There is no denying the fact that we live in a world of rapid technological advancement. Today, we have a myriad of gadgets and appliances in our homes and workplaces. We can’t even imagine our life without them. So, it is not surprising that we are now living in an era where technology is taking over every aspect of our lives. Innovations are coming up on a daily basis, making it almost impossible to keep track of them. Plus almost all of these new trends are defined by the internet and if we look in retrospect, the internet is the driving force behind the majority of technological advancements that we have seen in the past couple of decades.
One thing is for sure that the internet is helping us constantly shape up future trends of technology. Even in times like these when our movements are limited by the ongoing pandemic, there has been no stop to technological enhancements. That’s all thanks to the internet because it has been keeping the world connected to one another with little to no effort. People are working, getting an education, attempting exams, conducting meetings, watching the latest movies all from their houses without moving an inch. That’s the power of the internet, and now the internet has been easier to access for anyone. On the flip side, it has become cost-effective as well with time. High-speed internet is now in reach of everyone. Just take a look at these Cox bundles and see for yourself.
It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention and the need for technology has skyrocketed in these past couple of years because of the current situation of the world. Due to this, the technology of current times has also made progress by leaps and bounds. The examples of it we see around ourselves daily include AI, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Quantum computing, and 5G. These are some of the technological advancements that have recently come into the limelight, and these trends are here to stay, along with their positive aspects and the limitless applications that the world could benefit from for decades to come.
AI and Machine Learning
AI has already been a popular concept for decades, but before, it was only limited to science fiction films, which showed AI as a supreme technological power that wanted to take over the world. We all have watched Terminator 2. But now when AI is already here, a concept like that sounds absurd, to say the least. AI is practically helping humans by reducing the workload and bringing ease and convenience to our lives. Although it is growing at a fast pace, still it’s going to take a long time before it reaches human-like consciousness or something beyond that.
At the moment, we see that AI is helping us with home automation technologies through which everything in our house is automated – from lights to thermostats to smart locks along with complete monitoring of our house. Smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are perfect examples of AI assistants, which help us streamline our daily schedule, provide reminders, and connect with other AI-based devices like home automation systems through which we can take control of our house using only our voice.
Machine Learning is probably a new concept but it also has its roots originating from AI. Machine Learning is a type of technology that learns from patterns and data sets and adapts accordingly. Machine Learning has also become a part of our daily lives now without us even knowing it. The most known example of Machine Learning can be seen in Tesla Cars. The system of these self-driving cars is entirely based upon AI and Machine Learning in which it senses the driving patterns of drivers on the road and adjusts itself accordingly and drives seamlessly on its own allowing the passenger to not even move a muscle during the ride.
Another common application of Machine Learning can be seen by anyone who uses the internet. How often is that we are searching for a product and after some time we start seeing ads related to that product or service all over the internet? That is through Machine Learning as well, which identifies individual consumption patterns and shows ads accordingly, targeting the right set of customers accurately. These are only some basic applications of AI and Machine Learning that we see in our daily lives. However, there are thousands of other fields that are currently using AI and Machine Learning and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
5G Networks
For some, 4G and 3G were technological wonders that allowed users to use the internet on smartphones without being connected to any Wi-Fi network. The current technology used by most mobile consumers is 4G that allows a decent speed for users to use on their cellphones and to browse the internet or watch YouTube videos, but it’s not something extraordinary. 5G is a totally different thing. Although the rollout of 5G is under process, it can take some time as the infrastructure is still under construction and there are limited devices and areas that currently support 5G, but the initial testing seems promising. In early 5G testing, the average speeds users got were between 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps. It is to be noted here that these speeds are received through wireless connectivity instead of the regular network connections which is a milestone in itself because usually, many internet service providers use fiberoptic cabling to provide such speeds.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency
You might have heard the word ‘cryptocurrency’ by now. It is a technology that is shaking up economies all over the world. Who would’ve thought that a mere virtual coin by the name of Bitcoin that was created back in 2009 and was priced at $0 would now be worth more than $50,000 for just one coin? Bitcoin has made people billionaires and due to its popularity and market value, there are now many other virtual coins in the market. This has established cryptocurrency as a proper trading field where people invest millions of dollars every day on these coins. This trend is not going to stop anytime soon and that time is near when all the tradings are going to be conducted through cryptocurrency making the stock market obsolete.
Blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrency. It is a secure, decentralized, and transparent ledger of transactions that can be used to store any type of data, not just money. Several cryptocurrencies use blockchain technology as their core mechanism. A blockchain is a peer-to-peer system that makes it easier for people and businesses to interact without going through intermediaries such as banks or brokers. With the help of a blockchain, it’s possible to create a permanent, public, transparent ledger system for tracking digital use and payments.
Conclusion
Technological trends are advancing at a rapid pace replacing already established gadgets and services. However, these top technological trends like Blockchain, AI, and 5G have been in testing phases for quite a while now, and only in 2022, have we started to see their practical applications. We strongly believe that these are going to be game-changers in the future and will be the stepping stone of future technological advancements.
