From close up some innovation looks exponential. Take a step back and it looks like that exponential growth in one area is preceded by a breakthrough (or a series of breakthroughs), and the "exponential" growth only lasts until the ecosystem is filled.
Now take another step back. Breakthroughs themselves seem to be happening at an ever increasing "exponential" rate. Perhaps this is driven by increased wealth and education, which leads to a bigger population of researchers. In which case this trend may also eventually be limited (not "exponential").
But taking another step back reveals another trend: information is getting more available and searchable. And the burst in communications enables the formation of all kinds of creative communities.
I can't take another step back, but I can guess that it might involve artificial intelligences, DNA, and a broadening of what we consider a person. Maybe even the Singularity.