Navigating the Future

Technology Strategy Initiative Task force

Philippe Le Hegaret
VP, Technical Strategy

TPAC 2025
Kobe, Japan & online
10–14 November 2025

Constantly Evolving Web

This picture was generated using an AI image generator with the prompt 'A futuristic web connected world, digital art. In vibrant colors, with humans, without text or acronyms, with a mouse from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'.

The web is expanding constantly. Expansion of new technologies (AI, Digital Wallets) is happening faster than ever, shifting wildly society and the economy.

W3C needs a consistent, strategic way to navigate those evolutions.

This initiative is about how we decide, less about what we decide.

Initiative's Mission

Guidance to help W3C know:

when to address changes and innovation
when to ignore changes and innovation
when there might be opportunity for W3C to instigate change

Composition

Daniel Appelquist
Lola Odelola
Jeffrey Yasskin
Philippe Le Hegaret (lead)
Sarven Capadisli
Xiaocheng Hu

Criteria for a new technology

Within our scope
Global impact
Community involvement
Aligned with our vision and principles
Ability to make changes
Risks
…

Current mechanisms (1/2)

Minimally structured incubation pipeline that focuses on early exploration, open collaboration, and review

Community Groups: WICG, Credentials, Machine Learning, …
Workshops: Authentic Web (2025), Age-Based Restrictions on Content Access (2025), Smart Voice Agents (2026)
Interest Groups: Media and Entertainment, Web and AI, Web Payments Security, …
W3C Team strategy pipeline: w3c/strategy issues

Exploration Interest Group: explore and discuss emerging web-related technology trends (Friday, 2pm, 303)

Current mechanisms (2/2)

Charter refinement

We need your input

What new technology are we missing and, most importantly, why?

How do we evaluate new technologies? What guiding principle are we missing?

How do we prioritize?

How do we measure success?

How to interact with this initiative?

Talk to us during TPAC 2025

w3c/initiatives issues

TPAC 2025 breakout: Navigating the Future

Timeline:

November/December 2025: Gather feedback on the community
January 2025: Draft report available for comments
March 2025: Final report