2024 was the year that OpenAI and Microsoft released services for companies related to generative AI, and technologies such as generative AI attracted a lot of attention. I’m sure many companies have gathered information on how it can be used in actual work.
Gartner Japan has announced the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2024. Our technical advisor (Masaki Kobayashi) has picked out the top 5 trends to watch, and we would like to introduce them to you.
In addition to the items announced by Gartner Japan, we have also selected three noteworthy technologies. In this article, we will provide an overview of these and explain the background behind their attention.
<Table of contents>
Top 5 Technology Trends for 2024 –
Machines, Customers
, development
, Platform Engineering
, Democratized Generative AI
, Intelligent Applications
top 3 technologies to watch in 2024
:Â Apple Vision Pro
, Wi-Fi 7
, Perovskite solar cells
summary
5 technology trends for 2024
Gartner Japan, an IT consulting firm, has announced the top 10 strategic technology trends. We have selected the top 5 technologies that are of particular interest to our technical advisors from the released eBooks. I would like to introduce each of Kobayashi’s comments.
machine customer
By 2028, machine customers will render 20% of human-readable digital storefronts obsolete
-By the end of 2028, 20% of human-readable digital stores will be obsolete and replaced by machine customers
For the first time in human history, companies will be able to create their own customers, as Gartner shockingly explains: Sales focused on machines, not humans, will become a reality. It is a shocking theme in the sense that it breaks down the stereotype that it is naturally humans who pay the price, and it also has a great impact in the sense that it suggests that business may fundamentally change.
AI augmented development
By 2028, 75% of enterprise software engineers will use AI coding assistants, up from less than 10% in early 2023.
-By the end of 2028, 75% of enterprise software engineers will use AI coding assistants, up from less than 10% in early 2023.
Writing code is the core of modern software engineers’ work, and it is considered the most important skill for engineers. But in fact, this has been gradually changing in recent years.
There is no doubt that we need engineers with a deep understanding of source code, but as computers become more sophisticated and performant, even if they are not very good at source code, they can interact with people and conceptualize work. , the value of engineers who are better at organizing complex tasks is increasing relatively.
AI will be a factor that will greatly accelerate this trend. Going from less than 10% to 75% represents a paradigm shift, with the minority becoming the majority. I don’t think software engineers will disappear, but we need to be aware that the skills required will change significantly.
platform engineering
By 2026, 80% of software engineering organizations will establish platform teams as internal providers of reusable services, components, and tools for application delivery.
-By the end of 2026, 80% of software engineering organizations will establish platform teams as internal providers of reusable services, components, and tools for application delivery.
The scale of software development continues to expand over time. Twenty years ago, servers had a few hundred megabytes of memory; today they have at least 100 times that amount. However, the amount of source code that a single software engineer writes by hand has not changed much.
Browsers have vastly increased their capabilities, server environments have vastly expanded the capabilities they offer, and open-source adoption has expanded. We are not just developing products, but are also involved not only in individual development teams but also in creating safe and efficient environments, how to select and handling open source software to be installed in them, operations and updates after release, continuous development, security inspections, etc. Platform engineering, which is carried out across development teams, will continue to grow in importance.
Platform engineering is a new engineering method aimed at improving developer productivity. Automatically manages infrastructure and reduces the cognitive load on developers. Engineers can expect to improve their work efficiency and productivity.
Democratized generative AI
By 2026, more than 80% of enterprises will have used generative AI APIs, models and/or deployed generative AI-enabled applications in production environments, an increase from fewer than 5% today.
-By the end of 2026, more than 80% of enterprises will have generative AI APIs, modeled, and deployed generative AI-enabled applications in production, up from less than 5% today.
The appearance of ChatGPT was shocking. Until then, most people believed that natural language AI, especially generative models, was a field that was difficult to monetize, but in the past year or so, recognition has spread that this is something that will change the world. However, it seems that many people who tried ChatGPT and were shocked by it, ended up not using it much after a while.
Generative AI is difficult to use. Efforts to make this useful in actual work environments may progress rapidly over the next three years or so. At that time, many people may not think of it as generative AI, and it may become useful before they know it.
number of companies in Japan that have already introduced and utilized generative AI is increasing. In recent years, generation AI has been introduced regardless of industry, and even areas such as more creative content production are being automated. It will become indispensable for business growth, improving operational efficiency, productivity, and cost reduction.
intelligent application
By 2026, 30% of new apps will use AI to drive personalized adaptive user interfaces, up from under 5% today.
