10 Emerging Technologies of 2020 that Will Transform the World

As every year, MIT Technology Review has published its list of the 10 emerging technologies of 2020 that will have the greatest impact.

It was published in February and, in its selection of emerging technologies, it does not take into account those that are in full hype (at the peak of the wave?). Instead, it considers those technological advances expected in 2020 with the potential to change the world we live in (even if their impact may be much later).

More than 2 years ago, I published Technological Trends for 2018, my most recent “prophetic” post. Among all the emerging technologies, it highlighted the presence of Artificial Intelligence (applied to different contexts) and the Internet of Things (with Smart Things bringing intelligence to the edge).

Now, let’s see MIT’s predictions for 2020. Their list includes the following 10 technological advances:

• Unhackable internet
• Hyper-personalized medicine
• Digital money
• Anti-aging drugs
• AI-discovered molecules
• Satellite mega-constellations
• Quantum supremacy
• Tiny AI
• Differential privacy
• Climate change attribution

Although I have dared to translate them, there may be more suitable terms. Here is the list of original terms used by MIT to refer to these selected technologies for 2020.

• Unhackable internet.
• Hyper-personalized medicine.
• Digital money.
• Anti-aging drugs.
• AI-discovered molecules.
• Satellite mega-constellations.
• Quantum supremacy.
• Tiny AI.
• Differential privacy
• Climate change attribution

The 10 Emerging Technologies of 2020 that will have the greatest impact

In the following sections, I will present each of these 10 technological advances, focusing on some of them.

Among them, I would highlight one foundational (Unhackable Internet), another that reflects the growth of Digital Money (with and without blockchain), and three others related to Data and Artificial Intelligence.

We could say that we are on the path to “AI defined everything” if we make a comparison with the already classic “Software defined everything” that was used some years ago.

Let’s look at each of them.

UNHACKABLE INTERNET

The Internet we use today is vulnerable and insecure, so some organizations are working on what they call Quantum Internet.

Quantum Internet is characterized by its guaranteed security and lower vulnerability.

Many organizations are advancing in this emerging technology. In 2020, a significant advancement in this technology is expected. Delft University expects to have a Quantum Internet network completed between Delft and The Hague.

DIGITAL MONEY

Digital Money

It is a fact that physical money is declining while digital currencies are growing. In the current confinement situation, this fact has been further accentuated.

Digital money does not exist physically and impacts various aspects such as privacy, transaction immediacy, elimination of traditional intermediaries, and perhaps the incorporation of new ones.

Digital currencies, such as cryptocurrencies that use blockchain, have the potential to transform the global financial market.

In my opinion, by including it in the list, it reflects the expectation that 2020 will be a year full of advances in this technology for its expansion into more and more use cases.

AI-DISCOVERED MOLECULES

Scientists are using AI to discover molecules that can have a high impact on our health.

Recently, Machine Learning has been used to identify new types of antibiotics. It has been the first time that through Artificial Intelligence, the complete generation of a new antibiotic has been achieved.

Unlike traditional procedures, identifying molecules through Artificial Intelligence can be much more cost-effective and efficient by being able to quickly evaluate millions of alternatives.

This is another reflection of how Artificial Intelligence will impact medicine and all its processes.

TINY AI

Tiny AI

“Tiny AI” is another of the 10 technologies of 2020 selected by MIT that I would like to highlight.

Artificial Intelligence is not limited to large servers or cloud architectures.

Today, we can use powerful AI algorithms on our phones, watches, or any other device without needing access to the cloud.

With Tiny AI, scientists reduce the size of existing AI algorithms through “knowledge distillation” without losing any of the capabilities of the original algorithm.

The benefits of this Edge Artificial Intelligence are speed (by avoiding latencies), independence (by not having to be connected to the cloud), and privacy (since raw data does not have to leave the device).

2020 is expected to be a year of advancement in this emerging technology, allowing the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence in more and more objects.

DIFFERENTIAL PRIVACY

Differential privacy allows organizations to collect and share aggregated user information while keeping the identity of the individuals private.

