by our Correspondent
Nov 22, 2023
13 Top Tech Trends in 2023 Everyone Needs to Be Prepared for
As a futurist, it's my job to look ahead - so every year I cover the new technology trends that will shape our digital world over the next 12 months. What technologies are gaining ground the most? What are the most important trends that business leaders should be prepared for?
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| Top 13 Tech Trends in 2023 Everyone Needs to Be Prepared for |
13 Top Tech Trends in 2023 Everyone Needs to Be ready for
Read on for thirteen essential tech trends to watch in 2023.
1-Applied artificial intelligence, AI everywhere
• Artificial intelligence is one of the biggest technological trends. We are still in the early days of AI development. As the technology becomes more sophisticated, it will be used to further develop technological tools, such as training machines that recognize patterns and then act on what it finds.
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| Top 13 Tech Trends in 2023 Everyone Needs to Be Prepared for |
• By 2024, AI-generated speech will account for more than 50% of human interactions with computers. But companies are still looking for ways to use AI effectively, the consultancy says: “While every company can get good value from AI if it is applied effectively and in a repeatable way, less than one quarter of respondents report a significant impact on the bottom line. "
• Get ready for Software 2.0, where neural networks and machine learning write code and create new software. “This technology trend enables the rapid scaling and proliferation of new applications that are data-rich and use artificial intelligence,” says McKinsey.
• In part, he could see the creation of software applications far more powerful and capable than anything available today. However, it will also enable standardization and automation of existing software and coding processes.
In 2023, artificial intelligence in organizations will become real. Code-free AI with an easy drag-and-drop interface will empower any business to harness its power to create smarter products and services.
We are already seeing this trend in the retail market. Stitch Fix uses artificial intelligence algorithms to recommend clothes to its customers that match their size and taste.
Contactless, autonomous shopping and delivery will also be a huge trend for 2023. Artificial intelligence will make it easier for consumers to pay for and receive goods and services.
AI will also augment almost every job in every business process across industries. More retailers will use artificial intelligence to manage and automate the complex inventory management processes that happen behind the scenes, so convenience trends such as curbside online shopping (BOPAC), online shopping in-store (BOPIS), and buy- online-return-in-store (BORIS), will become standard.
2. The Metaverse becomes real
I don't particularly care for the term "metaversion", but it has become shorthand for a more immersive internet where we will be able to work, play and socialize on a permanent platform.
Experts predict that metaversion will add $5 trillion to the global economy by 2030, and 2023 will be the year that sets the direction of metaversion for the next decade.
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| Top 13 Tech Trends in 2023 Everyone Needs to Be Prepared for |
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies will continue to evolve. One area to watch is the work environment in the metaverse – in 2023, I predict we will have a more immersive meeting environment where we can talk, brainstorm and co-create.
In fact, Microsoft and Nvidia are already developing a metaverse platform to collaborate on digital projects. We will also see more advanced avatar technology in the new year. An avatar—the presence we project when we engage in metaversion with other users—could look exactly like us in the real world, and motion sensing will even allow our avatars to adopt our unique body language and gestures.
We could also see the further development of autonomous avatars with artificial intelligence that can act as our representatives in the metaverse even when we are not logged into the digital world.
Companies are already using metaverse technologies like AR and VR to conduct training and onboarding, and this trend will accelerate in 2023. Consulting giant Accenture has already created a metaverse environment called Nth Floor. This virtual world contains replicas of Accenture's real offices, so new hires and existing employees can perform HR-related tasks without having to be present in a physical office.
3. Connecting the digital and physical worlds
We are already seeing a bridge emerging between the digital and physical worlds, and this trend will continue into 2023. This connection has two components: digital twin technology and 3D printing. Digital twins are virtual simulations of real-world processes, operations or products that can be used to test new ideas in a secure digital environment. Designers and engineers use digital twins to recreate physical objects in virtual worlds so they can test under every imaginable condition without the high costs of real-life experiments. In 2023, we will see even more digital twins, from factories to machines to cars to precision healthcare.
After testing in the virtual world, engineers can refine and modify the components and then create them in the real world using 3D printing technology.
4. Quantum progress
Right now, there is a worldwide race to develop large-scale quantum computers.
Quantum computing, which uses subatomic particles to create new ways of processing and storing information, is a technological leap that is expected to bring us computers capable of working trillions of times faster than the fastest traditional processors available today.
A potential danger of quantum computers is that our current encryption practices could be rendered useless – so any country that develops quantum computing on a large scale could break the encryption of other countries, businesses, security systems and more. This is a trend to watch closely in 2023 as countries like the US, UK, China and Russia pour money into the development of quantum computing technology.
5. Advances in green technology
One of the biggest challenges facing the world right now is curbing our carbon emissions to address the climate crisis.
In 2023, look for continued progress in green hydrogen, a new clean energy source that produces nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions. Shell and RWE, two major European energy companies, are creating the first major green gas pipeline from wind farms in the North Sea.
We will also see progress in the development of decentralized energy networks. Distributed power generation using this model provides a system of small power generators and storage that are located in communities or individual homes – so they can provide power even when the main grid is not available. Right now, our energy system is primarily dominated by huge gas and power companies, but decentralized energy initiatives have the potential to democratize power around the world while reducing carbon emissions.
