Top Technology trends of 2018

Some may prefer classic over progress, but the modern world technology cycle influences heavily every human being on the planet one way or another.

AI-driven world

Artificial intelligence (AI), mainly manifesting through machine learning algorithms, isn’t just getting better, but isn’t about getting more funding. It’s being incorporated into a more diverse range of applications. Rather than focusing on one goal, like mastering a game or communicating with humans, AI is starting to make an appearance in almost every new platform, app, or device, and that trend is only going to accelerate in 2018.

So far we are not even close to techno-apocalypse levels (and AI may never be sophisticated enough for us to reach that point), but by the end of 2018, AI will become even more of a mainstay in all forms of technology.

Digital centralization increase

Many different types of devices had appeared in the world during the last decade, including smartphones, tablets, Smart TVs, as well as other stuff. More and more people come to rely on lots of individual apps in their daily lives, including navigation systems, smart homes, sports and so on. Consumers are craving centralization; a convenient way to manage everything from a few devices and central locations as possible.

Data overload

Most companies in the world have realized the awesome power and commoditization of consumer data by now, and this year, data collection is going to become an even higher priority. With consumers talking to smart speakers throughout their day and relying on digital devices for most of their daily tasks, companies will soon have access to practically unlimited amounts of personal data.

With that many implications come for a ride aswell, including reduced privacy, more personalized ads, and possibly more favorable outcomes, such as better predictive algorithms in healthcare.

5G steps in

Though tech timelines rarely play out the way we think, it’s possible that we could have a 5G network in place soon — most companies aim to imply it by the end of 2019.

Fact is 5G internet has the potential to be almost ten times faster than 4G, making it even better than most home internet services. Accordingly, it has the potential to revolutionize how consumers use the internet and how developers think about apps and streaming content. This year is going to be a year of massive preparation for engineers, developers, and consumers, as they gear up for a new generation of internet.

White collar automation

In the nearest future, many jobs are going to be likely replaced by a machine. The fact is that AI has been advancing enough to replace at least some white collar jobs for years — even back in 2012, the algorithms that could write basic news articles, given sufficient inputs of data had been in use.

The 2018 will not going to be the year their new robot overlords finally replace all humans. However, the beginnings of radical job transformations throughout the US and many countries are coming. Not all the jobs are going to be entirely replaced for sure, but they will be more heavily automated, and people will have to adapt the careers accordingly.

Seamless conversation

Voice search was decent but heavily unreliable. Today, the voice search might as well be flawless; Microsoft’s latest test gives its voice recognition software a 5.1 percent error rate, making it better at recognizing speech than human transcribers. Similarly, robotic speech and chatbots are growing more sophisticated. In late 2018, with these improvement cycles continuing, we’ll see the manifestation or solidification of seamless conversation — communication with our devices, both ways, without any significant hiccups or mistakes.

UI overhaul

The onset of smart speakers and better voice search has already gained it, so it’s no longer necessary to look at a screen to input data. Desktop devices are becoming less and less used as well, with mobile continuing to take over. New types of visuals and more audible clues will likely be included in next-generation UI, and consumers will adapt to them quickly, so long as they serve their core needs.Regardless of how you feel about technology or your primary motivations for using it, we can all be excited about the new gadgets and infrastructure that await us within the next years.The 2018 is only is only half-through and we still about to witness market news and gadgets sooner or later as the year progresses through.