How smart is your technology?
As new technologies like artificial intelligence or blockchain develop at a rapid pace, more and more people start to talk about the fourth industrial revolution. Industries quickly change and people get used to the new standards of efficiency. Today, an ability to adopt and use new technologies is a competitive advantage, and companies that don’t keep up with the latest trends risk their reputation.
In 2020, technology will be more important than ever, so we prepared a list of the most significant technology trends that will shape our lives and the development of different industries this year. Check out how these ideas will define technology and don’t wait until your competitors start to use them.What in the heck is going on?
Artificial intelligence takes automation to the next level. Now we can automate not only particular tasks but also entire complex processes. Machine learning makes automation more effective than ever. Various all-in-one automation solutions can deal with numerous repetitive tasks that used to take a lot of time and effort to complete. Hyper-automation has already enabled robotic process automation (RPA) and created opportunities to combine content intelligence, OCR, AI, process intelligence, and other innovative technologies.
AI has already disrupted many industries, and the main reason is that it helps streamline numerous business processes and improve customer experience. People become used to working with AI, and this trend will continue in 2020.
Although AI introduces new standards of efficiency, it also has its downside: it has very high requirements in terms of computing resources, which makes AI solutions quite expensive. The wide adoption of AI becomes possible thanks to cloud computing. The AI-as-a-service approach allows companies to simply pay for computing power and algorithms, with no need to buy additional hardware. The growing number of providers will certainly lead to more tailored solutions created for specific tasks and specific industries.
Just like AI, blockchain has become one of the most common buzzwords of the last few years. Blockchain is no longer a technology limited to the niche of cryptocurrencies. Encrypted decentralized ledgers allow for storing all kinds of data, which is a reason why companies like IBM, Facebook, Walmart, FedEx, and Mastercard invest in this technology and develop their own blockchain-based solutions. Now blockchain finds its applications in social media, logistics, and even elections. An example of this can be found by looking at Cardano elections and how they work.
The next step in the evolution of cloud technologies is the distributed cloud. Latency and regulation issues make developers search for new approaches, trying to make the cloud location independent. Traditional centralized cloud models are risky in terms of security, while the distribution of cloud services to multiple locations makes them not only safer but also more flexible.
Chatbots are nothing new. However, their capabilities expand at a rapid pace. Chatbots allow companies to provide better customer service, while also saving a lot of money. The popularity of chatbots continues to grow, while developers keep searching for solutions to the main problem: robots still have problems with understanding the context.
Natural language processing makes chatbots more efficient, while machine learning enables them to improve their conversations with time. Teaching robots to understand sarcasm or jokes will be one of the main challenges of the next few years. For instance, AI can already write text, but its quality is still inferior to that written by humans, which is a reason why people who need high-quality content keep looking for professional writers on websites like Online Writers Rating.
Human augmentation is aimed to improve our physical and cognitive capabilities. There are many robotic solutions that can help people with disabilities, but companies like Boston Dynamics go even further, developing human augmenting devices that can help factory workers, miners, and soldiers. Smart wearables can improve worker safety and increase worker productivity in various industries.
We live in the age of data, and we produce tons of data every day. Although AI helps process data faster, there are still challenges associated with the speed of the internet connection. 5G mobile networks were introduced in 2019, but they were quite expensive and they only worked in particular cities. Given that technology develops faster than ever, it makes sense to expect 5G networks to expand and become cheaper in 2020.
The speed of 5G networks might make them even more useful than wired networks. Besides, the increased speed and stability offers numerous benefits for robots, autonomous cars, and other devices that are a part of the Internet of Things. Thanks to 5G, IoT devices will be able to collect and transfer much more data, while also doing it faster than ever.
Quantum computers are still at an early stage of development. They are huge, extremely expensive, and very difficult to make. However, the advantages of quantum computing are so impressive that companies like Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Intel are not going to stop working in this direction.
Quantum computers have the potential to quickly solve tasks that would take years of work for traditional computers. Many areas, such as DNA analysis or cancer treatment might enter a new era thanks to quantum computers. However, given that such computers will be able to break even the most sophisticated security systems, they will also introduce numerous challenges.
Autonomous vehicles are no longer a product of science fiction, but fully autonomous cars (level 5) still only exist as a concept. Although cars still need some help from human drivers, Tesla and other companies are not going to stop. For example, Google has already successfully tested autonomous taxis in California, transporting more than 6,000 people in one month. Autonomous shipping and driving might disrupt many industries, introducing new standards of efficiency, and becoming one of the most discussed topics outside of the tech world.
Technologies are changing the world as we know it. Robots, blockchain, augmentation, and automation solutions become mainstream, so there’s no surprise that more and more companies are willing to invest in technological development. The future is here, and even though many innovative technologies have yet to reach their full potential, 2020 will certainly introduce many cutting-edge solutions that will change our lives forever.
Gregory is passionate about researching new technologies in both mobile, web and WordPress. Also, he works on writing service review websites Online Writers Rating . Gregory in love with stories and facts, so Gregory always tries to get the best of both worlds.