AI Predictions for 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) is exploding. With the potential to radically transform almost every industry on earth, from agriculture to healthcare and everything in between, the adoption of this technology is one of the key tech trends for 2022. By how will this tech be adopted? What aspects of this tech is going to take us all by storm? And, most importantly, where does this leave us, as people?

#1 – Natural Language Processing (NLP) goes big

NLP, the ability of computers and software to understand, process and use natural speech, is likely to be a big hitter in 2022. This technology will drive more sophisticated voice applications – something that can be applied across all sectors and industries. We’ve already gotten comfortable with Siri and Alexa, and this year NLP technology is mature enough for even broader and more exciting commercial applications. This includes everything from gathering and analysing customer feedback to recruitment, speech recognition, translation, and market intelligence gathering.

#2 – Synthetic data becomes the hottest application on the market

We know that today’s businesses run on huge volumes of data – in fact, that data is key to the development and application of AI. However, it is still very challenging and time-consuming to collect enough data in real-time, analyse it, and put it to use. AI comes in handy because you can simulate models and processes, using the algorithms to gather additional data needed to fill in the gaps. This is called synthetic data and it’s much easier to generate, giving organisations the ability to deploy models more easily in new areas of business and experiment with new data science and AI implementations. It’s already beginning, with Facebook’s acquisition of AI.Reverie supports Gartner’s prediction that synthetic data will account for 60% of all data used in AI development alone by 2024.

#3 – Ethical AI frameworks become practical policies

The use of AI, as with many types of technology, has been fraught with ethical concerns – many of them justifiable. As a result, government bodies and organisations are starting to regulate AI applications and uses to advocate the responsible use of this type of technology. As AI becomes more commonplace and widely used, especially in areas where personal, medical, and financial data are utilised, we can expect these concerns to be laid out into practical, standardised enterprise practises.

What does this mean for ordinary people?

The drive behind AI is to make experiences more personalised, more targeted, and more efficient. This should drive an improved customer experience and create a powerful differentiator for businesses in an ever more competitive world. However, it doesn’t mean that people will be replaced by technology. Instead, it should work to bring people together more effectively through technology. This is one of the founding principles behind great partnerships between IT service providers and the organisations they work with – that technology should be customisable, personalised, and solutions should be tailored to what works for you rather than serving an off-the-shelf solution. And that approach puts us in good stead for the year to come.