-By the end of 2026, 30% of new apps will use AI to drive personalized and adaptive UI, up from less than 5% today.
In addition to traditional keyboards and mice, PCs and smartphones are now equipped with many cameras and sensors. Although apps are becoming more complex, the environment and skills of users are not constant. We must also deal with scams that exploit these gaps.
In such situations, incorporating AI into apps becomes a certain solution. App developers also need to think about how to create new UIs based on AI.
Gartner Japan describes intelligence as a basic function of apps, and says it brings about a wide range of uses and automation. Application developers also need to consider the expansion of the scope of use.
3 notable technologies in 2024
Next, we will explain the technologies to watch in 2024, selected by tech firm technical advisors.
Apple Vision Pro
In 2024, the highly anticipated Apple Vision Pro will finally be released. Apple Vision Pro is an MR headset device provided by Apple.
Many XR devices have created new markets in the past, but Vision Pro’s capabilities have the potential to completely change the impression we have of the virtual world.
There is still a lot of room for improvement in device size and price. It is unlikely that it will become something that the majority of people use on a daily basis right away in 2024. However, this is not just a new device; it has the potential to create a paradigm shift.
Here, we will explain this possibility based on two axes: device consolidation and cloud computing.
Equipment consolidation
Until now, many people have used different information electronic devices such as PCs, smartphones, and tablets. Many people probably have multiple of them for different purposes.
However, once XR devices become widespread in society, there may be no point or need to own these devices separately. In a virtual space, you can use any number of these devices, and there is no need to worry about theft or battery life of each device. In fact, it no longer needs to be in the form of a PC or smartphone.
Have you ever imagined a society where everyone wears a Vision Pro on their head? That may not necessarily be the case. It is also possible that simpler devices or services that use external display devices will emerge that can be used in place of Vision Pro.
It is easy to imagine that the user experience of owning and using information devices will change dramatically.
Accelerating cloud migration
Even now, the functions provided by PCs and smartphones are increasingly being moved to the cloud.
If these devices enter the virtual space, their functionality will be provided in the cloud. Information devices on the cloud always maintain the state desired by the user. There is no need to turn off the power or reconnect wires.
It may not be just electronic devices. Machine operations and interactions can be connected to remote locations through low-latency, high-speed networks. Various collaborative tasks, on-site inspections, driving operations, and guidance can not only be used remotely through the cloud, but also make it easier to understand the status and results.
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7 products are being released one after another. Many access points, PCs, and smartphones are now compatible with Wi-Fi 7. Here, we will introduce two points about the user experience that will change with Wi-Fi 7.
6GHz band
This was already introduced in its predecessor, Wi-Fi 6E, but now it can now use the 6GHz frequency band in addition to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies previously used for Wi-Fi. It may not seem like a big deal when you hear just that, but the frequency band allocated to 6GHz is vast, more than twice as wide as 5GHz and about 20 times as wide as 2.4GHz. This allows for high-speed communication by making full use of radio waves that are not yet widely used.
MLO (Multi-Link Operation)
Until now, Wi-Fi users have been required to make conscious choices, such as assigning separate SSIDs to 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Wi-Fi 7 will unify these, allowing you to select channels appropriately depending on the radio wave conditions and use multiple channels for high-speed transmission and reception. In the future, even if technologies that do not use Wi-Fi as the actual transmission path (such as Li-Fi) emerge, a comfortable user experience will be provided.
perovskite solar cells
Perovskite solar cells are solar cells invented in Japan in 2009 that directly convert sunlight energy into electricity. As society focuses on the use of renewable energy, it seems that perovskite solar cells (PSCs) will finally be mass-produced and widely available on the market.
Compared to silicon-based solar cells, which have been the mainstream until now, PSCs have the characteristics of being thinner and lighter and can be mass-produced at a lower cost, but they can convert light into electricity with the same efficiency as silicon-based solar cells. Masu. In terms of color, there is more flexibility than before, such as orange and red, and it can also be made transparent.
We may soon see a society in which PSCs are installed one after another in things that until now were thought to be completely impossible due to shape, weight, and design constraints.
The number of products that can be digitized with a small amount of electricity will increase dramatically. The ideas are endless: clothes, wallets, bags, shoes, tableware, chopsticks, accessories, stationery, posters, windows, wallpaper, shampoo, rubbing alcohol, masks, etc.
summary
We explained the technologies that tech firm technical advisors are focusing on and the background behind their attention. These technologies can be used to grow your business. In particular, generative AI will continue to attract attention in 2024, as it did last year. Why not consider how these technologies can be used for your company?
