Top technological trends 2020: what changes are in store?

2020’s major tech trends place human beings at their centre. No longer are new technologies and devices considered in terms of how they might be applied, but rather in terms of how they could serve human beings and therefore improve people’s daily lives.

The future is no longer viewed as a dystopic society featuring cyborgs and intelligent machines, but one in which new technological discoveries will serve human requirements. This will be put into action via two steps: first by using technology to work directly on building people’s skills (people-centric) and secondly by implementing technological solutions in the living spaces where they spend their time (smart spaces).

People-centric tech trends 2020

The main people-centric trends in 2020 place people at their centre. This involves using technology to improve their skills, both physical and conceptual, therefore enhancing their daily lives in general. There are five ‘visions’ in this category, destined to radically change our future experience:

1. Hyper-automation: one of technology’s main objectives is to automate processes as much as possible. In factories, companies will try to make automate most production processes in the next few years. This will release workers from the most repetitive tasks and assign these to machines instead. The idea is to achieve complete factory automation (which will involve more and more DigitalOps features).
2. Multi-experiential: the modern human being lives two parallel lives; one analogue and the other digital. The underlying concept of multiple experience is to make these two paths increasingly cohesive, thanks to wearable devices and appropriate technologies capable of involving the human senses. The first steps in this direction involve augmented reality, ranging from virtual reality to man and machine interfaces.
3. Democratisation: democratising technology means making it more and more accessible to all. That means a facilitated use of devices, software and applications even for those without specific training. This 2020 trend is particularly important, as it is helping to create new professional roles and develop increasingly intuitive and efficient interfaces.
4. Human augmentation: augmented humanity involves the application of technology directly on or inside the human body. This concept can be divided into 4 subcategories: sensory augmentation (such as sight, hearing or general perception), the enhancement of brain function (more precisely logical reasoning skills with the support of AI, but also the prevention of convulsions or other neurological disorders) and genetic augmentation (modification of genes and cells).
5. Transparency and traceability: in a society increasingly focused on communication, transparency and traceability become an important focus for companies. Being clear about how client data is used is an excellent starting point, but the concept of this trend can be summarised as the desire to build positive relationships.

Smart spaces, intelligent homes and offices

The other main aspect of 2020 tech trends focuses on the creation of increasingly intelligent buildings, equipped with technological functionalities which can interact effectively with human beings. Good examples of these trends are the empowered edge, distributed cloud, ‘automatic things’ such as smart forklifts and drones), practical blockchain and AI security.

All the new technologies mentioned on this list are destined to evolve exponentially over the course of the next few years. The idea is to create houses, offices, factories and warehouses based on artificial intelligence, capable of responding quickly to any human requirement that might arise.

These 2020 trends are merely the starting point, but it is not a utopian vision to think that, in time, applications designed for use in single buildings will subsequently be extended to entire areas and cities. The first metropolis of the future does not seem so far away.

Translated by Joanne Beckwith