Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 0 seconds

Watch for These Developments This Year Featured

Watch for These Developments This Year person holding clear glass glass

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, artificial intelligence (AI) was already growing at a fast rate. For instance, IDC predicted in 2019 that the spending on AI technologies would grow three-fold by 2023. With the coronavirus pandemic, the potential of this technology in healthcare and other industries has become apparent. In just about six months of 2020, a rapid digital transformation saw companies shifting and adopting different digital technologies, including AI, in a short time. Even after the pandemic, this is not likely to stop, mainly because AI has proven to reduce the cost of operations and accelerate service delivery.

Below are some top trends you should watch in AI this year.

  • Demand for AI talent will continue to be high

As AI continues gaining fame, talent will be required to accelerate adoption. This will specifically be the case going into 2021.  Businesses will continue realizing the importance of AI and how the right talent will help them succeed in their operations. Like the way Chief Data Officers (CDOs) have worked to ensure data is accessible to users, including non-technical ones, AI professionals will help democratize artificial intelligence. These professionals will work to ensure that AI is usable by different types of users. The democratization of AI has already started, with the primary aim being to contextualize, manage change and establish proper AI governance. This is expected to move a notch higher this year.

  • There will be a competition for AI-enabled chips

Artificial intelligence is coming with new demands of more processing power than ever as AI systems tend to involve a lot of data processing. With such a growth in processing demand, there will be a heightened need for access to more powerful hardware. Going into 2021, AI-enabled chips and supply chains is set to be one of the trends in 2021. This hardware will increase efficiency and enable effective and widespread automation. Already, the leading chipmakers such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Intel are rapidly developing AI-enabled chips in anticipation of future trends.

  • Augmented processes will emerge

Artificial intelligence and data are crucial to modern organizations in gaining a competitive advantage. These two will be part of a bigger strategy for innovation and automation in 2021. Companies will seek to use AI and big data to build scalable, lean and timely data from heterogeneous sources that support innovation. Businesses will be going a step further with process augmentation. This approach will improve collaboration and enhance collective intelligence.

  • Growth in AI applications

With all the talk about the use of AI becoming louder across the world today, it is my guess that 2021 will be a big year for AI applications. From retail to supply chain, you should expect a rise in the use of AI to gather insight, enhance the efficiency of operations and save cost in a digital landscape. AI will continue entering organizations through applications such as chatbots and other software platforms meant to streamline processes. Expect more interaction with AI in your mobile devices and computers as you perform your operations, such as online shopping.

  • AI ethics and standards will be a leading focus

Although artificial intelligence has proven to be helpful already, there is a concern about its use. In 2021, there will be a rise in attempts to ensure organizations leverage AI against major global challenges while ensuring it meets the ethical thresholds, inclusion, and diversity. AI must also stimulate innovation and economic growth. Fairness and transparency will become the two key areas of focus as artificial intelligence become crucial for different industries. There will be ethical concerns about deepfakes, algorithmic bias, data protection, and acceptance use, that are likely to be areas of concern in 2021.

Read 2376 times
Rate this item
(0 votes)
Scott Koegler

Scott Koegler is Executive Editor for PMG360. He is a technology writer and editor with 20+ years experience delivering high value content to readers and publishers. 

Find his portfolio here and his personal bio here

scottkoegler.me/

Visit other PMG Sites:

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.