The influence of information and communication technology (ICT) on future foresight processes - Results from a Delphi survey

Information and communication technology (ICT) tools are increasingly being used to implement foresight exercises. Until now, it has not been analyzed how this development affects the quality and structure of foresight processes. In this paper, a Delphi study is conducted to analyze the future path of ICT in foresight and to identify channels by which ICT drives progress in foresight and where there are limitations to this development. Using a real-time variant of the method, we posed 20 projections about ICT in 2020 to 177 foresight experts. In analyzing both quantitative and qualitative results of the study, we reveal that ICT will likely promote a shift in the focus of foresight exercises from scanning and data retrieval to more qualitative steps, such as interpretation, decision-making and implementation. In a growing foresight market, ICT should contribute to more efficient and accurate foresight processes with better accessibility to information, easy-to-use collaboration tools, data and knowledge linkages, quantitative modeling tools and process optimization. However, the qualitative nature of the discipline, value-driven challenges, as well as technological and competitive barriers should assure that foresight will remain a creative and human-centered activity with ICT tools only serving as supportive tools.