01732 759725
Tech Trends
40
Next year’s model
Gartner lifts the lid on next year’s key strategic technology trends
create systems that understand, learn,
predict, adapt and potentially operate
autonomously. This, says Cearley, is
what makes smart machines appear
‘intelligent’. “Applied AI and advanced
machine learning give rise to a spectrum
of intelligent implementations, including
physical devices (robots, autonomous
vehicles, consumer electronics) and apps
and services (virtual personal assistants,
smart advisors). These implementations
will be delivered as a new class of
obviously intelligent apps and things, as
well as providing embedded intelligence
for a wide range of mesh devices and
existing software and services.”
2.
Intelligent Apps
Intelligent apps that perform some of the
functions of a human assistant, such as
virtual personal assistants (VPAs) or virtual
customer assistants, will make everyday
tasks easier and users more productive,
for example by prioritising emails or
highlighting the most important content
and interactions. In this way, they have the
potential to transform the nature of work
and the structure of the workplace. “Over
the next 10 years, virtually every app,
application and service will incorporate
some level of AI,” says Cearley. “This will
form a long-term trend that will continually
evolve and expand the application of AI
and machine learning.”
3.
Intelligent Things
Intelligent things, such as drones,
autonomous vehicles and smart
appliances, go beyond the execution
of rigid programming models to exploit
applied AI and machine learning. This
enables them to deliver advanced
behaviours and interact more naturally
with their surroundings and with people.
As they become more prevalent, Gartner
expects there to be more collaboration
between intelligent things.
4.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Immersive technologies, such as virtual
reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR),
will transform the way individuals interact
with one another and with software
systems. “The landscape of immersive
consumer and business content and
applications will evolve dramatically
through 2021,” says Cearley. “VR and AR
capabilities will merge with the digital
mesh to form a more seamless system of
devices capable of orchestrating a flow
of information that comes to the user as
hyper-personalised and relevant apps
and services. Integration across multiple
mobile, wearable, Internet of Things (IoT)
and sensor-rich environments will extend
immersive applications beyond isolated
and single-person experiences. Rooms
and spaces will become active with things,
and their connection through the mesh
will appear and work in conjunction with
immersive virtual worlds.”
5.
Digital Twin
A digital twin is a dynamic software
model of a physical thing or system that
relies on sensor data to understand
its state, respond to changes, improve
operations and add value. Digital twins
include a combination of metadata (e.g.
classification, composition and structure);
condition or state (e.g. location and
temperature); event data (e.g. time series);
and analytics (e.g. algorithms and rules).
Gartner predicts that within three to five
years, hundreds of millions of things
will be represented by digital twins that
organisations will use to proactively repair
and service equipment, plan manufacturing
processes, operate factories, predict
equipment failure and perform enhanced
product development. Digital twins
will eventually become proxies for the
combination of skilled individuals and
traditional monitoring devices and controls
(e.g. pressure gauges, pressure valves).
Delegates at last month’s Gartner
Symposium/ITxpo 2016 in Orlando,
Florida were given the heads-up on the
the Top 10 strategic technology trends
that are likely to be making waves in the
next 12 months.
Gartner defines a strategic technology
trend as: a) one with substantial disruptive
potential that is just beginning to break
out of an emerging state into broader
impact and use; or b) one with a high
degree of volatility that will reach tipping
point over the next five years.
Gartner Fellow and vice president
David Cearley says that next year’s key
trends set the stage for what Gartner calls
the Intelligent Data Mesh.
“The first three embrace ‘Intelligence
Everywhere’; how data science technologies
and approaches are evolving to include
advanced machine learning and artificial
intelligence, allowing the creation of
intelligent physical and software-based
systems that are programmed to learn and
adapt. The next three focus on the digital
world and how the physical and digital
worlds are becoming more intertwined.
The last four trends focus on the mesh of
platforms and services needed to deliver
the intelligent digital mesh,” he said.
So, what are the trends resellers and
their customers should be shaping their
strategies around?
1.
AI and Advanced Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced
machine learning are moving beyond
traditional rule-based algorithms to
Over the next
10 years,
virtually every
app, application
and service will
incorporate some
level of AI
Intelligent things,
such as drones,
go beyond the
execution of rigid
programming
models to exploit
applied AI and
machine learning
