can bend the future in new, hopeful directions.