By 2080, it's likely that 10 billion humans will inhabit the planet. This crush of humanity could change everything. Prepare yourself for the "beta economy."

That's how Bonin Bough, Kraft's digital guru, described the disruptive effects of exponential population growth. While technology will help us grow enough food to feed the world and educate remote populations, it could also change how markets operate and where power and money are concentrated. He compared it to how mobile technology has rewritten the rules in rural areas, allowing remote villages to access mainstream markets through the Internet and making borders technologically porous.

Peter Diamandis of the X PRIZE Foundation agreed, saying technology could "de-materialize and de-monetize" societies. He pointed to how the mobile phone has completely changed the landscape for libraries, publishers and music stores as examples. And he said advances will eventually bring down the costs of services like health care and education. As costs approach zero, "it will shake up the world."

Nobel laureate Myron Scholes said concepts such as wages and consumption would need to be rethought in such a scenario. For example, how would private capital be compensated for risk?

The panelists touched quickly on an array of potential consequences. Only the video can do it justice. Check out the lesson on Malthus as the panel begins, and hear Chevron’s chief economist Edgard Habib's take on the future of energy about 20 minutes from the end of the session.