Introduction
Technologies drive human civilization. From the use of crude instruments like sticks and stones to make weapons and tools for hunting and making fire. Modern Society too has been depending on technology to shape our world. This blog post will highlight some of the top technologies that will impact the future.
This list is based in part on the contributions and findings of McKinsey & Co. – one of the world’s oldest and largest consulting companies. These technologies cut across different fields and will greatly impact our future. We are already at the initial stage of these technologies.
1. Applied Artificial Intelligence AI
Applied Artificial Intelligence is the branch of AI that deals with the practical application of AI to solve problems in the real world – business, manufacturing, society, healthcare, etc.
It brings out of the lab; concepts such as Machine Learning, Deep Learning (and neural networks), Computer vision (for identifying objects), Natural Language Processing, etc to deliver real-world products and services.
We have seen a flood of various AI tools and products in recent years. Chatgpt by Open AI is used for performing various creative tasks like writing articles, summarizing posts and essays, Creating and debugging computer codes, Solving maths problems, etc. Bard by Google does similar things, Midjourney and Dalle 2 for creating awesome Images, and Github CoPilot for assisting Programmers to write better Codes, etc.
There are strong indications AI will be handling various tasks across different fields in the future. There will be more robots and AI systems handling tasks that we currently do as humans. Applied AI will be a huge part of our personal and business life in the future.
2. Advanced Connectivity
Advanced Connectivity is a collection of building blocks that include the Fifth and 6th Generation of Cellular Networks (5G and 6G), Low-Earth Orbit Satellites, Software-Defined Networking (SDN), and Network Function Virtualization (NFV), etc.
In a world of interconnectivity between man and machines, Advanced Connectivity takes it a step higher, removing delays and inefficiencies in connections between systems.
Examples of Advanced Connectivity will be 5G (and yet to be released 6G), Narrowband Internet of Things, and High throughput Advanced Networking capabilities.
Advanced Connectivities will have a profound impact on the development of solutions like driverless cars, Remote Surgeries, smart devices that need very low latency to run effectively, etc.
3. Blockchain Technology
Blockchain is a disruptive technology that is changing the way we do things. Its further development will have a lot of implications in many industries. Much of its current application is in finance (Bitcoin is an application of Blockchain).
Blockchain is a distributed digital ledger of transactions duplicated across an entire network of computer nodes. It is a system that records information in a way that makes it impossible(or very difficult/costly) to change, hack, or cheat the system.
Blockchain will find applications in supply-chain management, Identity Verification, Tamperproof, Records, Device-to-device transactions in the “Internet of Things”, etc.
4. Bio-Engineering
This will be a convergence of biological and information technologies to improve our health and performance. It will also help in our Food Value Chain and solve the problems of nutrition in a world that is running out of resources to cater to the 8 billion inhabitants.
Some of the components of Bio-Engineering include Biocomputing, Biosystems, Biomolecules(mapping and engineering of molecules such as DNA, RNA, Proteins, etc), and bio-machine interfaces (Connecting humans or living organisms to machines for enhanced performance). Bio-engineering will have a lot of implications for medicine, Food, and other industries.
5. Future Clean Energy
The World is consuming fossil fuels in a way that is unsustainable for the environment. The development of clean energy is important to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Future clean energy will be in two folds;
- Renewable energy – examples include Solar power, Wind, hydroelectric, etc
- Sustainable Energy – examples include hydrogen fuels, electrolytes, etc.
There is a need for growth in these sources to cope with the ever-increasing global energy demand. And at the same time, have a better environmentally responsible energy ecosystem.
Conclusions
Technology is always evolving and changes the way we interact with the world around using. Technology is going to bring disruptions in the way we do things.
We are already seeing some impacts of it across different fields. Top technologies that will disrupt the future are Applied Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Connectivity, and Blockchain Technology. Others are Bio-Engineering of Materials and Future Clean Energy
See HOW TO PASS ANY IT CERTIFICATION EXAM: 7 TIPS YOU SHOULD KNOW
