We saw a year of turbulence for Bitcoin value, yet Blockchain technology continued to evolve, and in the meanwhile, Amazon showed us Alexa is here to stay. Here, we take a look at five emerging technology trends for 2019.  

Artificial Intelligence: By now even a fifth-grader knows that AI is about machines with human attributes, which means they are capable of speaking, reading, seeing and even recognizing human emotion and acting accordingly. Thus, machines can complete a lot of tasks, especially mundane everyday jobs by “learning” from repeated interactions.

Also, algorithms are developed that can adapt to location, speech or user history and thus, machines can perform even difficult or risky tasks, more accurately or much faster than humans. The year 2019, according to most analysts will witness more widespread use of AI. With AI you have the opportunity of customizing products and services as per changing needs and also gain a competitive advantage over competitors.  

Augmented Reality: Augmented reality will be another head turner for 2019. It consists of systems that combine real-time 3D vision, sound, haptics (the sense of touch), location data and smell to enable people to re-imagine their existence in some other place.

This also means responding to their surroundings and altering their virtual environment in real-time. In 2019 more and more enterprises will apply augmented reality for commerce, education and even the military for training, communication, and innovation.  

IoT: If there’s one thing that will beat all other trends on this page, it is the Internet of Things. The year 2018 was an eye-opener. 2019 and beyond the world will actually discover the benefits of connected living.

Needless to say, IoT will lay the foundation for new business models, platforms and possibilities that will transform our living. IoT, I must say, will open up a sea of opportunities for professionals willing to apply their technical knowledge to connect platforms as well as those with the data analytics skills to utilize the rich stream of information generated by IoT applications.  

Blockchain: Blockchain, a form of Distributed Ledger Technology, underlies Bitcoin, a digital asset and payment system, which was introduced as Open Source software for peer-to-peer transaction management systems without the need for a mediator. All transactions made by this means are verified by a network of nodes and recorded in a public distributed ledger called Blockchain.

Companies are already using Blockchain technology to transform the more time-consuming, centralized, less reliable, and less secure legacy systems into something that is more secure and faster at work.

To quote an example, the Digital democracy platform MyVote uses Blockchain to store users’ personal data and voting history to give citizens a more direct voice in the political process. Expect more surprises in 2019.  

Automation: Perhaps Isaac Asimov was right. We started with automation as early as the 1960s. But it is only recently that we have discovered its actual usefulness. We must take a hard look at ourselves and think of what automation can do for us.

Apart from performing all manual jobs (that we have done so many times and yet make the same mistakes), automation will transform our lives in more ways than you can think of. From convenient devices at home to industrial applications on a massive scale, automation will be a key focus of technological change in 2019, with potentially far-reaching economic and social consequences.

Already, automation has replaced humans in the legal and finance industry, and will soon take over other segments. Other trends that did not make it to the top five but will create ripples are 3D printing, implanted wearables for healthcare, and natural language processing for enabling human-like conversations among organic and digital agents.  

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• Connect dispersed workforce:

More and more companies are giving opportunities to employees to work from home. Meetings can be possible, even if you are not physically present. An example can be meetings held over Skype and other similar apps. Hiring managers can find well-qualified candidate on internet. Productive employees need instant access to business information, data, and their team. Mobile-friendly technologies are fulfilling this need.

• Enhanced Communication:

Many a times, regular business meetings turn out to be a waste of time. Conferences with potential partners or clients can also be conducted online with video software, which reduces the need to brave through the huge traffic. At present, many companies are replacing their face-to-face sessions with virtual platforms where they can communicate and collaborate with employees. G-Suite and Slack are among the many useful programs that connect team members even when they aren’t in the same room.

• Getting Organized:

A lot of time can be wasted searching through spreadsheets for information stored in large data sets, some of which are only accessible via desktop. Investing in a database system allows your staff to easily add and access data. For example, a cloud-based time tracking software such as ClickTime allows employers to track employees working outside office regarding their working hours, mileage, and expenses, all in one place. Tracking such stuffs records critical information, thereby enhancing productivity.

• Better Business Promotion:

There are a number of technological tools that are used to track the improvement of a business. For example, managers can monitor employees and can easily keep on checking and comparing the sale made by a business within the specified time period. With the help of technologies, it is easier to find out the reasons of any reduction in sales or locate any problems. On the other hand, through various social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. business reaches out to many employees and clients at the same time. This increase the revenue generated and advertising costs reduced. Technology, thus, has helped us become more efficient and productive than ever before in history.