Throughout 2022, the latest tech innovations will continue to become more mainstream as consumers increasingly demand higher performance solutions, greater virtualization, more personal ownership, and better security in every area of life. Read below for seven of the top trends we can expect to see shape the remainder of this year, as well as the future.
For decades, technology trends have continually shifted and grown, sometimes to meet societal changes and other times to create such changes. Throughout much of that time, new technological developments have seemed to operate separate from each other, as a variety of organizations, industries, and platforms innovated. In recent years, however, those trends have begun to converge, leading to many exciting innovations becoming mainstream as the operating capabilities of society as a whole, not just a select handful of tech giants, becomes increasingly greater.
In 2022, specifically, as we start to shift toward living with COVID-19, we will continue to see the long-term effects of the pandemic on every industry. The eventual convergence and increased accessibility of technology was inevitable, but the societal shifts forced upon us by the virus sped up the process. The past two years not only taught us about our need for digital solutions and virtualization, but it also taught us about our incredible ability to adapt and innovate quickly. Working through such a tumultuous time in the world forced flexibility, resilience, and the embrace of transformative change among both individuals and organizations.
With the permanence of such attributes in the professional world and technology industry, below are seven of the top tech trends currently emerging and how they may shape our lives this year.
#1 High-Performance Computing
As we enter the next generation of the twenty-first century, high-performance computing is becoming more mainstream. One example is quantum computing, which harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to perform higher functions and solve more complex problems than classic computers. The formerly niche equipment reserved for only high-tech industries now permeates all areas of life from healthcare to space exploration. As 2022 continues to bring more advancements in high-performance computing, they will start to trickle down into smaller organizations and everyday life.
#2 Artificial Intelligence & Networking
Only a few years ago, “smart” technology simply meant connected to the internet. Now it tends to apply to devices powered by artificial intelligence, often in the form of machine-learning algorithms. As we head into the remainder of 2022, AI is emerging throughout all types of technology. Every area of life has become increasingly machine-operated, such as cars detecting when a driver starts to fall asleep, personalized internet experiences with targeted searches, and future trend forecasting within organizations.
In addition to the abundance of AI, remote working has made internet reliability even more vital than ever before. With it has come an increased demand for 5G/6G networks. Studies over the past few years suggested 60% of the world’s population will use the internet by 2022, which has led to a higher need for improved networking and connectivity. Due to this rise in internet usage, companies are expected to start focusing on 6G development while they continue to roll out their infant 5G programs.
Alongside AI and 5G/6G networks, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are currently growing as well. These various technologies work together to show the overarching trend toward convergence within the digital realm.
#3 Sustainable Energy Solutions & Life Science Technologies
The field of life science technology includes pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, environmental sciences, biomedicine, nutraceuticals, neuroscience, cell biology, and biophysics. The recent investment in mRNA vaccines and COVID testing over the past two years has shone a light on this subset of the technology industry and its importance to society. Due to this increased knowledge and demand, 2022 can expect to see the growth of new technologies in parts of healthcare ranging from drug testing to genetics.
For example, the personal genomics and biotech company 23andMe stores a large database of dynamic information to help people learn more about their genes, ancestry, and health. The built-in system of home testing brings affordability and ease to an important part of the life science sector.
Beyond healthcare implications, the combination of technology and science has also entered the energy industry. During the pandemic, many energy sources saw a significant decrease in usage apart from sustainable energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates an increase of 40% in renewable energy use occurred during 2020. Not only did usage go up, the cost of sources such as wind, solar, and tidal energy went down, causing an 8% decrease in emissions. With such wins in the sustainable energy market, it is likely the trend toward energy innovation will continue.
#4 Blockchain Technology
Blockchain has become a buzzword in recent years. The rising technology acts as an innovative form of digital ledger, which links lists of records together through cryptography. It helps companies to track transactions when doing business, even with unverified parties. Such technologies improve transparency, security, immutability, and decentralization of data, while lessening conflicts. As blockchain has grown in popularity, it has seen mass adoption among all industries from gaming to governance to finance. This growth can be expected to continue as blockchain starts to converge with other trends, like NFTs and the metaverse, as all three become mainstream.
#5 Datafication & the Metaverse
The metaverse combines social media, online gaming, augmented reality, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies to form a digital reality which allows for virtual interactions among users. It encompasses a large range of technologies and can refer to almost anything on the internet. As companies continue to develop the metaverse, they expect it to become an immersive, ubiquitous, and free-to-access virtual platform with potential uses in all areas from entertainment and social connection to work productivity and behavior modification.
With such expansive possibility, we will likely see the effects of the expanding metaverse throughout many technology sectors, including gaming, wearables, AR and VR, collaborative productivity, consumer tech products, social networks, educational technology, health tech, communication platforms, digital currencies, convenience mobilization, and on-demand consumption. A few companies already leading the way in these efforts are Roblox, Amazon via Twitch, Facebook, Spotify, Zoom, Snapchat, and more.
#6 NFT Platforms
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital objects that have risen in fame recently. They contain computer code and data to convey ownership of something. These tokens can be an online item, such as special equipment in a video game or property in a virtual world, a real item, like physical real estate, paintings, and concert tickets, or a hybrid of both. NFTs have become a key piece of the growing digital economy. They will continue to pop up everywhere in 2022, including movies, tv shows, books, and more. Part of this popularity comes from the appealing idea of getting to own something bigger than ourselves, such as a piece of art or a character.
#7 Internet Security, Privacy, & Accountability
One downside to the exponential growth in and convergence of technology lives in the new threat of cyberattacks. The increase in security breaches and privacy hacks over the years has caused an understandable hesitancy among many individuals and organizations when it comes to sharing, storing, and exchanging information through digital means. Along with this, we have begun seeing a rightful cynicism among the general population about certain tech companies and trends.
Some people, for example, find AI to be obtrusive, invasive, and potentially even dangerous. The more complex technology gets, the harder it is to easily comprehend and with this the apprehension against the above trends takes root. People do not trust what they do not understand. In technology, it is called a “black box” because we cannot see inside these new innovations or fully know how they work. For this reason, the instances where harmful AI uses and security breaches do occur lead to even greater alarm among the public.
To combat such fears, we can expect a push toward transparency in AI, the Metaverse, and more, either stemming from government regulation or private sector innovation. Ironically, the largest trend in combatting cybercrime is actually more technology. In 2022, we will likely see both an increase in attacks, as well as an investment in AI and other technology designed to assess risks, enhance security, and prevent hacks.
Overall, the rest of the decade will see the integration of technology and digital solutions into every area of our lives, even more so than we have already experienced in the twenty-first century. What were once innovations reserved for big companies and first adopters in the space will become mainstream as society’s computing capabilities grow. Through AI, NFTs, and more, everyday consumers can now take advantage of the convergence in the tech industry toward the full assimilation of tech into our work, play, communication, and everything in-between.
Sources:
www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/09/27/the-5-biggest-technology-trends-in-2022
www.inc.com/anis-uzzaman/the-top-10-technology-business-trends-of-2022.html
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