AI trends we are expecting in 2018 

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2018 is here and we already experienced a deluge of articles and blogs that discuss the various technological trends for the year. This got us curious about what we could expect in the AI (Artificial Intelligence) sector so we set out to determine exactly that.

AI will enter the office 

Last year, we saw companies leveraging AI to improve their customer experience. For instance, we saw the automotive industry using VR to offer customers test drives. The real estate industry also did something similar by allowing customers to design their homes using VR.  

This year, we will witness those capabilities being shifted to the back-end. Companies will, on a larger scale, use AI to establish automated and streamlined processes. We will also see them combining AI with other tools such as augmented reality and IoT to boost their back-end and front-end functions. 

Cloud 2.0 will go mainstream 

According to experts like Joe Kinsella, CTO of CloudHealth, Cloud 2.0 will finally make a landfall in 2018. Cloud 2.0 will consist of platform services, composable applications, and serverless capabilities that can make the most of a variety of cloud services; cloud services that only function when needed.  

This year will be the point where companies leave behind the long-serving client-server model, which laid the foundation for applications with fixed operating systems and servers, for cloud 2.0. 

Smartphones and Smart homes 

Smartphones will go beyond their usual objectives to also serve as smart home devices. We will see a slight shift towards centralized voice control instead of individual applications. A good example of this would be the Apple HomePod, which is being touted as the device that will drive smart home adoption. 

Once similar devices enter the market and users start relying on AI assistants like Alexa or Siri, the need for similar functionality on phones will only grow. We will also likely see a downshift in standalone apps as users will seek guidance from their respective AI assistants.  

Returns on AI Investment 

 The last few years have been all about AI adoption. In 2018, we will likely see the actual returns that AI was guaranteed to provide. One such benefit will be the improvements occurring within the customer support arena. To learn more about these benefits click here.  

 As AI takes over most processes, manpower will be directed towards offering their skills in favour of more value creating tasks.