Some tech trends fizzle out and
die a quiet death, while others are so significant that they transform our
world and how we live in it. Here are the top nine tech mega-trends that I
believe will define 2018 and beyond.
Trend 1: The increasing datafication of
our lives
From
chatting to friends in a messaging app or buying a coffee, to tapping in and
out with an Oyster card or streaming music, today almost everything we do
leaves a trail of data breadcrumbs. And this increasing datafication of our
world has led to an unprecedented explosion in data.
Just
in the average minute, Facebook receives 900,000 logins, more than 450,000
Tweets are posted, and 156 million emails and 15 million texts are sent.With
numbers like that, it’s no wonder we’re essentially doubling the amount of datacreated in the world roughly every two years.
Trend 2: The Internet of Things (IoT) and
how everyday devices are becoming more ‘smart’
The
IoT – which encompasses smart, connected products like smart phones and smart
watches –is a major contributing factor in this exponential increase in data.
That’s because all these smart devices are constantly gathering data,
connecting to other devices and sharing that data – all without human
intervention (your Fitbit synching data to your phone, for instance).
Pretty
much anything can be made smart these days. Our cars are becoming increasingly
connected; by 2020, a quarter
of a billion cars will be
hooked up to the Internet. For our homes, there are obvious smart products like
TVs,and less obvious ones, like yoga mats that trackyour Downward Dog. And, of
course, many of us have voice-enabled personal assistants like Alexa – another
example of an IoT device.
Trend 3: Exponential growth in computing
power is fueling massive tech advances
None
of this incredible growth in data, nor the billions of IoT devices
available,would be possible without the enormous leaps in computing power that
we’ve made. Between 1975 and 2015, computing power doubled at a rate of every
two years, before slowing to the current rate of approximately every two and a half years.
But
we’re reaching the limits of what traditional computing power can handle.
Thankfully, on the horizon, we have quantum computing. Probably the most
significant transformation of computing power ever, quantum computing will see
computers become millions of times faster than they are right now.Tech leaders
are in a race to launch the first commercially viable quantum computer, capable
of solving problems that today’s computers can’t handle. Capable, even, of
solving problems that we can’t even imagine yet.
Trend 4: The incredible rise of
artificial intelligence (AI)
Computers
are now able to learn in much the same way as we humans do, and this leap in AI
capabilities has been made possible by the massive increases in data and
computing power. It’s the incredible explosion in data that has allowed AI to
advance so quickly over the last couple of years; the more data an AI system
has, the quicker it can learn and the more accurate it becomes.
This
huge step forward in AI mean computers can now undertake more and more human
tasks. In fact, it’s AI that allows computers to see (e.g. facial recognition
software), read (e.g. analyzing social media messages), listen (e.g. Alexa
standing by to answer your every command), speak (e.g. Alexa being able to
answer you) and gauge our emotions (e.g. affective computing).
Trend 5: The unstoppable freight train
that is automation
The
more intelligent machines become, the more they can do for us. That means even
more processes, decisions, functions and systems can be automated and carried
out by algorithms or robots.
Eventually,
a wide range of industries and jobs will be impacted by automation. However,
for now, the first wave of jobs that machines are taking can be categorized
using the four Ds: dull, dirty, dangerous and dear. This means humans will no
longer be needed to do the jobs that machines can do faster, safer, cheaper and
more accurately.
Beyond
the four Ds, machines, robots and algorithms will replace – oraugment – many
human jobs, including professional jobs in fields like law or accounting. From
truck drivers to bricklayers to doctors, the list of jobs that are likely to be
affected by automation is surprising. One estimate reckons that 47 percent of US jobs are at risk of
automation.
Trend 6: 3D printing opens up amazing
opportunities for manufacturers (and others)
Related
to increasing automation, the invention of 3D printing is disrupting
manufacturing, and other industries, in many positive ways. In traditional
(subtractive) manufacturing, objects are cut or hollowed out of material, such
as metal, using something like a cutting tool. But in 3D printing (also known
as additive manufacturing), the object is created by laying down, or adding, layers of material. The
materials used in 3D printing can be pretty much anything: plastic, metal,
concrete, liquid, powder, even chocolate or human tissue!
With
3D printing, far more complex shapes can be created than in traditional
manufacturing – and using less material, too. It also allows for much greater
customization of products, without worrying about economies of scale.
Trend 7:
We’re interacting with technology in very different ways
The way we interact with technology has changed
dramatically in recent years – and is still changing. Thanks to smart phones
and tablets, we can carry out a whole range of tasks on the move simply by
touching a screen. Mobile web usage has increased to the point where, in 2016,
it overtook web usage through traditional computers. Google has also confirmed that searches on mobile
devices now outstrip desktop searches.
We’re also talking to our devices, using voice searches
via Siri and the like. Estimates suggest that, by 2020, 50 percent of all searches will be voice
searches, and around 30 percent will
involve no screen whatsoever. As a result, all kinds of businesses are
gradually integrating their products with the likes of Siri, Alexa and Google
Assistant. For example, Alexa is being integrated into BMWs from 2018.
Virtual reality and augmented reality represent the next
huge leap in interface innovation, transforming how businesses interact with
customers.
Trend 8:
Blockchains: An invention that could change our world
Blockchain technology is a very practical solution to the
problem of storing, authenticating and protecting data. Think of a blockchain
as a decentralized, extremely secure database. Or, to get slightly more
technical, it’s a distributed, peer-to-peer ledger of records. While nothing is
ever totally ‘hack-proof’, blockchain represents a huge leap forward compared
to our current data security technology as, unlike a centralized database,
there’s no one single point of failure.
The records in a blockchain are called ‘blocks’ and every
block is connected to the previous block (hence, ‘block’ and ‘chain’). The
whole chain is self-managed, which means there’s no one person or organization
in charge of the entire chain. If that sounds familiar, it might be because the
virtual currency Bitcoin functions on blockchain technology.
Financial services, insurance and healthcare are just some
of the sectors where blockchains are likely to be heavily adopted. In fact, 90 percent of major European and North American banks are exploring
blockchain solutions.
Trend 9:
Platforms are the way forward for businesses
A platform is essentially a network (digital or physical)
that creates value for participants by facilitating connections and exchanges
between people for services, products or information. The platform is rarely
the actual service provider; instead, it acts as a facilitator for the crowd,
making interactions possible, easy, and safe for participants.
Platforms have given rise to businesses like Airbnb, Uber
and Amazon, and are also the foundation of what Facebook and Twitter do.
However, platforms offer growth opportunities across all kinds of businesses,
industries and sectors – not just tech companies. Even long-running businesses
with more traditional business models, like Ford, are beginning to develop
platform strategies.
