As we reach the halfway point of the year, it’s time to not only reflect on some of the monumental changes we have seen in technology but also to predict what we can expect from the rest of 2018.
What have been the top tech trends of the year so far?
Voice
Voice technology is understandably popular in the media this year. We’ve seen consumers increasingly dropping the screen and integrating AI-driven voice technology into their day-to-day lives. It’s forecasted that in the foreseeable future, 30 per cent of all human interactions with technology will be via conversations with smart machines. We are no longer only seeing consumer uptake of voice-enabled speaker devices, such as the Google Home or Amazon Echo, but we are experiencing the incorporation of voice assistants into cars, fridges and the workplace too.
AI
Artificial Intelligence has commanded media attention over the first half of this year. As AI continues to become an integral part of our lives, it has begun to merge into areas such as healthcare, where it is set to become a fundamental tool in the near future.
Blockchain
Blockchain has dominated conversation over the past six months. This is because of its outstanding ability to make data transfer simple and easy between entities. This continues to open up opportunities for many industries, most notably banking, thanks to Blockchain’s capability to process payments quicker and more accurately while reducing transaction processing costs.
Looking forward, what can we expect to see from the next half of 2018?
Office of the Future
The conversation surrounding the office of the future is set to continue. Companies realise they need to adapt to the modern way of working. They appreciate it can help them maintain a positive workplace culture and keep employees satisfied. Technology allows greater flexibility in the workplace, so we can expect to see businesses offering more remote working. The increasing use of AI admin assistants will save employees’ time, as they’ll be handling all the routine tasks.
Robotics
We can anticipate that Robotics will remain a hot topic. Robotics is transforming the workplace and labour intensive jobs. An example of this was shown earlier this year when Ocado trialled the use of robots to pick groceries for customers. The robots were able to pick an average 50 item order in only five minutes, making it incredibly time-efficient.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality will continue holding peoples’ interest as technological developments enable it to become more realistic and engaging. News of Facebook and RED’s upcoming collaboration to create a camera for 3D VR video is providing hope that a stronger case for VR video can be made than is available today.
Watch this space!