Review and Outlook: A sneak peek at key digital technologies in 2019

[](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPAVpb2x9VCmv-28s -A_dcCbua206PbgowUNHh6Hq7CwnvFrWESby4M2DbTtvNdvGSw82njZzL_vJ5iuY66lmD-x8Vxxk-AjQpS cSgCyPNDFV0hHR6Z6ymQyPkQH9ItJKriIdWsmK7Pcf/s1600/2019%25E5%25B9%25B4%25E9%2597%25 9C%25E9%258D%25B5%25E6%2595%25B8%25E4%25BD%258D%25E7%25A7%2591%25E6%258A%2580.jpg)

The rapid growth of digital technology

The annual review of technology is very important. There is one thing that is rare: we are not surprised by its rapid growth, and we have already been mentally prepared for it - that is, we must accept the impact it brings at any time.

In 2018, the development of global digital technology and business logic has become more and more mature. Technology applications in the industry have introduced new ones, and various changes have been quite frequent, such as drones, electric vehicles, the iPhone’s A12 bionic chip, blockchain and mobile payment…each of them makes us feel fresh and new. Facing these new technological civilizations, people can’t help but look forward to the new year. Curious which one will be the first to come out and lead the trend of mankind in 2019?

Five key digital technology trends

1. AI, Artificial Intelligence When will artificial intelligence rule the world?

In 2018, artificial intelligence shines brightly, and governments around the world have begun to pay attention to it, but this is just the beginning. Gartner, an international research and consulting organization, predicts that artificial intelligence will play an increasingly important role in people’s lives in the future (no surprise), but before 2020, up to 80% of artificial intelligence projects will still have to be executed by professionals.

It is estimated that by 2025, the global artificial intelligence business opportunities are expected to reach US$230 billion, growing at a rapid compound annual growth rate of 45%. Among them, consumer, medical and automotive are the three main application markets. For example, many patients with chronic diseases will benefit from the popularization of artificial intelligence, which can alleviate the care manpower and receive effective care. If long-term care services, which are in increasing demand, can be combined with artificial intelligence, there will be broad room for development.

2. 5G Technology Is 5G technology really coming?

5G technology has been talked about for a long, long time, but all the time we only heard the sound of the stairs and no one came down. Including the telecommunications and communications industries, many technology manufacturers have begun to fully invest in the development and application of 5G technology. In 2019, we can finally see a glimmer of hope in the development of 5G mobile communication technology.

For example, Intel, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Samsung and Huawei… and many new technology companies have also joined the ranks of providing 5G mobile services, hoping to provide more cool, fast and even more innovative services to the majority of mobile phone users. The previous dreams of car windows turning into screens and remote VR operating robots seem to be more concrete. In addition, with the cooperation of companies such as Intel, HP, Lenovo and Dell, there is also a chance to see the launch of 5G-compatible notebook computers in 2019.

3. Chatbots Is the chatbot my cloud lover?

Many people’s imagination of chatbot still stops at the robot interaction on Facebook fan page. In fact, the applications of chatbots are quite diverse, and in a short period of time, they have become a technology adopted by major communities around the world.

Using chatbot technology has several obvious benefits, including: increasing user engagement, effectively reaching the global market, letting people understand the latest trends, providing effective data and insights, and providing high-quality customer service. Things that used to take half a day to Google can now be asked to the robot.

The advent of chatbots has opened a new window for the busy business society. According to statistics, about 40% of large enterprises around the world have decided to adopt chatbots by the end of 2019. In addition to saving labor costs, they may also be able to better meet customer needs, making it one of the most important digital transformation trends in 2019.

4. IoT, Internet of Things The Internet of Things is still being sharpened in the laboratory

I believe it is not difficult for everyone to understand the “Internet of Things”, or it may have some superficial concepts. After years of planning by several leading manufacturers, the Internet of Things finally made significant progress in 2018, such as edge computing, the integration of artificial intelligence and IoT architecture, and even Low Power Wide Area Internet of Things (LPWAN), which has been advancing step by step. In 2019, companies are expected to gradually complete the infrastructure deployment of the Internet of Things, allowing the Internet of Things to truly move out of the laboratory and enter the industry.

Nick, vice president of research at research firm Gartner. Nick Jones pointed out that the Internet of Things will continue to bring more opportunities for digital enterprise innovation in the next 10 years. However, with the popularity and widespread application of the Internet of Things, various social, legal and ethical issues will follow. Issues including personal privacy, data ownership and GDPR also need to be taken seriously by the government, relevant units and the business community and addressed as soon as possible.

style=“display:block; text-align:center;” data-ad-layout=“in-article” data-ad-format=”fluid” data-ad-client=“ca-pub-7348191874303466” data-ad-slot=“1572728513”>

5. Smart Retail The scale of smart retail is estimated to be US$4.4 trillion

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group pointed out that smart retail is the reconstruction of people, goods and places. Simply put, smart retail combines advanced technologies such as the Internet, the Internet of Things, and sensing consumption habits to predict the behavioral trends of the consumer public, thereby guiding production and manufacturing, and providing consumers with diversified and personalized products and services. Cloud, Internet of Things and big data will be the key words in the traditional retail industry in 2019.

According to estimates by Intel Corporation of the United States, the global retail industry can reach US$4.4 trillion. Behind this huge industry, smart retail will restructure the relationship between merchants and consumers. In 2022, global business opportunities for applied technology equipment in smart retail are estimated to be as high as US$53.8 billion. Technologies such as smart shelf labels, digital signage, image analysis and retail systems will bring more convenient data, information and services.

“…devices will be able to communicate simultaneously with several towers, over different frequencies and using different radio protocols, opening up the potential for far faster and more responsive wireless communications and the means to fully build out the Internet of Things.” ──Deloitte Insight

Equipment equipped with 5G will be able to connect to different towers simultaneously at different frequencies, comply with radio protocols, and simultaneously. In the future, these devices will be able to connect farther and faster with responsive wireless communications, and can also create an Internet of Things environment.

★ To improve your content power, please don’t miss the online course “[Content Power: The Super Power of Building Brands] (https://hahow.in/cr/content-power)”

★ Photo Credit: Marvin Meyer

★ Article source: This article was originally published in the December 2018 issue of “English Island” magazine

---