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Monday, January 1, 2018

11 predictions for 2018



2018 - 2020 will be an exciting place to be..... with some really amazing innovations coming our way - 

Here  are a few......

1. Gene-editing techniques move to reality.

Gene editing, modifying human DNA using a technology known as CRISPR, will become more advanced in 2018. The technology will have huge beneficial consequences when it comes to fighting disease and removing congenital problems.
 

2.  Bitcoin and Cryptos

The cryptocurrency rose from below $1,000 at the start of 2017 to nearly $19,000. Economists are in two minds, will it crash in 2018; or will it totally change the monetary markets 
 

3. Self-driving cars hit the market. 

Audi is set to release the first commercial vehicle to drive itself while monitoring its surroundings. 
 

4.  A.I. will become pervasive.

Artificial intelligence’s next frontier is creativity. A.I. is going to help us learn from our own successful routines and the bots can process..

 AI features will play an integral role in virtual communications, and will surpass in-person communications in terms of user experience and productivity. Artificial intelligence capabilities such as smart transcription, virtual personal assistants, and voice recognition will support smart video meetings that will become the communications standard. Says Eric Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom, a provider of modern enterprise video communications
 

5.  Micro leases and pop us stores thrive while retail, restaurants and malls struggle 

A glut of empty storefronts in malls will force landlords to sign ever-shorter leases. To combat sluggish sales in traditional retail, concepts will move more frequently to better align with consumers’ interests.

6.  M&A boom.

Corporate tax cuts, a growing economy, access to cheap money and industries being disrupted will give companies that are in growth mode big opportunities for m and a : retail, healthcare and entertainment.

Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Cisco and Microsoft will continue to grow through acquisition. with money and capital in abundance. 

7. Corporate wellness and continuous learning

Humans should spend the year in constant learning mode.
The importance of the body, mind and spirit connection will be a huge focus for corporate wellness  and learning programs in 2018. The successful  Companies will be investing more and focusing on their employees and launching new programs to support their mental and physical energy and wellbeing. 

8.  SAAS becomes pervasive - Ownership will decrease.

The rise of the  'as-a-service' business model is changing the way consumers interact with the world. People no longer want stuff, just access to stuff, when they need it. From our cars to our phones, and the music and movies we stream on them, we increasingly own less.  With the first of Generation Z hitting the workforce in 2018, we're going to see the start of a whole generation which simply haven't grown up with that expectation of ownership, and are far less emotionally wedded to it.   

9.  The world runs on voice.

The explosive growth of virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home will transform the lives of millions of all Americans.

Consumers will expect voice on everything from home appliances to personal digital assistants.

10. Face-to-face interactions will increase.

"The internet has made it possible for people to communicate easily while slowly weakening personal connections. Technology has allowed companies to track productivity with monitoring software, at the same time weakening trust.

Relationships have proven to be the way to increase sales and strengthen companies. 

People who focus on their customer giving unique unparallelled service will shine. Those that influence the way customers communicate, listen, watch, shop, work and play will win. 

 11. Trust is key

 Companies will be focussing on their most important asset: trust. And for good reason. From fake news and foreign ads on social media potentially impacting our election to the massive data breach at Equifax, trust in technology took a serious beating this year. 

So while some of the most transformative technology in decades, like autonomous cars or blockchain, is poised to go mainstream , successful companies will be putting trust front and center. If your users don't trust you, it doesn't matter how cool or transformative your product or service is - It's dead in the water.

And a few other themes to look out for:-

- The cannabis industry 

- The engagement and organisation of gig workers 

- With the proliferation of cameras - the integration of face recognition

- New innovations in electric vehicles 

 

 What do you think? 

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