15 Disruptive Technology Trends to watch

in 2017
D/SRUPTION explores the tech that will shape the year ahead
There is no doubt that 2016 was a breakthrough year for some of the
technologies we have been watching. AI, VR, AR, Chatbots, self-driving cars all
took significant leaps forward in terms of their practical applications and adoption,
taking many by surprise. It is definitely true to say that the robots are no longer
coming- they are here, and they are taking jobs. Rates of innovation and
adoption will not slow down in 2017, so we’ve pulled together the key emerging
technology trends to watch and plan for. One thing is for certain in 2017, whether
you work in strategy, risk management, operations, start-ups, R&D or marketing,
you need to be abreast of the potential of disruptive digital technologies which
are no longer purely the realm of the CIO or CTO.

1. Robots Become Coworkers

2017 will be the year in

which science fiction becomes fact, as robots start to be employed for an
increasing range of job roles well beyond the production line.

With investment in advanced robotics increasing, we will see the rise

of sobots, social robots who can read emotions and talk, used as digital
assistants.

2. From Wearables to Implantables

While 2016 saw increasing use of health and fitness trackers in the insurance
and healthcare industries, it did not show the mass adoption of smartwatches
some had predicted. Until there are significant increases in functionality in this
market, disruption is more likely to come from experimentation with technology
for inside the body. Up to 50,000 people already have electronic RFID implants ,
and Intel now have a chip for controlling smart devices in the brain. Together with
Elon Musk’s eye on building VR in the brain , 2017 could see the beginnings of
increased activity and interest in ‘Implantables’.

3. Bots Usurp Apps

Advancements in AI fuelled machine

learning and cloud software have lead to real improvements in chatbot
performance, and real opportunities for businesses to take advantage. Not only
will they be widely used for customer support, the big tech companies are
investing in bots that enable consumers to interact with various partner services,
such as Microsoft’s Conversation as a Platform’. The rise of the chatbot economy
in 2017 will see tasks such as booking tickets and conducting research
increasingly done by bots rather than by navigating apps, contact centres or web
interfaces. AI fuelled bots (as opposed to rule based chatbots) have also made
a breakthrough in 2016 , with enhancements to digital assistants such as Siri, Viv
and Cortana. Huge commercial opportunities will be available as companies take
advantage of renewed consumer confidence in such applications.

4. Genetically Modified Lifeforms

In 2016 we saw DNA editing on

the CRISPR genome editing platform transform biology. We covered flexible
gene editing, home genome editing kits, genetically modified mosquitoes and the
potential of biological weapons. With the rate of movement in this field, we will no
doubt be reporting on more projects with huge disruptive potential in 2017.

5. 3D Printing Gets Industrial

With the speed and scale of 3D printing

increasing exponentially in the last 3 years, it will soon move from being a tech
novelty to a core part of the manufacturing and construction process in many
industries . We will see giant 3D printers using additive manufacturing
revolutionising the construction industry – creating structures in months which
would previously have taken years. If we don’t see even more 3D printed car
entrants, we will at least see more components customised.

6. AI Replaces White Collar Expertise

 Machine learning successes this
year have showcased AI as a (more) reliable way of replacing smart people
working out patterns. In 2017 we will make headway with the cultural shift
required to trust them with more and more ‘graduate’ jobs. Legal bots, AI
journalists, and diagnostic ‘robot doctors’ mean that jobs lost to digital
technologies will no longer be restricted to the blue collar employment markets.

7. Quantum Computing Gets Practical

Although we are not expecting

a fully fledged, affordable Quantum Computer until at least 2020, research is
currently being done to find practical applications for existing quantum
technologies. BREXIT might slow some of these down, but at the very least 2017
needs to be the year in which companies start to think carefully about the effect
that quantum computing will have on their business models, with the potential
they bring for massive process and data disruption.

8. Self Driving Vehicles On the High Street

 The investment in autonomous
vehicle R&D was huge in 2016, and not just from Google and Tesla. Most of the
large automotive groups are developing prototypes or have bought driverless
tech companies and are regaining lost ground. In the meantime taxi companies
such as Uber have started trialling self driving taxis. Safety, while still a concern,
did not slow development as much as expected, so in 2017 we might see some
developments in what will be the biggest disruptive potential for the technology-
in the trucking and haulage industries.

9. Blockchain Disrupts More than Banks

The disruptive potential of Blockchain

technologies has in 2016 proven not to be limited to currencies like Bitcoin
disrupting the banking and mortgage systems. This year we have seen
breakthroughs in security management, and in 2017 we should see
experimentation in the fashionand music industries. In the longer term,
Blockchain might even be the method of taking identity management from the
dominant tech companies.

10.Virtual Reality as a Commercial Reality

 No longer limited to the entertainment and
gaming sectors, 2017 will see more companies adapting and applying the
technology for more practical purposes. Education and Healthcare are at the
forefront of this innovation, with other uses also being found in everything
from Real Estate to Travel . It’s definitely time for businesses to consider how
virtual reality could be enhancing their marketing, customer journeys, productivity
or product offerings.

11.From Augmented Reality to Mixed Reality

Augmented Reality was only really

propelled into the limelight in summer 2016 when Pokemon Go became a global
phenomenon, and yet the AR industry is predicted to hit global revenues of $90
billion by 2020. This amount is mirrored in the investment. In 2015 only $700
million in total was invested in AR/VR, but in early 2016 one company alone
broke records with an $800m ‘C’ round. That company, the ‘secretive’ Magic
Leap has yet to showcase any of the Mixed Reality platform it is working on, but
in the meantime Microsoft has opened up its MR platform for developers and we
expect to see some fruit in 2017.

12.Robots Teaching Themselves

 Self teaching robots have been one of
the breakthroughs of 2016 as we have seen more examples of bot to bot
communication in which one machine shares its learning with another, and deep
learning based networks which robots can tap into and teach themselves. In
2017 we will be grappling with the immense productivity potential, but also the
ethical and cyber security concerns over robots reaching an autonomous
singularity.

13.Cybersecurity Wars

2016 has seen cyber security attacks on

every level – from every level of consumer and business cyber crime up to state
level campaigns which some say may have changed the shape of global
government. One thing is sure – nobody can afford to ignore potential threats.
The proliferation of big data and the rise of IoT makes businesses and
consumers vulnerable, and huge investment is being poured into the area. It is
unlikely this will solve the problems by 2017 though – expect to see some more
major hacks.

14.The Things Are Taking Over the Internet

 More and more ‘Things’ have become
connected in 2016, with applications ranging from gardening, transport, energy,
sport to farming and medicine. Connected Cars and Smart Homes are now all
realities. Yet while it is in Smart Cities and Industrial IoT that significant changes
to productivity, lifestyles and business models will be seen, in 2017, companies
will still be grappling with the changes to consumer facing applications and
navigating the data they produce.

15.Renewables and Clean Energy Diversify

With Elon Musk leading the way (last

month merging Tesla Electric Cars and his solar power venture SolarCity), tech
companies are at the forefront of making sustainable energy solutions available
to the public . With increasing public appetite for green energy, and a growing
awareness of the transformational potential for the developing world, we expect
to more disruption to energy companies and see more innovation in solar, wind,
tidal, biomass and geothermal technologies, and Virtual Power Stations.