Technology and trends in 2021

If there is one good thing that’s come out of 2020, it’s the public shift towards greater acceptance of new technologies. But more than that, it has forced companies to integrate more innovation and develop more technologically advanced features into their businesses.

As 2020 draws to a close, let’s look ahead to 2021 and which technologies are set to be going strong next year.

The rise of the robots

Artificial intelligence is one of those technologies that always seemed too futuristic to be true, but that has snuck up on us without us really noticing. The average person probably interacts with AI at least once a day. Our smartphones come with integrated AI assistants that tell us the weather, carry out searches, and even do simple tasks for us. Our televisions, speakers, and even lights and heating are all connected by AI and can be controlled with a simple voice command. Even when we contact companies on social media or their websites, we can end up chatting to a ‘robot’ without even realizing it.

But artificial intelligence has also been integrated into many internal business processes such as human resources, accounting, management, and even training and ongoing development. In fields such as healthcare, it is being used to funnel patients to the correct healthcare professional and to test drugs and new treatments behind the scenes.

In finance, it has been wholly embraced due to the way it removes issues such as human error and emotion-based decision making. For example, in foreign exchange trading, robot trading has been developed and is enjoying increasing popularity. In this helpful guide to forex robots, you can see the way that some sites have integrated it into their features. Based on parameters and criteria set by the trader, it executes buying, selling, and holding actions around the clock and eliminates the need for human interaction. This allows trading to continue without the trader having to be present and shows the trust in, and ability of, AI technology.

Cloud-based everything

In the not so distant past, a cloud was something that floated around in the sky, drifting aimlessly with the wind. But in 2020, the cloud is a powerful type of technology that is slowly taking over most industries and processes. We store most of our files on the cloud- photos, videos, contacts, and emails are all stored virtually in a way that means we can access them at any moment, whenever we want. But the power of the cloud goes far beyond mobile phones and computers.

Cloud technology is being rolled out across multiple sectors. Business is one of the obvious choices- customer files, employee files, databases, information, data, and even CMS systems are now widely stored on the cloud, eliminating the need for on-site servers and significantly increasing security and data protection. It is also being used in healthcare, as storing patient files on the cloud not only makes them more secure but means they can be accessed by authorized users from multiple locations, as and when required.

In education, cloud technology is being used to upload and store curricula and course information, making it more accessible to students. Those enrolled in the educational institute can then log in with their personal details and access information, tests, books, and even multimedia in real-time.

Last, but not least, one of the most widely used functions of the cloud is streaming. Music, video, movies, documentaries, and podcasts are all stored on cloud-based streaming sites and are available to watch or listen to on an on-demand basis or via subscription. Even gaming companies like Amazon, Sony, Google, and Microsoft are offering cloud gaming.

These are just a couple of the big trends we can expect to see continue growing as we move into 2021. AI, the cloud, and related technologies such as VR, machine learning, and blockchain are set to continue changing the way we do things, even without us realizing it.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes