Emerging Technology for 2023 has been quite the transformative and break-out year for lots of cool cutting edge tools.
We have learned and seen a lot and wanted to share our top insights for the year.
Consider this a round-up and summary of a variety of topics, and you will find relevant shows for each insight and topic discussed.
Happy Emerging Tech journeying!
9 Insights on Emerging Technology for 2023
- Technology Innovation, like history, repeats itself – After Siggraph 2023 we realized how a lot of so-called “Emerging Tech” was being worked on in the 70s and even several decades prior. What’s old is new again.
See: What is Siggraph? A Futuristic 50 Year Computer Graphics Expo - Emerging Media Technology is a quietly growing giant – Photogrammetry, 3D and Volumetric Capture are rising stars in the photography and video space. Add in new production methodologies like Virtual Production (VP) and live-action moving LED screens, and you have a whole new way of creating new digital images, videos and media like TV, Movies and even Sports.
See: NAB 2023, Volumetric Video and Media Technology - Every technology has up and downtrends (often at different times) – Gartner coined the Hype Cycle model, which charts the movements of the peaks and troughs of growing new industries. One thing to keep in mind though is that there is no one size fits all rubric and niches go through their own growth phases at different times.
- Augmented Reality (AR) is the current golden child of Mixed and Extended Reality (XR) – VR had a boom in the early 2010s around 2014-2017 and then struggled to go mainstream with industry expectations. (Although Meta and HTC certainly put a solid dent in it.) Now with Apple’s much anticipated foray into the market with the Apple Vision Pro headset, this could be the breakout moment for XR.
See: What is Augmented Reality (AR)? - Metaverse is the ultimate shape-shifter and niche crossover category – Metaverse is a very adept chameleon with its ability to take on other industries while also remaining its own. This is because Metaverse is an amalgamation of technologies like Software, Hardware, and Mixed Reality (XR).
See: What is the Metaverse? A 3D Real-time Online World - Tech conferences with broad categories (or even specific niches) sprout offshoots as they grow – Web 3, Crypto, NFTs and Blockchain used to be just “Bitcoin”. The Maker Movement, XR, AI and Machine Learning used to just be “Computer Science”. Cloud Computing, IT and Cybersecurity used to just be “The Internet”.
See: Cloud Computing: How To Access Data Anywhere
What is a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) and Rare Digital Art? - Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are giving bionic arms to Software – The rise of Volumetric, 3D Rendering, Generative AI and NeRF are ushering in new realities that couldn’t have existed prior. While critics have valid concerns, it’s clear that AI allows users of almost any skill level to build robust digital realities, assets and content with no prior experience.
See: NeRF Summit 2023
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? - Spatial Audio is a new entrant and emerging technology for Mixed Reality (XR) – Imagine surround sound but in 3 dimensions that can move all around you like a floating drone. This new angle and dimension of sound which also exists as a virtual tool in software is bringing a whole new level of immersion for users.
See: Spatial & Immersive Audio: A New Deeply Engaging Sound Experience - Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is a secret weapon and engine behind most Technologies – Advanced and cutting edge doesn’t have to mean proprietary or expensive. Most FAANNG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Nvidia and Google) have built their empires on FOSS like Linux operating systems.
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