12 days of Click-mas: 7 technology trends that we witnessed in 2023

2023 will likely go down as a central milestone in technological history, along with 2007 because of the iPhone and 1985 for the arrival of the first Windows computer. That’s because the year saw gigantic, almost magical, breakthroughs previously thought impossible.

This post dives into the seven most significant technology trends this year. We cover AI, blockchain, the metaverse, robotics, and other cutting-edge technologies that are changing the world as we know it.

1. Generative AI Comes Of Age

Google engineers created the breakthrough “transformer” architecture in 2018 that enabled today’s LLM’s semi-magical abilities, but it wasn’t until 2023 that the technology became a practical reality for millions of people. OpenAI released ChatGPT 4, Google rushed out Bard, and Anthropic set Claude loose, letting users ask machines any question and get plausible, helpful answers. These tools clarified that artificial intelligence could think as abstractly and creatively as we do with the right training sets. It also demonstrated their capacity for theory of mind – understanding human emotions.

The benefits of generation AI are tremendous. Researchers believe it could:

• Automate sales and marketing (including writing copy and placing ads on platforms)
• Improving customer services by offering the best live website chat service in its class
• Reducing employee burnout by cutting back on cognitive strain
• Enhancing natural human creativity by providing endless prompts and ideas
• Boosting business-wide productivity in technical and manual tasks

Commentators are still figuring out how significantly generative AI will impact the economy. Tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it could replace all human jobs at November’s Bletchley Park AI summit, hosted by the UK government. By contrast, co-founder of Coursera and Landing AI Andrew Ng believes it will create more jobs than it destroys.

2. AI-Driven Software Development Boosts Productivity

2023 also saw growing AI coding capabilities. Machines are learning how to create concise, compact code that compiles with minimal human oversight.

Again, doomsayers suggest this development could lead to massive layoffs. However, it will likely increase the value of coders in the near term, just as ATMs boosted the value of bank clerks in the 1970s.

2023 saw coders prompting language models to write code to construct websites and software applications. These features enabled rapid deployment and simple drag-and-drop interfaces.

3. Digital Twins Enhance Efficiency

Advances in digital and sensor technology also saw the concept of “digital twins” coming of age in 2023. Computers can now dynamically simulate physical objects, opening up numerous quality-of-life and productivity opportunities.

For example, healthcare practitioners use digital twins to model patients’ organs, accounting for various inputs, such as blood markers, to predict their future evolution. Likewise, manufacturers are utilising them to track equipment to predict breakdowns, reducing costs, waste, and carbon footprint.

4. Virtual Reality-Based Communication For Truly Online Lives

2023 was also the year virtual reality-based communication systems went mainstream. The “metaverse” is now part of common parlance.

Facebook/Meta’s ideas are still in their visionary phase. Combining AR, VR, and blockchain to create digital forums remains futuristic. However, teams of engineers are fleshing out their ideas and believe it could one day form a central hub of human interaction.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta recently announced the launch of the Quest 3, the company’s all-new virtual reality headset. The newer lightweight device is slimmer than its predecessors and more wearable. It also has internal storage and allows users to walk outside for an integrated augmented reality experience.

China is also experimenting with its version of the metaverse, geared towards work. It wants to use the technology to prevent the zero COVID chaos that engulfed the country after the pandemic outbreak. The nation believes workers hooked up to metaverse-like environments could provide services like GP appointments, accounting, and online education.

However, despite years of development, the dream of the metaverse stays elusive. Standard social media remains dominant as the world waits for more compelling virtual reality equipment and falling prices.

5. Trust Architectures Become Standard

Trust architectures also came of age in 2023 as organisations prioritised building safe systems for their digital future. These security approaches assume you can’t trust any user or device by default, requiring continuous authentication and authorisation for every access request, regardless of the user’s position inside or outside the network perimeter.

One of the mottos of zero trust architectures is “never trust, always verify.” Any device connecting to a network must prove its digital credentials before being granted access. Meanwhile, applications continuously monitor activity, offering users the minimum privilege to perform their function or role and flagging anything unusual.

Trust architectures became more popular in 2023 as organisations came under increasing pressure to deal with new security threats. Perimeter-based solutions worked effectively in the past with defined network boundaries but seemed outdated when viewed through the lens of today’s working environments.

6. Cobots Join The Workforce

Collaborative robots or “cobots” joined the workforce en masse in 2023 as advancing technology made them more practical and capable. AI-powered systems can work alongside human safety and perform various unscripted tasks.

Multiple firms jumped into the fray, improving their systems with the latest AI technology. For example, Universal Robots released the UR20, a high-payload cobot capable of lifting more than 20 kg safely next to humans for heavy-duty applications, such as machine tending and palletising. Similarly, Swiss robot firm ABB released the Flexpicker 12A, a high-speed cobot designed for warehouse picking, packing and sorting, with a rapid pick time of 0.3 seconds.

2023’s crop of cobots gave hope that cobot technology was exiting the Gartner trough of despair and ready for numerous applications. Robots displayed the ability to enhance labour productivity, which could push up wages in low-skilled professions considerably.

7. Blockchain Establishes Transactional Trust

Finally, 2023 saw blockchain and Web 3.0 play crucial roles in establishing trust. The technology facilitates the creation of a secure, decentralised and transparent ledger without the need for a middleman. The tool lets firms, supply chains, and individuals transact across jurisdictions without costly institutional oversight. It also offers more advanced monitoring solutions, such as blockchain-verified tamper-proof RFID tags for product authenticity.

Let’s hope 2024 is just as exciting for tech.