Compared to the start of the millennium, we are living in a world of science fiction. Technology has developed at such an exponential rate that business in the digital sector seems to undergo a new paradigm shift every year. With the world moving so rapidly, it can be hard for companies to keep up. Until recently, many of these new tech trends have only been enjoyed by large global corporations, but now they are becoming more and more accessible to small enterprises. Whether you decide to buy the best podcast microphone so you can create a podcast that is downloaded by millions, or you look into creating an app that solves a big problem and boosts your business, tech will let you do it. The business world is an exciting place to be.
To keep you up to date with the newest developments in technology, here are some of the biggest disruptions that look set to change the way organizations do business in 2021.
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5G
Despite the ludicrous conspiracy theories about its origin, the fifth generation of mobile connectivity has been successfully rolled out by many of the major phone networks. It offers greatly improved speed to previous incarnations and paves the way for higher quality video streaming. With remote work on the rise, 5G will undoubtedly continue this trend as companies and workers alike will increasingly lean towards flexible working solutions. This will have the effect of reducing overhead costs, increasing efficiency, and improving work-life balance. You can make the most of eTech Rentals to hire devices that are compatible with 5G.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already playing a large part in customer service, with digital assistants like Alexa and Siri revolutionizing the way we interact with technology. More and more companies are exploring ways they can use AI to improve the customer experience and streamline their businesses. Artificial intelligence has existed in basic forms for several years, but with more recent developments such as synthetic data generation, machine learning technology is rapidly becoming more advanced.
Voice-activated search
A few years ago, almost everyone in the world would type their search queries into Google through their computer or phone keyboard. Now, we are seeing a major transition towards voice-activated searches. More and more phone users are speaking their queries into their microphones while on the move, as this provides a quicker and more efficient way to find the nearest public toilet or solve a debate with friends. This will completely transform marketing strategies, particularly when it comes to ranking high up in the search engines. Previously, searchers would type in a few disjointed yet relevant search terms, and digital marketers would need to pepper these keywords strategically across their website to boost their search engine optimization (SEO). Currently, however, searchers who use voice are speaking fully-formed questions and sentences into their phone, which means that companies will have to focus their SEO strategy more heavily on long-tail keywords.
As the technology develops, we will see users utilizing it for a variety of reasons, including making online purchases entirely through voice.
Deepfake technology
Not all disruption is for good. Deepfake technology uses artificial intelligence to create fake content, whereby a person in an existing photo or video is replaced with another person’s likeness. This can be extremely convincing, and it has garnered a lot of criticism for its use in manufacturing hoaxes and explicit content without the consent of the people whose likenesses have been manipulated. In this era of fake news, it will become harder than ever to sort the fact from the fiction. On the other hand, new and more positive uses are being found for deepfake technology, such as creating fictional worlds in entertainment, editing films without needing costly reshoots, and recreating the work of long-dead artists.