Undoubtedly, 2023 has been a year of remarkable change and transition, influencing both personal and professional lives in unexpected ways. Notable developments from this year include the meteoric rise, and fall of decentralised finance (DeFi), the evolution of meta, entering the AI chatbot race, the indigenous interconnections climate, tech & innovation, and the continued reshaping of the future of work after COVID-19, as well as reinventing education in a post-pandemic world. These trends have kept us on our toes, sparking curiosity and anticipation for what lies ahead in 2024.
As we approach the end of this year, taking a well-deserved break is on everyone's mind. However, we are also eagerly looking forward to 2024, as it promises to bring new and exciting (emerging tech) trends that will shape the future. We've turned to the brilliant minds of our TFL advisors, and here's what they have to say:
"What will be the one big thing to keep your eye on in 2024 in your area of (emerging tech) expertise?"
The convergence of Quantum computing and AI, as only when these two technologies converge will we begin to really understand the potential of what future technologies will bring. I am also slightly terrified by the prospect of the US elections in a generative AI world, as the adoption of digital avatars and deep fakes are so believable, 2024 will be the test bed for elections of the future. We will need to watch on and learn fast. - Frances Valintine, Founder & CEO, academyEX
Redefining Innovation: Community-Led Low-Tech Unicorns 🚀💥 🦄. - Felix Scholz, academyEX Advisor, founder of Stokeventures
Digital therapeutics: Think myHealth plus- Healthcare advice accessible via your smartphone that acts as supplement to what your healthcare provider has prescribed. This may be in the form of additional information for medications you have been prescribed, lifestyle advice for a specific condition… Not groundbreaking tech but a promising next step toward increasing access to healthcare (advice) and increasing awareness of the breadth of options open to us to support physical and mental health.- Sylvia Hach, academyEX Advisor, founder of Powerx2
Visual Computing is now ‘a thing’ thanks to Apple and the Vision Pro. With the advent of ever more advanced Mixed Reality headsets, connected to cloud computing, AI and Internet of Things - the way we use computers is changing. Mostly this is a good thing, but the worry is that we lose even more control of our data as a consequence.
- Roy C. Davies, academyEX Advisor, Senior Technician, Smart Digital Lab, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland, and Founder, Imersia
No one expected our health data to be so readily trackable with smartphones and wearables just like no one expected ChatGPT to hit this year. Combining the power of the two - there are going to be major shifts in the way people manage their own health in coming years.
- Dr Amy Chan, academyEX advisor, University of Auckland senior clinical research fellow, DIGIPREDICT team lead, NZ representative for Open Digital Health
The role of IoT data in training new real-time response AI models.- Kriv Naicker, academyEX advisor, Managing Director, Synaptec NZ
Individual, organisational and national public relations campaigns continue to play out on an international scale, however, the ability to control one narrative is diminished and as a result the evolution of media and how we consume, interpret and document history will continue to shift dramatically.- Megan Rorich, TFL Advisor
I expect AI will continue to create anxiety in the creative industries sector, particularly in design where parameters are more defined. It’s a bit like how portraiture artists in the 19th century must have felt with the advent of the camera, when what followed was a myriad of new expressive forms in painting (impressionism, expressionism, surrealism, cubism, minimalism etc). I think we are about to witness a new epoch of human expression we can’t yet imagine.
- Kingsley Spargo Melhuish, academyEX advisor, Cofounder Kim Meredith Gallery, sound artist
I’m an optimist but from a security, privacy and online harm perspective AI will make creating deep fakes and cyber and privacy breaches easier to create and execute including by automating campaigns. Mis /disinformation will be further amplified so check your sources (remember AI can hallucinate). It’s more important than ever to consider your digital footprint and protect yourself, your family and your business by practising good data privacy and cyber security.
- Paula Gair, academyEX advisor, Founder of Deriskme.com
AGI aka Artificial General Intelligence. Maybe hype? But it may also emerge in 2024… keep an eye out for conversations, conferences, and collaborations that refer to roadmaps on how AGI is being developed over the next 12-24 months. Before this becomes reality, expect to see those embracing AI (especially multi-modal AI Agents, Swarms and Assistants), ML and Datafication to benefit most in terms of opportunity, funding and attention.”
- Huw Jones, academyEX Industry Advisor and Pou Āwhina, Founder, Futurist, Flow Practitioner, Step Into Liquid
AI. AI will continue to revolutionise education, enabling more engaging, effective, and efficient learning experiences for students and educators alike. - Hayley Sparks, academyEX Advisor and Academic Director
For me, it’s about how we remember to be deeply human amidst the exponential pace of technological change. I'm incredibly fascinated yet somewhat terrified by the potential of Generative AI and AGI over the coming years. However, I endeavour to remain optimistic and I’m personally curious about the intersection of Design Thinking, Systems Thinking & Futures Thinking to reimagine better futures, and to co-create more positive impact for people, and our planet.- Jade Tang-Taylor, Innovation Director & Advisor, academyEX. Social Innovation Consultant & Associate, Innovation Unit & Toi Aria. Co-Founder of Speculative Design Futures Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
As we enter 2024, the world of technology and its influence on our lives will only continue to expand. These trends are set to shape our future, offering both opportunities and challenges that we, along with our dedicated community of learners and experts, are eager to explore and navigate. Stay tuned for another exciting year of change, progress, and creating impactful futures with academyEX.
Interested in learning more about the big trends with us in 2024?
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