2019 has seen a wave of ambitious tech trends that helped businesses connect with their target market in ways that were once deemed impossible. Cases in point: augmented reality in video games, like Niantic's Pokémon GO, and artificial intelligence in smart visual assistants, like Amazon's Alexa.
In 2020, we don't see these trends going anywhere. In fact, these technology trends can only evolve on a more innovative and strategic level. Check out these fresh tech trends that we think will bring the most impact for businesses in 2020:
Greenwashing No More
This 2019, we have seen companies jump on the green innovation bandwagon, offering products and services that are seemingly environmentally friendly. In 2020, companies will go beyond greenwashing and actually drive real changes to save the environment.
Expect major key players across all industries to join in the cause of measuring consumption, reducing demand, and reducing carbon footprints. In Europe, businesses are expected to source 100 percent of renewable energy.
5G Network to Reach Wider Coverage
The next generation of cellular network technology promises higher speeds and lower latency. According to Qualcomm, 5G can run between 10 and 100 times faster than today's 4G connections. This means that if you try to download 4K episodes of an entire series, you can do it in a minute.
Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, among other companies, have already jumped on the 5G bandwagon. You can also now buy 5G-enabled phones from major vendors, such as Huawei, Motorola, LG, and Samsung. But coverage is still limited. In 2020, we can expect major telecom carriers to offer wider coverage and introduce 5G-capable devices that let users experience faster-than-Wi-Fi connection.
SEE ALSO: Do You Need a 5G Phone Upgrade? Or Do You Have to Wait?
More Driverless Cars on the Road
Albeit being an epic fail, the highly anticipated debut of Tesla's Cybertruck introduced a new wave of self-driving car fanatics around the world. With Tesla, Volvo, and other car companies venturing on autonomous cars this year, we can expect to see the products of this technology to go on the road in 2020. In other news, we can also expect authorities, legislators, and regulators to bring about laws that modulate the use of self-driving cars in cities.
Artificial Intelligence to Go More Intelligent
AI technology has been here for years, but users are only getting familiar with this tech, thanks to Amazon's Alexa-enabled gadgets and voice search-enabled engines and devices, among others. Because this technology is only getting started, we can expect to see this evolve in a more innovative level next year.
Deepfakers to Dig Deeper
As the U.S. 2020 elections draw closer, there is a looming cybersecurity threat that could affect not just the elections but also the global economy and politics: AI-backed deepfake technology. According to CNBC, deepfakes are digitally altered images and videos that could be used to "cause confusion and propagate disinformation."
In a blog post posted by Forrester Principal Analyst Jeff Pollard, he wrote that costs related to deepfake scams will exceed $250 million in 2020. Because there's a large profit involved, we can expect more scammers to dig deeper into this technology to prey on more victims.
