As a futurist, we always look to the future to see what’s coming next. In the next 12 months, we will see technology continue to evolve and shape the way we live our lives. From artificial intelligence and machine learning to blockchain and augmented reality, there are many new technologies that will soon become mainstream. Business leaders need to be prepared for these emerging tech trends if they want to stay ahead of the curve. In 2023, keep an eye out for these six essential technologies that are gaining traction and will continue to be game-changers in the digital world.
1. AI Everywhere
In 2023, AI will finally be implemented in businesses. With no-code AI’s simple drag-and-drop interfaces, any company can tap into its potential to develop more intelligent goods and services.
This pattern is already visible in the commercial sector. The AI-enabled algorithms used by Stitch Fix provide customers with recommendations for clothing that fits properly and is to their liking.
2023 will also see the rise of contactless, autonomous shopping and delivery. The use of AI will streamline the purchasing and shipping processes for customers.Every industry’s operational procedures will be improved by AI. Convenience trends like buy-online-pickup-at-curbside (BOPAC), buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS), and buy-online-return-in-store (BORIS) will become the norm as more retailers employ AI to manage and automate the complex inventory management operations that occurs behind the scenes.
2. Parts of the Metaverse Will Become Real
While we personally don’t care for the term “metaverse,” it has become shorthand for a future internet where we can work, play, and socialise on a persistent platform, so we guess we should get used to it.
By 2030, the metaverse is expected to have contributed $5 trillion to the global economy, and 2023 is seen as the watershed year for the second decade of the metaverse.
The development of AR and VR hardware and software will proceed apace. One area to keep an eye on is the metaverse workplace; we foresee more immersive meeting rooms in which we can communicate, brainstorm, and collaborate on projects by 2023.
In fact, IT giants like Microsoft and Nvidia are working on collaborative metaverse systems right now.
In addition, the avatar technology will progress in the coming year. With the help of motion capture technology, our virtual selves (or “avatars”) can appear just like us, and they can even mimic our movements and expressions in the real world.
It’s possible that self-governing avatars, powered by artificial intelligence and able to represent us in the metaverse even when we’re not connected, will advance as well.
3. Progress in Web3
Significant progress in blockchain technology is expected in 2023 as businesses develop decentralised goods and services.
For instance, we currently save all of our data in the cloud, but if we decentralise storage and encrypt it with blockchain, not only will our data be more secure, but it will also be accessible and analysed in novel ways.
The utility of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, is expected to increase in 2019. Concert NFT tickets, for instance, may include backstage passes and exclusive merchandise. NFTs might represent the contracts we make with other parties, or they could be the keys we use to access the vast majority of the digital goods and services we purchase.
4. Increasingly Editable Nature
In the future, we may be able to modify DNA to create new versions of ourselves and other organisms. We will be able to use nanotechnology to design materials with novel properties, such as resistance to water and the ability to repair themselves.
Even though CRISPR-Cas9 has been around for a while, the pace at which gene editing technology is developing in 2023 will greatly increase our ability to “edit nature” by modifying DNA.
The method of editing genes is similar to that of a word processor, in that DNA may be cut and pasted. Gene editing has several potential applications, including the correction of DNA mutations, the elimination of food allergies, the improvement of crop health, and the alteration of human features like eye and hair colour.
5. Quantum Progress
Right now, scientists all across the world are racing to perfect large-scale quantum computing.
When fully developed, quantum computing could lead to computers that are a trillion times faster than the fastest regular processors accessible today because it harnesses subatomic particles to generate new ways of processing and storing information.
Any country that invests heavily in quantum computing will be able to crack the encryption of all other countries, organisations, and security systems, which is a major security risk. In 2023, this will be an important topic to keep an eye on as countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia invest heavily in creating quantum computing.
6. Robots Will Become More Human
By 2023, the technological gap between humans and robots will have shrunk even further. In the actual world, robots like this will serve as greeters, bartenders, concierges, and seniors’ companions. They will work in manufacturing and logistics alongside people, performing complex jobs in warehouses and factories.
One firm is making significant progress in developing a domestic robot that can perform human-like tasks. Elon Musk announced that Tesla would begin accepting reservations for its Optimus humanoid robots in three to five years during the company’s AI Day in September 2022. The robot is capable of light labour, such as moving objects and watering plants, thus “robot butlers” may soon be a reality.