Global Foresight 2036

Why It Matters

By surfacing hidden forces and assessing AI’s impact, the report equips policymakers and investors with foresight to mitigate risks and seize emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Key Takeaways

• 450 global strategists contributed insights for 2036 outlook
• Six low‑profile “snow leopard” drivers identified
• AI examined as both forecasting tool and disruptive force
• Report released by Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center
• Findings span geopolitics, economy, tech, and Earth systems

Pulse Analysis

Strategic foresight has become a cornerstone for governments and corporations navigating uncertainty, and the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center is a recognized leader in this space. Global Foresight 2036 leverages a rigorous survey of 450 experts, blending quantitative data with qualitative scenario building to paint a comprehensive picture of the next decade. The report’s breadth—covering geopolitics, macro‑economic shifts, technological breakthroughs, and planetary health—offers readers a multi‑dimensional framework that goes beyond conventional trend analysis.

A distinctive feature of the 2036 edition is its focus on six “snow leopard” drivers—low‑visibility phenomena that could erupt into outsized influence. While the report does not name them explicitly here, such drivers typically include emerging geopolitical flashpoints, niche technological adoptions, and subtle ecological feedback loops. By flagging these under‑the‑radar forces, the study alerts decision‑makers to blind‑spot risks that traditional intelligence may overlook, encouraging proactive strategy development and contingency planning.

Artificial intelligence receives special attention, examined both as a catalyst for disruption and as a tool for predictive modeling. The authors debate AI’s capacity to forecast complex global events, noting advances in machine‑learning algorithms while cautioning against over‑reliance on opaque models. For businesses, this dual perspective underscores the need to integrate AI insights with human expertise, ensuring that strategic choices remain grounded in both data‑driven foresight and contextual judgment. The report’s nuanced take on AI thus serves as a guide for firms seeking to harness technology responsibly while preparing for its broader societal impacts.

Global Foresight 2036

The authoritative forecast for the decade ahead · February 10 2026

Overview

Welcome to the fifth edition of Global Foresight. Produced by the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—home to one of the world’s premier strategic‑foresight shops—Global Foresight gathers the best thinking about how the coming decade could unfold.

In this year’s installment, part of the Atlantic Council Strategy Papers series, our experts analyze exclusive new findings from a survey of leading strategists and foresight practitioners around the world. The survey asked respondents to consider how human affairs could develop over the next ten years across geopolitics, diplomacy, the global economy, technological disruption, changing Earth systems, and other domains.

Our team scans the horizon for hidden or under‑the‑radar phenomena—what we call “snow leopards.” These are low‑profile drivers that could have outsized consequences in the future. In addition, the Atlantic Council’s top technology minds take a critical look at how artificial intelligence could reshape not only the future, but our ability to predict it.

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Key Themes

• Welcome to 2036 – A snapshot of what the world could look like in ten years, based on insights from nearly 450 experts.

• Six “snow leopards” to watch – Underappreciated phenomena that could emerge as powerful forces despite receiving little press attention.

• AI and the future – An exploration of whether artificial intelligence can reliably forecast global affairs and how AI itself will evolve over the decade.

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Full Survey Results

The full results of the Global Foresight 2036 survey are available, detailing the responses of geostrategists and foresight experts worldwide to the most pressing questions about the next decade’s drivers of change.

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Strategy Paper Editorial Board

Executive editors

• Frederick Kempe

• Alexander V. Mirtchev

Editor‑in‑chief

• Matthew Kroenig

Editorial board members

• James L. Jones

• Odeh Aburdene

• Paula Dobriansky

• Stephen J. Hadley

• Jane Holl Lute

• Ginny Mulberger

• Stephanie Murphy

• Dan Poneman

• Arnold Punaro

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