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Top 5 tech trends for 2022
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Tom Merritt lists five technology trends to watch in 2022, which include CBDCs and battery tech.
2022 is coming, and the technology world is not sitting still. As I cover tech news daily for Daily Tech News Show, I get a front row seat as trends arrive, accelerate and disappear.
Listen to this podcast on Soundcloud
Here’s my take on the top five tech trends to look for in 2022.
1. Central bank digital currencies or CBDCs. You have seen coverage of this about limited experiments in China or small countries implementing them. I mean actual government digital currencies like the Bahamas not adopting bitcoin like El Salavador. This year, more major governments will get in the game of creating a government-issued digital currency in an attempt to stave off perceived threats of the cryptocurrency wave.
2. Battery tech. I’m not going to predict a big battery tech breakthrough – that is 5-10 years away. But solar and wind are going to keep getting better and more innovative and that’s going to shine a bright light on what we can do with existing battery tech. Imagine what you’ve seen happen to smartphone batteries happening to industrialized power storage.
3. The chip shortage. Sadly, I do not think it will end this year, but by the end of 2022 we will see the light at the end of the tunnel, or shipping lane, or whatever logistical metaphor you fancy. In fact, get ready for stories around managing capacity, as fabs catch up, and all those new plants being built need to be justified.
4. Metaverse. You will hear the word metaverse a lot. Still, just like now, it will largely be meaningless. There will be no actual metaverse in 2022, though several companies will claim they have done it. Web3 is real – metaverse is not… yet.
5. AI backlash. I’m going to guess the backlash against AI will swell. There has been a growing concern over bias in machine learning algorithms, which will continue to grow into mainstream consciousness. That, fed by somewhat unfounded fears of the effects of AI, will lead to boycotts, and calls for more regulation. Expect what’s happened to data privacy to start shifting to AI.
Sorry, I know all of that wasn’t sunny, but they are the trends I see before me. Check back next year to see just how right or wrong I was.
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Top 5 tech trends for 2022
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