5 GAME CHANGERS
The last decade has seen technology disrupt our lives more than ever. Our now highly-digitised and hyper-connected world has seen the introduction of smartphones, Amazon Alexa, fitness trackers, true wireless earphones and electric cars – the list of innovations goes on and on. Despite the imminence of a global recession, widespread inflation and energy shortages, in 2023, developments in technology won’t be slowing down either. This week we take a look at five game-changers that individuals and businesses alike can leverage to their advantage.
AI ABOUNDS
While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for a while, 2023 will see some big changes in the applications of the technology, with a focus on efficiency and security. According to Forbes, this year will mark AI becoming real whereby no-code AI, with user-friendly drag-and-drop interfaces, will enable any business to leverage its power to create more intelligent products and services. We will also see adaptive AI outpacing traditional AI. This emerging technology will learn from its experiences with data without any human intervention and change its own code accordingly. Compared with traditional AI, adaptive AI is highly accurate, efficient and agile. Brands such as Amazon, Netflix and Google are already using adaptive AI to provide a better user experience, in many cases with AI-driven chatbots making recommendations that truly resonate with customers. 2023 will also witness the evolution of AI TriSM, AI Trust Risk & Security Management, ensuring that AI does its intended jobs with trust, fairness, reliability and security.
GET READY FOR WEB3.0
In 2023, Web 3.0 will be positioned to provide an entirely different dimension to interactions and everyday experiences. With its focus on data decentralisation, Web 3.0 means that AR, AI, VR, ML, IoT, and Blockchain will come together to create a connected, secure, and immersive virtual world. Blockchain technology will also advance significantly with businesses creating more decentralised products and services. In the words of Bernard Marr, an internationally best-selling author, futurist, and a strategic business and technology advisor:
“At the moment, we’re storing everything in the cloud — but if we decentralize data storage and encrypt that data using blockchain, our information will not only be safer, but we’ll have innovative ways to access and analyze it.”
HOW TO PROCESS 180,000,000,000 TERABYTES
We are living in an era of big data and by 2025 it’s predicted that global data will top 180 zettabytes – that’s 180,000,000,000 terabytes. Our data-driven digital world relies heavily on the ability to process data quickly and efficiently. Enter quantum computing, a technology that is expected to have a market value of £500 billion by 2035. Quantum computing operates with the quantum state of subatomic particles and processes data about 160 times faster than the world’s most sophisticated supercomputer we have today. Data scientists claim that a quantum computing device is so powerful that it could do in four minutes what it would take a traditional supercomputer 10,000 years to accomplish, using only a fraction of the memory. But there’s more to quantum computing than speed. A quantum computer will be able to create an accurate simulation of the physical world and help us with the discovery and design of new materials with bespoke properties. Alessandro Curioni, Director of the IBM Research Lab in Zurich explains:
“If I am able to design a better material for energy storage, I can solve the problem of mobility. If I am able to design a better material as a fertiliser, I am able to solve the problem of hunger and food production. If I am able to design a new material that allows us to do CO2 capture, I am able to solve the problem of climate change.”
IBM, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Intel have all made substantial investments in quantum computing technology and infrastructure.
BECOME DIGITALLY IMMUNE
As a company founded in Burlington, Massachusetts in 2010, Digital Immunity offered simple cybersecurity solutions for businesses. However, although invented by IBM in 1991, digital immunity or digital immune system as a top trending technology combines various processes and technologies to make critical software applications more resilient to nasty bugs and viruses. A digital immune system combines software design, development, automation, operations, and analytics to create a superior user experience (UX) and reduce system failures that impact business performance. Again, many tech corporates are implementing digital immunity to strengthen their position in the market. Phil Venables, CISO of Google Cloud, said:
“For businesses, tapping into the constant security updates the cloud provides will be like tapping into a global digital immune system that is constantly growing in strength.
According to Gartner, by 2025 businesses that invest in digital immunity will increase customer experience and satisfaction by decreasing downtime by 80%.
GET YOURSELF A DIGITAL TWIN
Last but not least on our list is digital twins. The term may come across as a bit confusing but it’s not. Put simply, it’s creating a digital copy of a physical environment. These digital replicas of objects, spaces, physical systems or processes are analysed and manipulated to obtain more accurate products, reduce costs or predict possible errors. They also open up a world of possibilities regarding testing and simulating. You can also optimise variables in the digital world and achieve their optimal functioning in the real world. Digital twins are being rapidly adopted in manufacturing, particularly in the automotive industry. For example, Ford develops seven digital twins for each model of vehicle it produces. Each twin covers a different aspect of production from design to build and operation. Michael Koherr, an advanced lighting research engineer at Ford of Europe, spoke of how digital twins were invaluable in the development of the car manufacturer’s intelligent headlights:
“With the ability to truly gauge system performance in a virtual environment, we’re able to identify opportunities to improve our product well before entering the physical testing stage. Simulation has and will continue to play a critical role in our quest of making driving at night as safe and easy as during the day.”
Other examples of digital twin applications include making digital twins of patients so doctors can stimulate medical procedures and creating digital replicas from wind farm sensors to make designs more efficient and effective. The hospitality sector has also jumped on the digital twin bandwagon by simulating real-life events and situations in restaurants to help improve the configuration of kitchens and dining areas for better people flow. Hotels are also using the emerging tech to analyse the use of their facilities and deliver personalised service to each guest.
A HAPPY TECHY 2023
Technological change and development are never in the habit of slowing down and 2023 won’t be any different. I’m up for the challenge. With more than 15 years of experience in providing professional business IT support for SMEs and C-suites, I say bring the tech developments on. If you are worried about technology changing too fast, don’t be. You could be ready for these amazing technologies and don’t realise it. Call me today and let’s make you digitally immune, get your AI up to speed and prepare you for any quantum leaps that come your way.