We know that in Digital Transformation there are many more factors before technology. In fact, technology may not be the main driver of transformation, but we also know that without technology this transformation cannot properly take place. With this in mind, and even as the rigours of summer come to an end, we should not lose sight of the latest report published by Gartner on trends in the technologyHype Cycle, which is dominated by the widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), biohacking and immersive platforms and experiences.
Democratized" AI is the first of these trends, in the sense that we are on the threshold of widespread benefit from this technological evolution, which will create the conditions to feed back into cloud computing, open source and a creative community of developers, data scientists and AI architects. As examples, they highlight intelligent robots that cooperate with humans or replace them to assign them to higher value-added tasks. And as a more direct impact on our lives, the entry of level 4 autonomous driving, whereby vehicles can operate without human interaction in most conditions and locations.
The second trend is somewhat more complex and amorphous, but no less interesting. We are talking about the introduction of more dynamic ecosystems that will require new business strategies and platform-based business models. To understand this, the example is blockchain as a game changer for data security leaders, as it has "the potential to increase resilience, reliability, transparency and trust in centralized systems". Another example we can draw on are the "digital twins", the virtual representation of any real object, which in a few years will number in the hundreds of millions.
In third place we would have "do-it-yourselfbiohacking ". In Gartner's opinion 2018 is the beginning of a "transhuman" era where biohacking and the "extension" of human beings will cohabit. A reality that "will range from simple diagnostics to neural implants and will be subject to legal and social questions about ethics and humanity." Biohacks will fall into four categories: technology augmentation, nutrigenomics, experimental biology and "grinderbiohacking ."
Fourth is a trend that may seem like a whim, but which actually accommodates logical life-ordering issues: facilitating a smarter living, working and leisure experience. It is the technology behind smart workspaces, enabling more efficient capture of meeting notes, personalised information provision or interaction between office supplies and IT platforms. A multi-faceted reality that at the home level we will see in the growing connection between devices, sensors, tools and platforms that will learn from how humans use their homes.
Finally, we should speak of "ubiquitous infrastructure", facilitated by cloud computing and an environment of permanent availability. This is a trend that is enabling new business futures to emerge, supported by quantum computing and assisted by vectors such as machine learning and image analysis. This chapter also includes neuromorphic hardware: semiconductor devices inspired by neurobiological architecture, which can offer extreme performance with lower power consumption in deep neural networks.
These are the five trends that Gartner highlights in its Technology Expectations Cycle report. None of them alone may be enough to successfully tackle the Digital Transformation journey. But, of course, in one way or another they will always be present on that journey. And that's why it's good to have them at hand. If Gartner highlights them, there is a reason.
