Microsoft released a collection of predictions from 16 leading thinkers within their Technology and Research organization on December 4. These predictions forecast the future of technology for the upcoming year of 2016.
Microsoft claims that 2015 ushered in “a new Golden Age of technological advancement,” as stated by Microsoft Research NExT Corporate Vice President – Peter Lee.
2016 also represents a sort of milestone for the company’s research arm, since it is going to be the 25th anniversary of the arm’s founding in 1991.
Top 16 Predictions for 2016 from Microsoft
Below is a summary of the 16 perspectives for technology for the year of 2016, given by the members of Microsoft’s research arm.
- New Silicon Architectures will enable faster computers, and we might see GPUs fade in necessity.
- Machines will be able to break the language barrier in Europe.
- Drawing, annotation, and note-taking will be performed primarily on tablets.
- Effective AI assistants, such as Siri or Cortana, will become more personable.
- People will become more aware of the principles behind the data collection and experimentation.
- Computers will get better at understanding both our speech and what we want them to do for us.
- Health technology will become far more advanced, particularly in the way we treat complicated diseases.
- Virtual assistants and messaging platforms will take off in China.
- We will be able to have a fluid dialogue with computers through advances in AI technology.
- Technology will make it easier to monitor the environment.
- Computers need to become secure against quantum computing attacks, which can cripple all current forms of security.
- Economists will figure out whether the economic recovery is working.
- Security experts will work out how to protect data even if the operating system is compromised.
- Quantum computing will take big leaps forward through topological qubit technology.
- Low-cost computing will help the internet take off in India.
- Health tracking technology will become better and more widespread.
