The Internet and AI are two of the segments which could see major changes in 2017, according to trend forecasts. And they will matter to you.
For example, IoT will be a major trend. Gartner expects about 1.5 billion new devices to connect with the Web in 2017 alone. By 2020 there will be over 20 billion devices online.
This brings about two major concerns. First, the infrasctructre. Can it handle so many devices? Actually, yes. The Internet was developed with the idea for about 4.3 billion devices connected at any given point. And that was decades ago. Today the architechure is already overhauled and it will be able to handle 340 trillion trillion (yes, twice) individiual devices, VentureBeat notes. And most of these devices don’t really produce a lot of traffic, so we will be fine for the most part.
Cybersecurity is a top priority
Security though is another story. IoT devices are notorious for their security. Why? Because it’s pretty much nonexistent. Most manufacturers don’t see the point of investing in security features which will cost money. But if we want to have IoT embedded into absolutely everything, security is vital. With time this will happen. And 2017 is probably the year which will see a lot of effort in this area.
And it should be since chatbots, smart devices and AI get more and more advanced. It’s entirely possible that in 2017 there will be refridgerators or toasters which will chat with you. Watercooler talk can get a whole new meaning.
The advance of chatbots and voice assistance wouldn’t be possible without AI. For a lot of people AI is still something from Sci-fi movies. But AI is here and it has been for some time. Granted, it’s not super advanced or ultra capable, but it’s heading towards that at an increasing speed.
AI is not coming. It is here
2017 is the year when AI will make its way into our daily lives. It’s done that for a while now, but most people still don’t know it. They will realize it in 2017, according to VentureBeat. It will also power smarter apps and will have a bigger role in healthcare. There are already experiments in the field. Microsoft trains AI to better diagnose cancer for example.
AI will be able to help in many industries and security. It will also cost some jobs, though. The low wage jobs will be among the first ones to go. AI will automate most tasks and it’s a process which will continue for the long term future.
According to the latest AI report by the White House, AI will bring upon a lot of changes in society. The only “safe” jobs are the ones which rely mostly on creativity, communication and specific high quality skills. So, you better start honing your skills from now, since it may be too late in a few years. This is actually what the White House reports also says. It recommends certain steps which should be discussed and taken from 2017 onwards in order to be fully ready to accept AI.
AI won’t just happen overnight. It’s a continuous process which will take years and before we know it, it will be everywhere. It’s exactly why we should start preparing now and not wait for when AI is “advanced enough”… because, in quite a few ways, it already is.