Every year, analytic agencies try to predict what technologies will dominate the market. Companies, in turn, do their utmost to adjust their business models accordingly. The IT sector, just like many other industries, has its own analysts and research companies that everyone looks to when it’s time to release predictions about industry trends.
And one of these agencies is Gartner Inc., one of the leading and the most credible research and advisory companies in the world. Today, we discuss what tech trends they have predicted for this year.
In particular, we will talk about transparency, democratization, AI security, blockchain technology, multi-experience, autonomous devices, and hyper-automation. Let’s take a closer look at these trends.
Technology trends for 2020
1. Transparency
A previous couple of years were full of scandals regarding the security of user data. Well-known Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal, Mariott record-setting breach, the exposure of 1.2 billion unique photos of Abode Creative Cloud users.
All these cases make users think more about how their personal data is stored. These cases also force governments to implement very strict rules of storing and handling user data.
Gartner’s prediction: Users demand more control over their personal data, and this is what companies should pay attention to. This trend requires focusing on the ethics of AI and personal data privacy. Small and large businesses should give clear information about what personal data is stored and how it’s stored and processed.
2. Democratization
Its main idea is that people should have access to technical and business (i.e.,logistics, commerce) expertise without the need for costly and comprehensive training.
Prediction from Gartner: the agency predicts that four key aspects will be democratized within a couple of years:
- analitycs (tools for data scientists will be used by developers);
- knowledge (tools that allow non-IT professionals to use and gain specialized IT skills)
- development (the increase of custom-developed apps thanks to AI)
- design (the increased spread of the no-code development)
3. Hyper-automation
The great influence of AI and ML on the modern world can’t be underestimated. Every year people develop new tools to automate every aspect of modern life.
AI is already actively used in online education, travel app development, food delivery apps, and other niches. The next step to truly autonomous work is hyper-automation. It means that modern tools will be able not only to perform predefined actions, but also to automate the whole process of automation itself (gather and study data, create behavior patterns, automate the work process, measure and monitor performance).
Prediction from the agency: tech community started talking about hyper-automation only a few years ago, so it’s still immature. For truly automated machines, there should be found a combination of tools that will help automate task where people are still involved.
4. Autonomous devices
Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, devices that previously needed human control to work, now will be able to operate autonomously. Now we already witness self-driving cars and trucks, autonomous drones.
And while nowadays automation is typically possible with the help of rigid autonomous models, in future devices will be able to take actions and make decision without a human interference thanks to AI.
Prediction: stand-alone devices will become more collaborative, forming a smart device ecosystem.
5. AI security
Despite the great opportunities AI and ML provide, these technologies are also a root of several security issues. And one of them is that smart devices can be a potential point of attack.
Companies already had cases when intruders hacked into IoT devices and used them to launch DDoS attacks, or private data was exposed due to cloud security breaches. Companies should take this issue more seriously.
Gartner’s Prediction: there are three main perspectives of IoT security:
- use AI to boost security defense
- detect vulnerabilities, and predict nefarious use of AI
- protect AI-equipped apps
6. Multi-experience
Augmented (AR), virtual (VR), and mixed (MR) reality will continue to spread to our daily lives and new business niches, changing the way people interact with and control digital world.
AR and VR already actively used in education, making lessons interactive and interesting; manufacturing, helping people understand the prototype; and healthcare, helping doctors to visualize organs.
Prediction from Gartner: in future, multi-sensory experience, that combines AR and VR will offer a richer possibilities for delivering information.
7. More blockchain use cases
Blockchain stands for a chain of data records called blocks, that are connected with each other using cryptography. These blocks cannot be modified and consist of a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data.
Blockchain has become a new buzzword with a great increase of Bitcoin popularity in 2016. Since that time, more and more companies show interest in this technology. But the poor interoperability and scalability of this technology makes large enterprises keep off from using this technology.
Prediction: in the future, blockchain will become a mature technology, offering transparency and allowing businesses for value exchange. Gartner sees a great potential of blockchain in such spheres as identity management and asset tracking and.
As you can see, in 2020 entrepreneurs should take steps to store and process users’ personal data more securely. Also, they should take a closer look at technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality, which are forecasted to change the way people do their business.
