Trends Identified
Autonomous Is Here, Now and Everywhere
I have been advocating for a while now that anything that moves will be autonomous in the future. This year will set the scene with the commercialization of 1st generation autonomous products. Automotive, industrial robotics, aerospace and consumer appliance industries will ramp up their pursuit of autonomous technology in 2019. In the automotive sector, semi-autonomous and autonomous ride-hailing services are a strong likelihood with BMW, GM, Uber and Waymo planning to launch their own ride-hailing programs this year. Robots are set to become more commonplace in industrial workplaces. Aerial taxi services are very much on track, with Germany-based Volocopter set to test autonomous air taxis in Singapore later this year. For those looking for some help around the house, Amazon Alexa and Google Home are old news. Smart Home 2.0 devices with enhanced capabilities are all set to shoulder some of your household chores even as Amazon redoubles efforts to introduce its home robot to consumers this year. Accompanying these developments will be the urgent need to formulate new regulations governing the safe testing and deployment of autonomous technologies.
2019
Top 10 Trends For 2019
Forbes
Autonomous driving and artificial intelligence
The future of transportation will branch in two directions. One is the Waymo approach, which essentially seeks to remove human drivers from the equation, leaving us with almost an AI-powered Uber alternative. The other is exemplified by Tesla, which is infusing manned vehicles with a series of innovative autonomous features. Each will be here quicker than most realize. One of the reasons is that advances in artificial intelligence are driven, in part, by the availability of more data, so with each new Tesla or Waymo test vehicle that hits the road, semi-autonomous and autonomous capabilities grow exponentially. This is especially true for Tesla’s systems, thanks to the company delivering almost as many cars last year as all previous years combined. AI-enabled transportation is yet another area where investors have an excellent opportunity to back chip makers Nvidia and Intel, whose valuations in recent months have become far more reasonable due to trade-related issues that will likely dissipate going forward. As we move to the next level of internet, entertainment and transportation, there will be huge opportunities for the companies that are best positioned to take advantage of the new technology trends. Investors should take notice.
2019
Three Big Tech Trends For 2019
Forbes
Autonomous and near-autonomous vehicles
Vehicles that can navigate and operate with reduced or no human intervention
2013
Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy
McKinsey
Autonomic platforms - Building blocks for labor-less IT
IT may soon become a self-managing service provider without technical limitations of capacity, performance, and scale. By adopting a “build once, deploy anywhere” approach, retooled IT workforces—working with new architectures built upon virtualized assets, containers, and advanced management and monitoring tools—could seamlessly move workloads among traditional on-premises stacks, private cloud platforms, and public cloud services.
2016
Tech trends 2016 - innovating in the digital era
Deloitte
Automotive OEMs to Disrupt Established Business Models
Telematics services is fast becoming ubiquitous within all new models of vehicles; owing to both automotive OEM efforts in inclusion and – in some regions – legislation mandating the technology’s inclusion. As the development of autonomous systems progresses, 2019 will be the year in which automotive OEMs begin to explore monetisation models beyond the initial sale of the vehicle. Given that 5G network launches are anticipated experience commercial launches in 2019 – the capabilities of vehicles are likely to increase further, enabling new services such as Vehicle-to-Everything. Juniper anticipates that growth of data from automotive services is anticipated to grow 700% over the next 5 years – driven by the increase in the number of vehicles that have access to connected car services and said emerging new services. However, the challenge of monetising this data remains for automotive OEMs – a challenge that must be considered in 2019 given said impending launches. In turn, we can expect these new business models to include leveraging subscription models for new services. Whilst we can exclude safety features, such as vehicle to vehicle from any subscription – as these will be offered for free – there are a number of consumer-oriented services that can be offered to consumers through the dashboard infotainment screen. Offering subscriptions will help prepare OEMs for the monetisation of autonomous vehicles including lessening the dependence on the vehicle ownership model. Juniper anticipates that the continuing rise of smart mobility services will continue to have an impact on how automotive OEMs plan future services, with the focus shifting to playing a role in smart mobility solutions. Additionally, the rising usage of MaaS (Mobility as a Service) will provide automotive OEMs with an opportunity to leverage their experience in the automotive sector to provide new solutions that require subscriptions for use of public vehicles. Related Research: Consumer Connected Cars: Telematics, InVehicle Apps & Connected Car Commerce 2018-2023
2019
Top Tech trends 2019
Juniper Research
Automation, employment and productivity
Automation is an idea that has inspired science fiction writers and futurologists for more than a century. Today it is no longer fiction, as companies increasingly use robots on production lines or algorithms to optimize their logistics, manage inventory, and carry out other core business functions. Technological advances are creating a new automation age in which ever-smarter and more flexible machines will be deployed on an ever-larger scale in the workplace. In reality, the process of automating tasks done by humans has been under way for centuries. What has perhaps changed is the pace and scope of what can be automated. It is a prospect that raises more questions than it answers. How will automation transform the workplace? What will be the implications for employment? And what is likely to be its impact both on productivity in the global economy and on employment?
2017
A future that works
McKinsey
Automation will disproportionately impact women’s jobs.
"New technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are changing the way work gets done all over the world. The automation trend is especially challenging for women because they tend to be employed in more routine tasks than men across all sectors and occupations, making them more prone to automation. New IMF research estimates that 26 million women’s jobs in 30 countries are at high risk of being displaced by technology in the next 20 years. This means 180 million women’s jobs globally!We don’t have much time to act, so 2019 is the year to make important inroads in tackling this challenge. How? We must help women get the skills they need to succeed. Education and training will be key — including greater emphasis on lifelong learning and STEM. Think, in particular, of coding programs like Girls Who Code in the U.S. or developing tax deductions for training as they do in the Netherlands. We also need to close gender gaps in leadership positions across all sectors, while doing more to help men and women combine work and family life. Finally, we need to do a better job at bridging the digital divide and ensure women have equal access to finance, bank accounts and connectivity. 2019 is the year we should take a leap forward in leveling the playing field between men and women."
2018
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
LinkedIn
Automation of knowledge work
Intelligent software systems that can perform knowledge work tasks involving unstructured commands and subtle judgments
2013
Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy
McKinsey
Automation
Automation may solve one problem by increasing productivity and powering growth but creates another by potentially eliminating millions of jobs and suppressing wages for many workers.
2018
Labor 2030: The Collision of Demographics, Automation and Inequality
Bain and Company
Automation
Although companies have been gradually automating for decades, recent advances in areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence are not only obligating people to work side by side with machines but are also creating replacements for human workers—even in fairly sophisticated jobs. Nearly half of all jobs in the US could be automated by 2050.
2017
Twelve Forces That Will Radically Change How Organizations Work
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)