Its goal is to maximize the use of data without affecting the privacy of individuals. Organizations can use the data while maintaining the trust of their users.

By applying differential privacy, it is not possible to access the raw data of users, and data scientists must work with aggregated data.

It is not a new concept, but it is becoming more real every day, and perhaps 2020 will be the year of its massive takeoff. The article mentions the example of the US Census, which in 2020 wants to apply it to all its data.

Another example is the social debates currently arising about the use of data and the privacy of individuals in relation to COVID-19.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTED TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES FOR 2020

Despite having detailed 5 of the 10 of them, the transformational value of the rest proposed is undeniable.

Starting with the impact that hyper-personalized medicine and anti-aging drugs can have on our health.

The impact is not limited to health but also to how we consume medications and even the composition of the society we live in. A society where aging does not occur will be very different from the current one.

In both cases, it is certain that Artificial Intelligence will once again play an important role.

Hyper-personalized and anti-aging medicine

The list of 2020 technologies also dedicates space to explaining the struggle to provide Internet connection anywhere in the world through satellite mega-constellations.

Companies like SpaceX, OneWeb, or Amazon are trying to create their own satellite constellations for this purpose.

The lack of regulation may result in space chaos. 2020 could be the year of huge advances in the push for these mega-constellations of satellites.

As expected, another highlighted technology in the 2020 list is quantum computing.

Google seems to have taken a significant step in the race for quantum computing with the creation of Sycamore: achieving quantum supremacy. This step does not change the fact that we are still years or even decades away from having quantum computers that can solve real-world problems. In 2020, significant new advances are expected.

Finally, the list of 2020 technologies leaves room for concern about the environment.

Climate change is undeniable, and thanks to current computing capabilities, it is beginning to be possible to relate its impact to catastrophic events or weather incidents with a strong impact.

In 2020, this attribution of climate change can change the conversation with organizations and nations that deny its impact.

AND, WHAT ABOUT OTHER YEARS?

Predictions are usually free because, once the year has passed, there is a fever for new predictions, forgetting to verify the results of the previous year.

That’s why I find it interesting to remember what was predicted in previous years. Although MIT Technology Review is presumed to have quality in its analysis of technological advances, let’s look at the past.

THE 10 TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES OF 2019

In 2019, it was Bill Gates who selected the list of the 10 technological advances that would have the most impact on solving important problems in the world.

Bill Gates in the 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2019

The 10 technologies selected by Bill Gates were:

• Robot Dexterity
• New-Wave Nuclear Power
• Predicting Preemies
• Gut Probe in a Pill
• Customized Cancer Vaccines
• The Cow-Free Burger
• Carbon Dioxide Catcher
• Wrist-Worn ECG Monitors
• Sanitation Without Sewers
• Smooth-Talking AI Assistants

REFERENCES

You probably want more.

I recommend reading the full article from MIT Technology Review:

• 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2020

Additionally, I provide links to articles on technological advances from the previous 3 years (2019, 2018, and 2017), as follows:

• 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2019
• 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2018
• 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2017

Finally, you can read summarized predictions from Gartner, Forrester, and Deloitte for 2018 at:

• Technological Trends for 2018

JIMMY HENDRIX

If MIT asks Bill Gates to select the outstanding emerging technologies, can’t I do the same with music?It seems that in an interview with the BBC in 2016, Bill Gates mentioned some of his favorite songs. Among them, he highlighted this gem by Jimi Hendrix: “Are You Experienced?”

I can’t tell you anything new about Jimi Hendrix.

Maybe something personal. Almost 20 years ago, I visited the New York store where Jimi used to buy his guitars and strings. He was left-handed and played his Stratocaster upside down, with the strings reversed. We all have the image of his guitar with the reversed headstock memorized. I left the store without buying a Stratocaster; there were better deals in another store, but I couldn’t resist sitting down and trying one before leaving.

Since I couldn’t find any quality videos of Jimi playing this song on YouTube, here is the remastered version for the soundtrack of The Vietnam War. Enjoy it.