By this time in 2020, over 200 territories and countries, including rural regions and urban clusters, were affected by the COVID-19. As the pandemic started spreading further, there were lockdowns in different parts of the world. Colleges, schools, offices, restaurants, movie theatres, railway stations and even airports were shut down. In short, people were stuck at home and started spending more of their lives online.
The pandemic led to an inevitable surge in the use of digital technologies all over the world. From using grammar checker tools to purchasing medicines, almost all our daily activities relied on digital technologies. In fact, video conferencing applications such as Zoom noticed a ten times increase in its usage since the pandemic. The usage of digital technologies isn’t limited to the pandemic period only. Here are the top five digital technology trends that are expected to grow exponentially even after COVID-19 is over.
- AI will enhance your productivity
People often assume that AI may replace humans in the workplace. The truth, however, is that AI has the potential to support humans and enhance their productivity to a great extent. AI is a collection of other technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing, object character recognition, etc. All these subsets of AI are already taking care of repetitive and monotonous tasks of employees, thereby giving them enough time to focus on crucial tasks.
Here are some aspects where AI is expected to come in handy:
- Onboarding and recruitment– Now, AI-based screening of candidates ensure that you choose the most suitable candidates for interview. Refining each resume manually is quite time-consuming. But, AI technologies based on neuroscience can assess candidates according to their cognitive and emotional features and choose only the most deserving ones.
- AI augmentation– AI isn’t going to replace humans. But, it can make our jobs a tad easier by taking care of the mundane tasks automatically.
- Instant responses to clients’ queries– In this pandemic, businesses of all sizes had to face almost 500 to 4000 queries per day. AI-powered chatbots served as a lifeline to offer faster and more conversational customer service for any number of queries at scale.
- E-commerce websites are gaining a new momentum
As people were instructed to stay at home as much as possible, the demand for e-commerce websites increased considerably. Retail e-commerce websites generated 16.07 billion visits in January 2020. However, the same websites recorded nearly 22 billion visits in June 2020. People got used to buying anything and everything online. Whether you are out of groceries or medicines, there is an e-commerce website for your requirement.
What’s new in e-commerce websites?
The owners of e-commerce websites wanted to make shopping more convenient and easier for people. So, they introduced the concept of “trying before buying.” Whether you want to book hotel rooms or purchase new shoes, relevant and precise 3D models in e-commerce websites can help you make a better decision. The 3D models were designed on the basis of virtual realities, telepresence and augmented reality.
Let’s face it- the post-COVID world is something we dream of, but it will take time. People are most likely to prefer to purchase products online, irrespective of the situation out there. So, if you are an entrepreneur or a businessman, think of integrating AI and its technologies in your website to provide a real immersive experience to your target clients.
- 5G is going to be available to EVERYONE
The demand for faster internet speed has always been there even before the onset of the pandemic. The pandemic, however, intensified this need and demand since all workplaces shut down and employees had to work from home. As a survey conducted by PwC, 78% of CEOs agree that remote working is here to stay for the long term, even in the post-COVID world. The work from culture has led to a minimum of 67% increase in productivity. As more and more people start working from home, the need for a faster internet connection will also increase with time.
What roles does 5G play in the post-pandemic world?
- Multi-person video communication
The reduced latency and optimal speed of 5G networks will let businesses run smoothly in distributed work environments. Businesses can use this technology to recreate the visual and aural presence of employees.
- Seamless telesurgery
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could get surgeries done without having to leave your home? Well, 5G can make it possible for you. The 4G connection doesn’t have the speed or latency to allow remote surgery. 5G, on the other hand, connects doctors and their patients via wireless networking and robotic technology.
- Cloud computing will dominate businesses considerably
People who were sceptical about the importance of the Cloud have already realised its integral role, especially in this pandemic. As most businesses encouraged remote working amid this pandemic, the cost-effectiveness of the CloudCloud became more noticeable as compared to any on-premise data storage option. The workforce is dispersed due to the pandemic. And the Cloud lets businesses store, share and secure their data irrespective of any infrastructure challenges.
Here’s how the CloudCloud computing services make things easier:
- Enabling online commerce
It is no surprise how e-commerce websites noticed a sharp increase amid the pandemic. Traditional web hosting providers may run out of enough network resources required to manage this huge traffic. But, CloudCloud hosting providers, on the contrary, are highly scalable and takes care of drastic increases in traffic without disrupting the business.
- .Supporting health services
Several healthcare institutions, hospitals and government health services have already digitalised and transferred their data to the Cloud. Storing data in the Cloud helps healthcare department optimise their services and maximise patient outcomes.
- Facilitating remote work
Cloud computing enhances the productivity of different departments such as back office, programming, training, online marketing, etc. Even websites such as Freelancer.com and Upwork store their data in the CloudCloud to help people access their services from anywhere.
- Blockchain is the new weapon for fighting the damage caused by COVID-19
The pandemic showed how important blockchain technology is, especially in the department of supply chains. As per the Department of Homeland Security, blockchain is a significant technology for dealing with the disrupted economy caused by the virus. The COVID-19 crisis rattled supply chains from all over the world and that led to some serious questions regarding the future of the world’s economy.
Blockchain boosts the process of transactions. This technology also verifies the creation, reception and transmission of a specific exchange of value. It is transparent and can be integrated across different domains, thereby repairing supply chains in businesses of all kinds.
Wrapping Up,
Besides changing the concept of ‘normalcy’, the COVID-19 pandemic also changed the way we used technologies. All public gatherings are called off. Schools and restaurants have shut down. Thus, people are seeking out entertainment on online streaming platforms like Netflix. We connect with our loved ones on Facebook. Instead of shopping offline, we prefer to do it online no matter what we need to buy. All in all, the pandemic made our lives more dependent on technologies. Now we will just have to wait and see how many of the tech trends come true once the pandemic is gone.
