Human-centric tech to drive digital business

AI everywhere, transparency immersive experiences and digital platforms are the three technology megatrends that will drive digital business over the next decade, according to Gartner.

The research firm has published its latest annual Hype Cycle for emerging technologies.

Gartner envisions emerging technologies as transitioning through five common stages. The first is the innovation trigger, when new technologies are beginning development. As interest picks up, the technology reaches the peak of inflated expectations, beyond what the technology can deliver.

Once these limitations are better understood, a technology sinks into the trough of disillusionment, before reaching the slope of enlightenment, when the true benefits and opportunities afforded by these technologies are better understood. Finally, a technology reaches the plateau of productivity, when these benefits are realised.

Gartner’s latest Hype Cycle indicates that the connected home, deep learning and machine learning are at the top of the peak of inflated expectations, while virtual reality has entered the slope of enlightenment.

Blockchain and cognitive computing are meanwhile nearing the trough of disillusionment, while augmented reality and software-defined security are deep into this trough.

Based on the findings of the research, Gartner expects AI to be the most disruptive class of technologies over the next 10 years, due to the availability of vast computational power, near endless volumes of data and unprecedented advances in deep neural networks.

Likewise, Gartner expects technology to become more human-centric to the point where it will introduce transparency between people, businesses and things. Technologies in this category include augmented reality, human augmentation, VR and computer-brain interfaces.

Finally, emerging technologies are laying the foundations for new business models based on digital platforms that form a bridge between humans and technology. Key technologies include 5G, blockchain, IoT, quantum computing and software-defined security.

“When we view these themes together, we can see how the human-centric enabling technologies within transparently immersive experiences — such as smart workspace, connected home, augmented reality, virtual reality and the growing brain-computer interface — are becoming the edge technologies that are pulling the other trends along the Hype Cycle,” Gartner Research Director Mike Walker said.

“These megatrends illustrate that the more organisations are able to make technology an integral part of employees’, partners’ and customers’ experiences, the more they will be able to connect their ecosystems to platforms in new and dynamic ways.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/chrisharvey

Follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook