Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, wearables and "connected" cars: Welcome to the world of technology in 2017. CTVNews.ca explains what trends to watch for in the coming year, and how they will reshape the way we live, work and play.
Artificial intelligence
One broad field that will impact all areas of technology 鈥� and our lives 鈥� is artificial intelligence, says Amy Webb, founder and CEO of Future Today Institute.
鈥淲e鈥檙e standing on the precipice of an entirely new kind of technology that鈥檚 actually been around for a while,鈥� Webb told CTV News Channel. 鈥淪o it feels like AI is suddenly brand new when in effect, it鈥檚 something we鈥檝e been thinking about for 200 years.鈥�
Webb says people should look at AI not as a single new technology but as 鈥渘ew layer of infrastructure鈥� that will be integrated into all aspects of our lives, 鈥渨hether you鈥檙e a schoolteacher or a librarian or a taxi driver or a surgeon.鈥�
Webb explains that AI is a branch of computer science in which computers are programmed to do all things humans are capable of doing. In a way, artificial intelligence already touches many aspects of our , such as when your television suggests a show you might like, or online shopping websites tailor a product menu based on your personalized data.
AI won鈥檛 鈥渄ebut鈥� in a dramatic way, says Webb, but it will underlie a lot of our daily tasks, 鈥渟o you鈥檒l go to a doctor鈥檚 appointment and the doctor will be assisted by artificial intelligence, you鈥檒l get into a car and without realizing it, you yourself, as you drive around Toronto or Ottawa, will be assisted by artificially intelligent software tools and programs.鈥�
Webb said it鈥檚 not as though the world will 鈥渨ake on January. 1, 2017 and suddenly the world will look different. Instead we鈥檒l start to see this rapid ascension over the next 12 months, where AI becomes more part and parcel with our daily lives.鈥�
Virtual and augmented reality
Next year will be big for virtual reality and augmented reality, says CTV technology analyst Carmi Levy. Once out of reach for most consumers, virtual reality has received a makeover, with big-name companies such as Samsung, Google and Sony developing more affordable, consumer-ready that can be integrated into work life and personal time.
鈥淐onsumers are finally starting to get hardware in their hands,鈥� says Levy, adding that manufacturers are 鈥渉oping that once consumers get that taste, that they鈥檒l want more.鈥�
Levy says we鈥檙e likely see in 2017 whether the public embraces virtual reality technology like they have with smartphones. But, Levy said he wouldn鈥檛 be surprised to see more industry use in 2017, namely government, military and education institutions experimenting with virtual reality.
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The first breakout use for virtual reality will be games, Levy suggests, as that industry often pushes 鈥渢he boundaries of an existing technology and then other uses follow suit.鈥�
Popular Nintendo gaming app Pokemon Go, for instance, has done wonders for virtual reality鈥檚 鈥渃lose cousin鈥� -- augmented reality, and sent developers racing back to the lab to create create even more games intended to piggyback off the success of Pokemon Go.
Wearables
Like virtual reality, the technology for wearables has had to 鈥渕ature to the point that it is affordable and usable day-to-day,鈥� Levy said. 鈥淎nd so, early versions of wearables were expensive and not very easy to use and quite frankly they caused more problems than they solved.鈥�
Today, the technology is smaller and the battery life has improved, 鈥渟o it integrates into the things that you wear so like a hat, jacket, your shoes, your glasses,鈥� Levy said.
Big in 2017, says Levy, will be clothing with 鈥渟ensors embedded in them.
鈥淔or example, a smart shirt that tracks our pulse and temperature and helps us achieve greater levels of fitness,鈥� Levy said.
Companies such as Nike and Lenovo have either already unveiled or launched their versions of 鈥渟mart鈥� shoes with embedded sensors that can collect fitness data such as heart rate and calories burned.
鈥淭hose wearables, in many cases, don鈥檛 even need displays of their own, because they communicate wirelessly via Bluetooth to your smartphone and everything feeds into the health app on your phone,鈥� Levy said.
In March, Italian shoe company Vibram announced its smart shoe prototype, which is able to convert energy from walking or running to charge a wireless device such as a smartphone.
Wearables in 2017 will also hit that 鈥渕agic鈥� price point, Levy said, where consumers will be able to justify the purchase.
鈥淥nce that shirt is no longer $500, but it鈥檚 maybe $100, it鈥檚 at the price point that the average consumer would consider buying one to try it out.鈥�
Drones
According to Future Today Institute鈥檚 鈥淭ech Trends for 2017鈥� report, drone delivery will begin to make its entrance into the commercial world. In November, the world鈥檚 first pizza drone delivery happened in New Zealand. Fast food giant Domino鈥檚 said it used an unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver two pizzas to a customer鈥檚 doorstep.
The report noted that, toward the end of 2016, U.S.-based Zipline brought its drone delivery system to Rwanda, where it delivered blood supplies. UPS, Amazon and DHL have also all started testing their own drone fleets.
Microdrones, are another tool that Future Today Institute suggests will likely be built and tested 鈥渇or widespread use鈥� in 2017. Microdrones would 鈥渘avigate through tiny spaces to investigate collapsed buildings or areas with hazardous materials. They could also serve as an important 鈥渞econnaissance鈥� tool for military purposes.
Autos: connected, electric and autonomous
Large tech companies such as Apple and Google are diving into the car technology market, says Levy, and there will be noticeable changes to the auto industry in 2017 as a result.
鈥淔or companies like Apple and Google, there are only so many smartphones that they can sell 鈥� so if the smartphone market isn鈥檛 growing, we鈥檝e got to find other markets to drive future growth,鈥� Levy said. 鈥淎nd the more autonomous you can make a car, the more technology you can stuff in there, the more opportunities you have as a manufacturer to generate revenue off of them.鈥�
The Future Today report stated that 鈥渨e are in transition 鈥� the last years of human driving,鈥� as technology being introduced now will allow
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to see an accelerated shift from internal combustion engines to alternative fuel vehicles,鈥� Levy said, noting the Chevy Bolt 鈥� the first mass market electric car with range of over 300 kilometres in one charge 鈥� was unveiled this year. In 2017, the Bolt will go head-to-head on the market with the Tesla Model 3, an electric car model that is more affordable than Tesla鈥檚 previous vehicles.
Said Levy: 鈥淭esla has essentially had the market to itself for years, but Tesla only sells at the upper end of the market.
For now, most of its cars are well into the six-figures. And so Chevy鈥檚 offering is really the first mainstream alternative that the average consumer may consider buying.鈥�
He added that it will 鈥渂e interesting to see if the consumers begin to bite.鈥�
