As technology becomes indispensable from everyday life, humanity and tech will merge to the point they are indistinguishable, predicts communication and marketing firm PHD. Its research into the forces shaping marketing's future produced Merge: The Closing Gap Between Technology And Us, a documentary and book on how technology and human evolution had progressed since the 1950s and how technological advances over the next 25 to 35 years would reshape society and the marketing industry. The research drew on experts' insights and foresights, including inventor and author Ray Kurzweil, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, futurologist Dr Ian Pearson and Microsoft UK chief envisioning officer Dave Coplin. PHD Malaysia head Eileen Ooi said the year ahead would bring a host of new technologies that would challenge the industry but also present new opportunities for those willing to invest in innovation and take a bold first step. She cited four key trends: chatbots, sentient virtual personal assistants, next wave of wearables, and intelligent data layers that give you additional info when viewing things.