Major Tech Development Predictions that will Impact 2018

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When it comes to predicting the future, you can look at the Quatrains from Nostradamus, read the predictions from Bulgarian bling mystic Baba Vanga or merely trust those from renowned analytics firms such as Alteryx, Forrester, and Gartner. For me, my money is on the latter three, especially when it comes to technology trends and predictions and since we are just entering 2018, it will be interesting to see what direction those patterns will go.

Gartner is a good barometer when it comes to predictions on where technology is headed and released a report back in October that outlines what’s expected to emerge in the new year- AI, AR/VR, autonomous vehicles, adaptive security, IoT and more are expected to advance with new developments and innovation. Let’s take a look at the breakdown of their “Top Ten Strategic Technology Trends” to get a better idea of where tech is moving.

The research and advisory company groups their predictive analytics into what they call “The Intelligent Digital Mesh,” where people, devices, intelligence, and services are intertwined, which can be broken down into three categories: Intelligent, Digital and Mesh.

Intelligent:

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AI is prominent in this category, probably so when we see the technology permeate into nearly every facet of technology- mobile devices, autonomous vehicles, robotics, security, automation and more. Companies such as Google, Uber, Tesla, and Mercedes are all utilizing AI and machine-learning algorithms to achieve level 3, 4 and 5 driving modes where passengers can reliably turn their attention to anywhere else but the road. Nvidia recently released their Drive PX AI computing platform to help make it easier for those companies to achieve their goals. It’s clear that the utilization of AI for AVs will continue through 2018 well into 2020 according to a report from Business Insider.

AI will feature prominently in intelligent apps and analytics and is expected to be incorporated into nearly every app and service in the coming year. Gartner touches on augmented analytics- using machine-learning for automated data preparation along with insight discovery and sharing for augmented human activity for advanced analytics, intelligent processes, and user experiences.

The IoT fits in this category as well with AI and machine-learning being found in everything from digital assistants (Siri, Alexa, Cortana, etc.) to smart appliances and devices. Gartner predicts that a shift from stand-alone machines to swarms of collaborative intelligent things all working together or independently will come of age in the next few years with the leading edge being used by the military. We saw the initial stages of this last January when the DOD used three F-18s to drop over 100 Perdix drones to perform collaborative surveillance missions.

Digital: 

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The digital category is a fascinating one as Gartner outlines the continued development of “digital twins” or the digital representations of real-world systems, which offers data of their real-world counterparts. A great example of this is AI for industrial automation, for instance- Siemens uses neural networks to monitor their steel plant operations to improve efficiency and monitor the mechanical health of their systems, alerting operations personnel when parts are starting to become defective and require maintenance.

Edge computing will continue to grow as well in the next year, which is a method for optimizing cloud computing by offloading data processing to the ‘edge’ of the network where that data is located. If you compare it to traditional cloud processing, it reduces the bandwidth and latency time between the device utilizing the data and the cloud. Think of it like real-time processing for reducing the communication time between giving a drone flying instructions and having them execute them. 

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality will continue to be developed upon this year as well with a significant focus on Mixed Reality- a combination of both. Gartner feels that mobile device companies such as Samsung, Apple and Google will vie for AR/MR domination over the next few years and we can see the emergence of that now with products like Samsung’s Gear VR, Google’s Daydream View, and the Merge VR Goggles.

Mesh:

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The Mesh area will see the utilization of the blockchain for businesses. The blockchain is essentially a continuously growing list of records/data (called blocks) that are decentralized and removes business friction by being independent of applications or participants. More to the point, it allows untrusted parties to exchange commercial transactions like those who dabble in cryptocurrencies, allowing them to use Bitcoins (or other monetary coins) to make purchases.

That being said, Gartner feels blockchains have other applications, including those that would benefit government, healthcare and content distribution. Companies can take advantage of the technology by understanding the potential business opportunities but will need qualified people capable of cryptographic skills before venturing into this emerging territory. Expect to see blockchains become more popular as the technology evolves.

Hyper-connectivity- the web of wearables, mobile devices and IoT sensors that people can use to find information or communicate online is known as the Digital or Device Mesh and relies on ever-expanding end-points people use to access applications, data and each other. As the number of connected devices grows, so too does this mesh and its end-points. Gartner predicts that by 2021, there will be an estimated 1-million IoT device purchased and installed every single hour, making it a guaranteed trend for at least the next decade.

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