As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies continue to develop at incredible rates, it is little surprise that the field is constantly changing and evolving.
Both aspiring AI professionals and established experts need to keep tabs on new trends, opportunities, and challenges. Being well informed is the best way to ensure they can adapt their processes – and by extension, those of their organisations – to be as competitive as possible.
Now, as we enter 2022, we want to go over some of the trends that could have a big impact on the upcoming year, including how they may benefit AI specialists.
1. Increased workforce augmentation
Automation is already a regular feature of most businesses – but 2022 could find us increasingly making use of technology to enhance our own capabilities and overall efficiency.
With companies across all industries and sectors continuously gathering more big data for business insights, AI can empower teams to leverage this information more effectively by helping sort and analyse these datasets.
As more companies start using AI to interpret data, the demand for professionals who can manage or work with such technology will only increase as well. Individuals who upskill and adapt to these changes in the workforce could find themselves able to seek more opportunities and progression paths.
2. AI and the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to all the physical devices around the world – from laptops to smart light bulbs – that can connect with and exchange data over the internet.
The study of combining AI with the IOT is called the Artificial Internet of Things (AIoT). AIoT explores how AI can help IoT devices use the data they gather to develop insights and make more informed decisions.
Virtual assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are current tools that showcase the possibility of AIoT, but 2022 could see this go even further – enabling devices to interact and perform with little to no human involvement.
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3. Upgrades to cybersecurity
The COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened the pace at which businesses are transforming their processes to exist online and digitally.
One result of this, however, is that cybercrime is a more prevalent issue than ever. Damages related to cybercrime are projected to hit $6 trillion annually – so we can expect to see businesses invest further in cybersecurity defence measures in the coming year.
AI can help analyse network traffic and learn to recognise vulnerabilities or patterns in the lead-up to cybersecurity attacks or breaches. Cybersecurity experts can also utilise machine learning to create better anti-virus systems that can help detect such threats as well.
4. Low-code and no-code AI
Much like drag-and-drop builders for creating websites has made web design more accessible for people, we can expect no-code and now-code technologies to play a larger role in sharing AI with a wider audience.
This movement, known as the democratisation of AI, will make it easier for more people to enter the field and access the accuracy and efficiency of AI systems.
The growth of low-code and no-code technologies can benefit subject experts as well, by significantly reducing AI development time.
5. A new era for language modelling
Language modelling is a process that allows machines to communicate with humans in a language we can understand.
With recent strides made in the field, most significantly the release of language model applications GPT-3 and Gopher, we are getting closer to machines being able to create and hold conversations that are completely seamless.
In the future, language modelling could change how we communicate with machines as well – turning natural human languages into computer code that can execute and run applications.
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