6. Robots will become more human
In 2023, robots will become even more human-like – both in appearance and capabilities. These types of robots will be used in the real world as event greeters, bartenders, receptionists, and companions for older adults. They will also perform complex tasks in warehouses and factories as they work alongside people in manufacturing and logistics.
One company is working hard to create a human-like robot that will work in our homes. At Tesla AI Day in September 2022, Elon Musk unveiled two prototype Optimus humanoid robots and said the company would be ready to take orders within the next 3 to 5 years. A robot can perform simple tasks like lifting objects and watering plants - so we may soon be able to have "robot butlers" helping out around the house.
7. More sustainable technologies
Finally, in 2023 we will see a shift towards more sustainable technologies. Many (if not most) of us depend on technology like our smartphones, tablets and computers – but where do the components to make our favorite gadgets come from? People will think more about where the rare earth components for things like computer chips come from and how we consume them.
We also use cloud services like Netflix and Spotify, which still run in huge data centers that consume huge amounts of energy.
In 2023, we will see a continued push for greater transparency in supply chains as consumers demand that the products and services they invest in are energy efficient and supported by more sustainable technology.
8. Process automation and virtualization
About half of all existing work activities could be automated in the next few decades as process automation and next-level virtualization become more common.
“By 2025, more than 50 billion devices will be connected to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),” McKinsey predicts. Robots, automation, 3D printing and more will generate approximately 79.4 zettabytes of data per year.
Faster digital connections, driven by 5G and IoT, have the potential to unlock economic activity. So much so that implementing faster connections in "mobility, healthcare, manufacturing and retail could increase global GDP by $1.2 trillion to $2 trillion by 2030." 5G and IoT will be one of the most watched technology trends of the next decade.
"Much greater availability and network capabilities will lead to far-reaching shifts in the business environment, from the digitization of manufacturing (via wireless control of mobile tools, machines and robots) to decentralized energy supply and remote patient monitoring."
Business leaders will continue to make progress in the creation of autonomous systems, especially in the area of supply and logistics. Many factories and warehouses have already become partially or fully autonomous.
In 2023, we will see even more self-driving trucks and ships, as well as delivery robots – and even more warehouses and factories will implement autonomous technology.
Ocado, the UK online supermarket that describes itself as "the world's largest specialist online grocer", uses thousands of autonomous robots in its highly automated warehouses to sort, lift and move food. The warehouse also uses artificial intelligence to place the most popular items within reach of robots. Ocado is now rolling out the autonomous technology behind their successful warehouses to other grocery retailers.
9. Computing technology of the new generation
Next-generation computing "will help find answers to problems that have bedeviled science and society for years, and unlock unprecedented opportunities for businesses."
It covers a range of far-reaching developments, from quantum artificial intelligence to fully autonomous vehicles, and as such will not be of immediate interest to all organisations. "Preparing for next-generation computing requires identifying whether you're in a first-wave industry (such as finance, travel, logistics, global energy and materials, and advanced industries)" or "whether your business depends on trade secrets and other data, which must be protected during the transition from current to quantum cryptography.
By 2022, 70% of companies will use hybrid cloud or multi-cloud platforms as part of their distributed IT infrastructure. This will mean that data and processing can be handled in the cloud, but made available to the device more quickly.
"This technology trend will help companies increase their speed and agility, reduce complexity, save costs and strengthen their cyber defenses,"
10. Architecture of trust. Cyber security.
In 2019, more than 8.5 billion data records were compromised. Despite advances in cybersecurity, criminals continue to redouble their efforts. Given the growing technological trend, trust architectures will help in the fight against cybercrime.
One approach to building an architecture of trust is to use distributed ledgers such as blockchain. "Furthermore, an architecture of trust reduces the risk of security breaches, lowers the cost of security compliance, lowers operational and capital expenditures associated with cybersecurity, and enables more cost-effective transactions, such as between buyers and sellers."
11. New generation materials
Developments in materials science have the potential to transform a number of market sectors, including pharmaceuticals, energy, transportation, healthcare, semiconductors and manufacturing. Among such materials is graphene—a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice configuration that, despite its incredible thinness, is about 200 times stronger than steel. It is also a very efficient conductor and promises to revolutionize semiconductor performance. Another is molybdenum sulfide—the nanoparticles of which are already used in flexible electronics.
"By changing the economics of a wide range of products and services, next-generation materials with significantly higher efficiencies in many previously untouched application areas can change the economics of industries and reconfigure societies within them,".
12. The future of clean technology trends
Renewable energy, cleaner/greener transport, energy efficient buildings and sustainable water use are at the heart of clean technology trends. As the costs associated with clean technologies fall, their use expands and a growing number of industries feel their disruption
"Companies must keep pace with emerging business-building opportunities by designing operational improvement programs around technology development, procurement, manufacturing and cost reduction." Advances in clean technologies also promise an abundant supply of green energy to sustain exponential technological growth, e.g. , in high performance computers."
13. Progress in Web3
Blockchain technology will also advance significantly in 2023 as companies create more decentralized products and services.
At the moment, for example, we store everything in the cloud - but if we decentralize data storage and encrypt this data with blockchain, our information will not only be more secure, but we will have innovative ways to access and analyze them.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) will become more usable and practical in the new year. For example, NFT concert tickets potentially give you access to backstage experiences and memorabilia. NFTs can be the keys we use to interact with the many digital products and services we purchase, or they can represent contracts we enter into with other parties.
