Technology Trajectory – What will unfold in 2023?
By Sreekrishnan Venkateswaran, Chief Technology Officer, Kyndryl India
Progress in this century is intertwined with advancements in technology. We have already seen human-like intelligence permeating into many facets of life and business in the decade of 2020. Let’s look at technology trends that are likely to accelerate in 2023.
The Edge is now ready for prime time. By transferring AI-based decision-making ability near to where data is produced, edge computing will find new ways to solve problems and improve quality of life. Any device with compute and connectivity is an edge node; it can range from cars and factories to autonomous tractors and telecom towers. Computer vision will be a catalyst for edge computing adoption. By deriving insights in real time from video streams using machine learning, computer vision will push digitization forward across the board from airports to the manufacturing shop floor.
With cyber breaches turning into a top security concern, cyber resiliency will see further evolution and demand. Cloud adoption will continue to increase, unlocking new innovative business models and efficiency improvements. Data science, in combination with machine learning, will take predictive analytics and hyper-personalization to the next level. Cognitive chatbot technology will scale new heights and multiply productivity by permeating AI into many walks of life; it holds the promise of staggering possibilities but will also spur debates on ethical AI.
Blockchain, Industrial Metaverse, Drone systems, and Private 5G leverage will grow rapidly in 2023, though they will see a multi-year adoption maturity horizon. We already see several Indian state governments onboarding citizen services ranging from land record maintenance to covid vaccination certification on blockchain to resolve disputes and eliminate tampering; in combination with Web3, blockchain will be a radical change agent in finance, healthcare and even digital art. Metaverse will start seeing a surge in redefining collaboration experience; retail and industrial metaverse adoption will follow. Drones will start journeying beyond the consumer space and will start changing business models in merchandise delivery, agriculture, power line inspection, telecom tower maintenance, and land record digitization. Private 5G at the far edge, which is driving operating model transformations across industries globally, has already made a foray in India; this is likely to explode over the next years. The Electric Vehicle space will see more research and innovation as it continues its double-digit growth rate.
Technologies and applications that eliminate the middleman will continue to thrive. Efforts such as Open Network for Digital Commerce and alternate clouds that seek to empower the consumer by curbing oligopolies may be slow to take off but will see growing interest and traction.
Designing an effortless user experience through simplification and abstraction is key to mass adoption of any technology. The technology itself should be invisible; only the experience discernible. New-age tech will turn more intuitive and consumable as it reaches and touches rural and suburban populations. And as these technologies evolve and advance, helping India and the world tackle their most pressing problems, they are certain to fuel prolific creativity and power human progress.
