8 Important Technology Trends That Will Revolutionize the 2020s
Description: New forms of important technology will have a significant impact on mankind’s future development. Keep reading to discover which innovations are likely to boost progress and become revolutionary in the coming decade.
With each new year that passes, it seems like the old ways of doing things are becoming more and more extinct. As a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, the importance of information technology has grown rapidly: it helps us bridge the gaps between traditional services we can’t reach and relationships we can only nurture online. With the pace of change faster than ever, here are eight important business objectives of information technology that, when completed, will make our current world unrecognizable.
1. Satellites
Satellites have been around for decades. However, with the recent boom in the commercial space industry, this important technology is likely to be leveraged for more significant innovations. Geospatial satellite imaging, for example, is helping innovate multiple industries from agriculture to oil drilling. Many prominent entrepreneurs like Firefly's investor are contributing heavily to the sector, and a renewed interest in space travel to Mars and the moon suggests that the industry will continue to expand.
2. Digital Assistants
Digital assistants are software solutions that use rule-based processes to communicate with people through artificially generated speech and writing. Where once it was fairly easy to spot digital assistants a mile away, advances in important technology mean that their current incarnations are becoming frighteningly convincing. They often take the form of chatbots in customer service or voice assistants like Alexa and Siri. Digital assistants are poised to help companies boost accessibility and productivity whilst also freeing up human resources from what was previously mundane work. We may also find out why medical technology is important for this innovation: digital assistants have the potential to help with the initial stages of a diagnosis to relieve pressure on healthcare providers. So who knows, maybe your next office Christmas party will have more than a couple of digital assistants on the guest list.
3. Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) can be a hard concept to articulate, but we’ll give it our best shot: the IoT is premised on a vast array of electronic devices recording and exchanging data with each other across an online network to provide services and information to users. It can take the form of anything from a sensor in a parking garage to technology to industrial automation and the smartphone you use to interface with your smart home. While its influence is currently incrementally felt in most people’s lives at the moment, it will eventually have an impact on every aspect of our lives. Today, the most important people in technology are directing their focus on how the IoT can be used to improve our lives. The potential applications are limitless, and these self-regulating networks could soon become the new backbone of manufacturing. The IoT will be the framework upon which any future smart cities will be built, where thousands of nodes will feed back on each other to control everything from traffic flow to targeted policing.
4. Artificial Intelligence
Obviously, artificial intelligence is not a novel concept in the 2020s. However, adaptive AI and machine learning are finally beginning to reach their potential for applications in everyday life and become a truly important technology. By understanding patterns in data about user behavior and other influential metrics, AI can predict and facilitate your behaviors before you’ve even made them. We could also find out why this technology is important in healthcare, when AI can diagnose your condition with speed and accuracy to rival a human doctor. Today, data is the new oil, and just like oil, it needs to be refined before it becomes usable. AI will be the engine that achieves this, so expect to see it as applied to significant aspects of normal life any day now.
5. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Another concept that’s long in the tooth but yet to have its potential fully realized, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), are on the cusp of exploding this decade. So far, their most well-known applications consist of Snapchat filters and AR mobile games like the dizzyingly popular Pokemon Go. However, these may just be the tip of the iceberg regarding how this important technology can be used. In online retail, customers can use AR to generate visual trials of potential purchases. So you can use AR technology on your phone to see how an item of clothing would look on you, or how a piece of furniture might appear in your home. We may also see why this technology is important in education, as AR and VR could be used to bring learning to life. The possibilities for AR and VR in future marketing is also tremendous, presenting the opportunity to create incredibly immersive virtual experiences to promote the latest products.
6. Blockchain
You may well have read about the astronomical rises in the value of cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin. In our increasingly digital world, it looks like these forms of wealth will only continue to increase in relevance. None of them would be possible, however, without blockchain technology. Blockchain is an important technology that uses a distributed database to verify values within a network. Each user operates as a node to help verify a distributed ledger to keep a 100% trustworthy record of any transaction, making blockchain exchanges incredibly secure. Even without cryptocurrencies, this important technology holds tremendous potential for further applications. Blockchain will one day allow you to purchase a grocery from the supermarket, which you can scan into your phone to trace to its farm of origin. It’s also likely to be a big player in creating future infrastructures for the exchange and storage of valuable data like medical history and financial details. The only downside of blockchain is that servers must be constantly active to keep the information valid in real time, which observers predict will require sustained use of energy to keep active.
7. 3D Printing
The manufacturing industry is bracing itself for the widespread introduction of 3D printing, given that it’s set to revolutionize many aspects of mass productions. This important technology can reduce the costs of factory-line assembly, whilst also making the prototype stages of design more financially viable. When the technology becomes economically feasible to own in the average household, it could also have a tremendous impact on purchasing habits: one day, we might simply purchase a blueprint for an item to print at home in 3D instead of having to buy it from a store. In the future, 3D printing will also be a most important technology in the field of medicine, as trials are well underway to use the process to create artificial organs like ears, teeth, skin, and hearts. We don’t need to explain why medical technology is important, but 3D printing could make the sector much more efficient.
8. Drones
Drones look likely to be a hugely important technology for the logistics sector in the near future. The possibility that drones will be delivering us packages and groceries at some point is becoming more likely all the time. Drones also possess significant potential for applications in industries like agriculture and energy: they can be used to scout for new commercial opportunities, and also be engaged to monitor land parcels and oil fields. Their use is currently in flux due to potential clashes with air traffic regulators, but it seems like an important technology with development possibilities that will eventually be accommodated.
Conclusion: The Important Technology That Will Shape Tomorrow
The important technology described here is certain to help change society for the better, while opening avenues for beneficial economic development. New technology is an important source of new ideas because it can change the face of business and public life in the next decade. It will also help the digital revolution reach its full potential. While some of this important technology will undoubtedly pose ethical dilemmas, the value of their applications cannot be resisted for long. Have we missed any examples of important technology that will significantly contribute to our social and economic development? Let us know in the comments section below.
Author’s Bio:
Emily Moore is an English & programming teacher with a passion for space and blogging. She believes that current exploration should be focused on preserving our planet’s resources. With satellites circling the orbit, it is easier to get relevant data on any environmental changes. This, in turn, should help people quickly address any challenges.