Tech Trends for 2018
When I was growing up, I don’t think anybody could have predicted the technological breakthroughs that have revolutionized the way we live our lives. Nobody had a crystal ball. (When I was a kid, I know I wasn’t dreaming about having my own SEO company!) And, while Amazon Echo and Google Home can now answer countless questions, tell you jokes and keep track of your calendar, they still can’t help us predict the future.
But that doesn’t stop folks from starting the New Year off with a host of predictions – ranging from who will win the Super Bowl to who will win the Nobel Peace Prize. And, of course, there are always lots of predictions when it comes to the tech world. I wouldn’t dream of betting against the Patriots, but I’m not so sure about what possibilities technology will make possible in the coming months.
There are lots of other people willing to take an educated guess and it’s always fun to think about the bright shiny ideas they dangle in front of us, so let’s take a look at some of the predicted trends in technology for 2018:
Jayson DeMers, a Forbes contributor and online marketing pro, put AI permeation at the top of his list. “Artificial intelligence (AI), largely manifesting through machine learning algorithms, isn’t just getting better. It isn’t just getting more funding. It’s being incorporated into a more diverse range of applications,” he said. “Rather than focusing on one goal, like mastering a game or communicating with humans, AI is starting to make an appearance in almost every new platform, app, or device, and that trend is only going to accelerate in 2018. We’re not at techno-pocalypse levels (and AI may never be sophisticated enough for us to reach that point), but by the end of 2018, AI will become even more of a mainstay in all forms of technology.”
Brian X. Chen, who writes about tech for the New York Times, seems to agree. The automated technologies on display at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, one of the world’s largest tech conventions, reflect a major trend, he said. “Increasingly, the innovations that are making their way into your personal technology aren’t physical electronics or gadgets at all,” he says. “The real star is artificial intelligence, the culmination of software, algorithms and sensors working together to make your everyday appliances smarter and more automated. It is A.I. that is telling the door to unlock when the camera recognizes you, or sending an alert to your phone when sensors detect a person.”
Heather Kelly at CNN Tech thinks augmented reality might finally become mainstream now that our smartphones are getting in on the act. Jay Samit, writing for Fortune, thinks that’s in the cards, too.
Kelly is also expecting us to see changes to the monthly rates we pay for our increasingly essential internet connections. “The recent repeal of FCC’s net neutrality rules have opened the doors for internet service providers to experiment with different pricing structures,” she says. “In theory you could be charged more for a Netflix and Amazon Prime Video tier, or social media networks could be an additional monthly fee. Any changes are likely to start small, as companies test the reactions of customers and see if they flee to competitors (where there are any).”
It will be interesting to see if these folks are right and what impact this year’s trends will have on affordable SEO. Whatever changes we see to SEO, from Boca Raton, where we have our offices, we’ll be staying on top of it.
