While many companies talk about innovation, they are looking at how to cope more creatively with the challenges in front of them. Strategic futurists take a revolutionary look at the future and start adapting to what will come, even though it is still around the corner. Thus, they drive change rather than reacting to it. As a result, their companies home in on the future before it arrives. Here is a look at some of the future technologies that are starting to make themselves felt.
Artificial Intelligence
You have no doubt already encountered smart assistants such as Google Assistant. Using only voice to interact with the environment has become a trend since the isolation of the Covid pandemic lockdown. Many people still prefer to go hands-free as restrictions are being eased in many countries.
Smart assistants can do everything you can do on your phone. This involves sending text messages, dialling numbers, making bookings, ordering food, and checking the stock price. The interactive technology of artificial intelligence will make multi-tasking simpler.
Helpdesk chatbots are being used in customer support services. Chatbots can handle 80% of customer queries and are available 24/7.
AI is proving its merits in companies with data analytics and making predictive recommendations. Because of its ongoing learning, AI provides customers with more personalized products and services.
Facial recognition is used in airports, by law enforcement, marketers, and Facebook. Machine learning models are being utilized by banks to flag suspicious transactions.
Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology is much broader than just bitcoins. Blockchain is used for digital record-keeping and is impervious to tampering while also being transparent. This makes it extremely useful in the financial field.
Instead of storing your data on someone else’s server, blockchain technology allows you to keep control of it. This is like a flash drive you insert into a computer when you go online and remove when you are done so that your personalized searches cannot be sold to advertisers. With blockchain, you determine what ads you are exposed to. Basic Attention Token (BAT) will allow someone who sees ads to share in the spending of the advertiser.
Health Technology
Health technology can be combined with artificial intelligence to remind patients to take their medicines, provide personalized dosage recommendations, and identify health issues and interventions needed.
Twenty percent of customers were using voice search to obtain health information in 2018. This means that marketers must tap into this with landing pages and campaigns optimized for voice. Many searches are localized, something else health marketers must adapt to.
Virtual reality is becoming more widespread in healthcare and finding a niche in helping patients cope with pain or providing virtual tours of healthcare facilities.
Personalized mobile apps are already in use for women who want to manage their menstrual cycles and fertility. There are also dieting apps and exercise monitoring programs.
3-D Printing Technology
3-D printing technology converts three-dimensional digital models into physical goods. This allows for standardization. By 2026, the 3-D printing business will sit at $37.2 billion, according to one prediction.
The gains of 3-D printing far outweigh the relatively minimal costs. The future of this form of technology is that it could replace expensive equipment and large production areas with a more streamlined production process. High-quality outputs will impress customers. The end product will cost less, be manufactured more quickly, and increase sales and income. 3-D printing technology is probably one of the easiest ways for a business to become a strategic futurist.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality makes you believe you are in an alternate reality while remaining in the physical world. It does this by providing visuals, sound, etc. There are several ways you can use this in your business. Employees have been trained using virtual reality on emergency exit procedures and to cope with life-threatening events. This training teaches employees how to handle themselves in risky situations without being in real danger. 3-D virtual reality has been utilized to let staff learn how to construct products without wasting materials. Another use is for team communication in a digital space, which is a fun way to improve collaboration.
With augmented reality, there is no sense of being removed from reality as in virtual reality. A person can see how clothing fits without actually getting dressed. Furniture can be moved around a room to see where best to place it.
In business, augmented reality can show workers in the field what to do with a complex problem by overlaying a design on top of the part they are fixing. It is useful for manipulating large-scale projects or inspecting buildings. It can be used to share 3D models with team members during an online meeting.
With a bit of imagination, any business can consider the potential of futuristic technologies to take their company into the future and become a leader instead of a follower.
