Tech Experts Predict 13 Areas AI And VR Are Set To Revolutionize
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No longer a niche technology, AI has become a fixture for many businesses and has a growing role in consumers’ lives. On its heels is virtual reality, which is gaining popularity across multiple applications, from employee training to entertainment to mental health recovery.
The next few years will be crucial in determining the ultimate impact of AI and VR technologies on the modern world. We asked 13 Forbes Technology Councilmembers what industries, tasks and tools they foresee AI/VR changing within the next five years. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Precision Medicine Therapeutics
As with any new partnership, mankind’s relationship with AI is built on trust. This growing trust will open the door for extensive integration of AI within healthcare. We’re now seeing scientific breakthroughs in neurology, which is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what AI can offer humanity. I foresee AI playing a key role in a scientific revolution within neurology for precision medicine therapeutics. -Yotam Drechsler, BrainQ Technologies
2. Cybersecurity Training
AI has already been instrumental in helping protect our networks from attackers, and VR has been instrumental in providing a new method for training. I see both of these technologies merging to create an AI-driven training program for our cybersecurity professionals. The AI would analyze the weaknesses of the professional and the VR would provide the required training identified by the AI. -Michael Hoyt, Life Cycle Engineering, Inc.
3. Repetitive Tasks
AI has come a long way in the last decade, but it is a fallacy to think that AI is already an everyday technology. We have just scratched the surface in bringing AI/VR out of research labs. In the next five years, AI will grow at a pace similar to the internet’s growth back in the 1990s. Almost all repetitive tasks will be automated, while more critical tasks will have an additional AI layer to account for human errors. - Gaurav Aggarwal, Sleek
4. Remote Assistance And Collaboration
I see a lot of applications in augmented reality with AR/VR technologies. Applications that could be developed include remote assistance for complex repairs (for example, those in space or in remote regions) remote surgeries, and collaborations of teams across geographical divides, to name just a few. - Sandeep Shilawat, ManTech
5. Accessibility Tools
I would like to see more tools that help people with disabilities navigate the world around them. A small camera in glasses could power a computer vision and deep learning-based app that could tell visually impaired people when to cross the road or how to navigate to their destination—or it could read out a menu or a bill. - Ashish Bansal, Twitch
6. Military And Hospital Training
The U.S. Armed Forces will be using AI/VR more and more to train members to fight and fly airplanes. Hospitals will increase use to teach interns how to do surgeries. There is also a new trend among musicians and artists for producing 360-degree VR concerts, giving fans a realistic experience. Security and privacy will become a more significant concern in the development of AI/VR technology. - Bob Fabien Zinga, Directly, Inc./U.S. Navy Reserve
7. Real Estate
AI/VR will be a game-changer in the real estate sector. It is a growing demand, especially in the Indian sector. It will enable one to visualize a space and its aesthetics as well as result in direct ROI for future changes and risks. - Bhavna Juneja, Infinity, a Stamford Technology Company
8. Data Analysis
AI/VR technologies primarily aim to intelligently automate something that a person does today. In many cases, it is about data entry or data analysis and the best next action. This is either communicated to another system or provides a person with information to take action. These technologies will speed your workflow up and allow you to make decisions rather than crunch data. - Sherlock Holmes, Genware Computer Systems Inc.
9. Medical Care
Significant progress could be made in medical care improvements. By globally interconnecting medical records (with proper patient protection, consent and transparency) with knowledge bases, doctors could rely on AI to decrease the time spent accurately diagnosing and determining the best course of treatment for patients by pushing relevant insights into the doctor’s existing work stream and tools. - Jennifer Redmon, Cisco Systems
10. New Learning Models
AI and VR will have a profound impact on how we learn and absorb information. As schools continue remote learning, AI and VR have the potential to disrupt the traditional model of learning and teaching, with a focus on personalized needs. These technologies can track learning patterns and create customized tools that help solve virtual learning challenges for both students and teachers. - Jeff Wong, EY
11. E-Commerce
VR will play a significant role in e-commerce in the coming years with two waves of VR applications. The first wave will be market explorers using VR to bring about digital innovations. The second wave will entail VR applications being integrated into the consumer buying experience—retailers will create “virtual” buying environments that rival brick-and-mortar shopping experiences. - Robert Weissgraeber, AX Semantics
12. Consumer Behavior Prediction
Modern companies are great at collecting data, but we’re just now figuring out exactly what to do with it all. AI systems have been instrumental in analyzing big data to identify trends and help predict future behavior. As they continue to advance, AI systems will soon deliver accurate analysis and predictions in real time, making the trailblazing organizations amazingly agile. - Ron Cogburn, Exela Technologies
13. Human Augmentation And Realistic Experiences
You are going to continue to see these technologies continue to push the envelope for human augmentation and experience. The major movers will be companies like Ever Medical Technologies and Immertec, which are already making waves in the healthcare VR industry. Gaming will also lead the way with companies like Oculus and Magic Leap pushing the boundaries of imagination. - José Morey, Liberty BioSecurity