Technology Trends

Technology Trends

There are many new technology trends emerging as 2018 is coming upon us. With so many new technologies, the question is: What does it take for the trend to become the norm? Here, we will review three of these emerging trends and give our opinions on them.

Intelligent Apps

In an increasingly tech-oriented world, people are consistently at a loss of personal interaction. Intelligent apps might be the solution to that. A branch of artificial intelligence, intelligent apps are able to capture unstructured data and, using predictive analysis, create a more personalized user experience. The apps are designed to learn from user interactions with the app to present more relevant information to users.

I would say that yes, this trend is here to stay. Because we have already entered the world of intelligent apps, it would be seemingly impossible to go back. The information being collected and sifted through to present more valuable information to users is absolutely okay, and I would argue that it is better for users. We are able to spend less time searching for specific things online because the app has already collected data about our searching habits. Thus, the app can present related information to us, leading to more effective and efficient searches.

Digital Twins

Digital twins, described as “a bridge between the physical and digital world,” (Marr, Bernard) is a digital model of a physical product or process. This enables the product to be tested “physically” before is even made. In this technology, sensors are integrated with the physical item through a cloud-based system in order to collect data. This enables us to detect and prevent problems before they actually occur.

This technology has become an integral part of the product and process development industry. It has enabled businesses to make faster, more efficient processes. This technology has proven very beneficial – the ability to predict and simulate the lifecycle of a product has improved quality and will aid in making technological innovations in the future. This has also led to better understanding of customer wants and needs, leading to better customer retention. Ultimately, this technology will greatly aid in the success of the company.

The Internet of Things

As internet access (especially Wi-Fi) becomes more widely available at little to no cost, the number of devices that connect to the internet is increasing. Thus has emerged the Internet of Things (also the Internet of Everything). Before our very eyes, every device in our home is improving with the ability to connect to the internet. For us, this may mean that our Amazon Echo can tell our washing machine what settings to use and when to start, or that our oven can be connected to our phone so we can turn it off if we left the house without doing so.

While this may be a convenient tool for tasks like the two listed above, it does raise some questions about security. With so many of our devices connected to the internet, how secure is our information? Are we more susceptible to being hacked? Are businesses losing insight to valuable data because of the volume or losing it to competitors? These are questions we need to explore when considering what devices we really want to connect to the internet. While it may make our lives simpler, we also need to be aware of the risks involved.

References

Marr, Bernard. “What Is Digital Twin Technology - And Why Is It So Important?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6 Mar. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/03/06/what-is-digital-twin-technology-and-why-is-it-so-important/#24e574be2e2a.

Morgan, Jacob. “A Simple Explanation Of 'The Internet Of Things'.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Apr. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#35c0b7051d09.

 “Special Report: Artificial Intelligence Apps Come of Age.” SearchBusinessAnalytics, searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com/essentialguide/Special-Report-Artificial-intelligence-apps-come-of-age.

“The Future Is Intelligent Apps – InFocus Blog | Dell EMC Services.” InFocus Blog | Dell EMC Services, 3 Apr. 2017, infocus.emc.com/william_schmarzo/future-intelligent-apps/.