Trends Identified

A machine's search for meaning
AI might change our jobs, but need not eliminate them. We can — and should — design our collaboration with the machines that will help us develop.
2018
Fjord trends 2018
Fjord
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Everywhere
AI technologies will be the most disruptive class of technologies over the next 10 years due to radical computational power, near-endless amounts of data and unprecedented advances in deep neural networks
2017
Top Trends in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2017
Gartner
AI Fact-checking Assistive Technology
AI-based software for fact-checking speeches and discussions in real-time
2017
10 emerging technologies in 2017
South Korea, Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP)
AI-driven development
AI-driven development looks at tools, technologies and best practices for embedding AI into applications and using AI to create AI-powered tools for the development process. This trend is evolving along three dimensions: The tools used to build AI-powered solutions are expanding from tools targeting data scientists (AI infrastructure, AI frameworks and AI platforms) to tools targeting the professional developer community (AI platforms, AI services). With these tools the professional developer can infuse AI powered capabilities and models into an application without involvement of a professional data scientist. The tools used to build AI-powered solutions are being empowered with AI-driven capabilities that assist professional developers and automate tasks related to the development of AI-enhanced solutions. Augmented analytics, automated testing, automated code generation and automated solution development will speed the development process and empower a wider range of users to develop applications. AI-enabled tools are evolving from assisting and automating functions related to application development (AD) to being enhanced with business domain expertise and automating activities higher on the AD process stack (from general development to business solution design). The market will shift from a focus on data scientists partnered with developers to developers operating independently using predefined models delivered as a service. This enables more developers to utilize the services, and increases efficiency. These trends are also leading to more mainstream usage of virtual software developers and nonprofessional “citizen application developers.” Read more: How to Build a Business Case for Artificial Intelligence
2018
Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2019
Gartner
Precision Extinction
AI-piloted drone ships wipe out a large proportion of global fish stocks
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Democratized AI
AI, one of the most disruptive classes of technologies, will become more widely available due to cloud computing, open source and the “maker” community. While early adopters will benefit from continued evolution of the technology, the notable change will be its availability to the masses. These technologies also foster a maker community of developers, data scientists and AI architects, and inspire them to create new and compelling solutions based on AI. For example, smart robots capable of working alongside humans, delivering room service or working in warehouses, will allow organizations to assist, replace or redeploy human workers to more value-adding tasks. Also in this category are autonomous driving Level 4 and autonomous driving Level 5, which replaced “autonomous vehicles” on this year’s Hype Cycle. Autonomous driving Level 4 describes vehicles that can operate without human interaction in most, but not all, conditions and locations and will likely operate in geofenced areas. This level of autonomous car will likely appear on the market in the next decade. Autonomous driving Level 5 labels vehicles operating autonomously in all situations and conditions, and controlling all tasks. Without a steering wheel, brakes or pedals, these cars could become another living space for families, having far reaching societal impacts.
2018
5 Trends Emerge in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2018
Gartner
The Burden of AIDS
AIDS will remain an exceptional challenge With only about 12 per cent of the world’s population, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over two-thirds of the global burden of infectious and parasitic diseases. Worldwide, Africa accounts for 9 out of every 10 child deaths due to malaria; 9 out of every 10 child deaths due to HIV/AIDS; and half of the child deaths due to diarrheal disease and pneumonia. While major progress can be expected in combating the majority of infectious and parasitic diseases, HIV/AIDS poses a particular challenge for the continent, especially for sub-Saharan Africa.
2011
Africa in 50 Years’ Time
African Development Bank
Drones
Air- or water-based devices and vehicles, for example Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), that fly or move without an on-board human pilot. Drones can operate autonomously (via on-board computers) on a predefined flight plan or be controlled remotely.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
Urbanization
Almost two-thirds of the world’s population will reside in cities by 2030.2 Urbanization is creating significant opportunities for social and economic development and more sustainable living, but is also exerting pressure on infrastructure and resources, particularly energy.
2014
Future State 2030: The global megatrends shaping governments
KPMG
Trends in urbanization
Along with international migration, internal migration is also growing, driving much of the rise of megacities17 and the rapid increase in urbanization (Figure 12). The number of megacities, for instance, nearly tripled to 28 today from 10 in 1990; they have 453 million inhabitants, accounting for 12 percent of the world’s urban dwellers (IOM 2015). While large cities are in certain ways the leading edge of urbanization due to their economic importance, the fastest growing urban centres are in fact small and medium cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, which account for 59 percent of the world’s urban population (UN-Habitat 2016). Due to demographic shifts, slow and uneven economic growth within and among nations, and environmental degradation, increased large-scale migration to urban centres is expected to continue (IOM 2015).
2017
Global trends
UNDP