As 2018 is nearing an end, one can say that the year has seen a lot regarding technological evolution and with the new year approaching technology is entering into an exciting state for consumers and organizations alike. This year saw an unprecedented rise in numerous technologies, but the one that held our attention were blockchain, AI and AR, and they are narrowing down on industry-specific solutions for the future. We are now starting to understand the implications of disruptive technologies with more sophistication. Artificial intelligence is moving from being an unknown entity to a technique used to enhance specific business processes.
AI is taking the lead:
At present, AI looks set to continue climbing the ladder of success. The International Data Corporation (IDC) expects that global spending on AI will reach $57.6 Bn by 2021. AI is starting to hit its pace as business owners recognize how decision making can be enhanced particularly with regards to analyzing customer journeys. It is for this reason that 51 percent of businesses will be making the transition to AI by 2019.
Blockchain will maintain its importance:
Organizations have not only become more educated about AI but are also getting well versed with the advantages of ledger technology. Blockchain has been reviewed widely in popular culture, and the distributed airtime it has accepted has assisted immensely to improve collective understanding over its future potential. While many saw blockchain technology as simply an endnote in the realm of cryptocurrency, some more ambitious companies saw the possibility that blockchain has to offer across industry applications. It would, nevertheless, be a mistake to intimate that blockchain is falling off the map just yet. Experts recommend that there will be a “level of maturation within the blockchain space in 2019” as more “sustainable blockchain projects” are developed.
AR will make a more significant impact:
If one looks towards consumer technology, one of the most exciting areas of development encompasses virtual and augmented reality. So far there have been some high profile, commercially successful VR products but on the whole, there is still immense room for development in both VR as well as AR technology. VR Company Oculus will be releasing Oculus Quest in Spring 2019 that has a display resolution of 1600×1440 per eye. The AR technology side of things also has signs of promise. Economic Daily News has pieced together insider knowledge to suggest that the 2019 iPhone will have three rear cameras. The three cameras will combine to generate an AR experience for the consumer. One camera could use a telephoto lens whereas the other two takes charge of depth mapping. If this is the situation, then AR would have access to a much broader demographic than ever before.
In current years organizations have dived head-first into technology like AI and blockchain without having clearly defined industry-specific applications in mind. The reason is 2019 so exciting is that 2018 has been a harsh testing ground to authenticate how these technologies can be advanced, and what problems they can solve. The achievements and failures of technologies such as blockchain and virtual reality have given technology providers everything they need to start into the next step of improvement. In other terms, high in the sky aims have given way to absolved, targeted goals and expectations.
