AI and VR to be all-pervasive in 2017: Intel

In 2016, people have witnessed the digital and physical worlds continuing to merge as everyday objects, commercial and industrial equipment, and entire cities become smart and connected to the cloud. And people’s relationship with technology – how it is used, the experiences it enables and what benefits people derive from it – are beginning to shift dramatically.

Not since the transition from analog to digital has there been the potential for transformation of this magnitude: Networks are evolving faster than ever before to accommodate the intense bandwidth demands created by the ever-growing number of always-on, connected devices to access, analyze and share data in real time.

Intel, which has been working with policymakers, the industry and industrial leaders to focus on four key areas of technologies that it feels will help spur innovation and enable more rapid transformation: artificial intelligence, 5G networks, automated driving and virtual reality/merged reality, sees a significant advancements in these four segments of technology.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already all around us, from the commonplace (talk-to-text, photo tagging and fraud detection) to the cutting-edge (precision medicine, injury prediction and autonomous cars). AI will enable machines to augment human capabilities further, automate tedious or dangerous tasks, unleash scientific discovery, and address challenging societal problems.

In 2017, technology will become more cost-effective and pervasive, new applications will emerge across a wide range of industries, creating efficiencies for businesses and consumers. The technology supporting some nascent AI applications, such as natural language processing and bots will greatly improve, paving the way for more widespread adoption of AI.

Machine and deep learning will become more acutely integrated into IoT connected devices, which will uncover access to a deeper layer of insights.

Intel will introduce three Intel Nervana platform products built for speed and ease of use, enabling more data professionals to solve the world’s biggest challenges on industry standard technology.

Virtual Reality/Merged Reality

Virtual technologies hold tremendous potential for the future, but industries have only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible. Where today’s experiences rely on engagement with a screen, tomorrow’s will completely immerse users though sight, sound and touch. The next frontier of compute will empower people to build, solve, create and play in a world where the barrier is diminished between the physical and virtual worlds.

In 2017, Virtual Reality(VR) experiences will move beyond the nascent phases in industries like healthcare, education and travel, employing the latest in VR technology to create fully immersive experiences.

Technology and sports will become even more deeply integrated in the next year, transforming the way people train, watch and interact with sports.

Merged reality, a new way of experiencing physical and virtual interactions and environments, will come to the forefront with five technological advances (6 degrees of mobility, integrated tracking, more natural manipulation, untethered, digitized real-world content) and is expected to come to market in holiday 2017.

Automated Driving

Automated driving will change our lives and societies: The car of the future means significantly reduced accidents, mobility for many and reduced congestion in the world’s most polluted cities.

In 2017, significant advancements will be made to further the operation of driverless cars but also advance every part of the infrastructure – from connectivity to use of AI to data processing.

More companies will enter the autonomous driving market, new partnerships and collaborative efforts will emerge, and a call for standardization across the industry.

The industry will continue to learn through trial and error, but 2017 will mark the first year that automated systems in cars gain mainstream access, such as through advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) or automated ride-sharing fleets.

5G

More than just a faster network, 5G is expected to deliver extremely low latency combined with incredibly high bandwidth, which means the ability to manage an unprecedented demand for data and more connected devices. Powerful, agile networks can also route network traffic intelligently to give priority to safety-critical devices, such as self-driving cars and medical wearables. In geographical areas where connected infrastructure is not as fast or reliable as needed, 5G will also open a world of possibilities currently unavailable.

In 2017, 5G will continue move from conception and testing to meaningful plans for deployment, accelerating support across the industry.

The need for faster connectivity will increase pressure for the industry to align around global standards with IEEE and 3GPP and address key challenges around interoperability, backward compatibility and future proofing.