Artificial Intelligence

AI implementation is en vogue right now, and if the results are any indication, the technology isn’t going away anytime soon. Like humans, as machines get smarter they can do more; but, unlike humans, machines don’t suffer from emotional value determinations. Whether you look at this as a positive or negative trait will depend on whether or not your company is looking to put it to work for you. Here are a few ways businesses will deploy AI:

• Processing large amounts of data
• Personalizing customer experiences
• Operational automation
• Security
• Predicting demand
• And more

With businesses that are suffering from what are typically expensive operational problems fueling demand for AI-integrated business solutions, the market for these solutions is growing rapidly. The more businesses that understand how beneficial automation is, the higher the demand there is going to be for artificial intelligence.

Blockchain

Blockchain has been in the news for the past couple years, typically in the cryptocurrency conversation. Blockchain is a public ledger that’s distributed rather than centralized. Each “block” stores all the digital pieces of relevant information about a transaction. Once the data is captured it can’t be altered. This presents substantial data security benefits.

With the inherent security that the blockchain offers many businesses have been looking for ways to create applications using a more distributed system. As more people work with blockchain, more is known about it; and, as a result, there isn’t a lot of energy expended trying to do superhuman things with the technology. Instead, more blockchain-related tools are being created that are designed to help companies. Blockchain is being used in various ways, including:

• Managing supply chains
• Identity management
• Recordkeeping & archiving
• Data security
• And more

Blockchain is so popular among application developers that Oracle’s head of blockchain development said that half of businesses will be using some type of blockchain tool in the next three years.

5G

Wireless broadband access has completely changed the way people use technology. In the 40 years that wireless has been offered the standard has gone from wireless capabilities of 2.5 Kbs to over 100 Mb/s, but in the next couple of years that standard will be dwarfed by the deployment of 5G. 5G Wireless is set to be introduced in 2019, and it should completely change the world.

With data speeds of 1 Gb/s and higher, businesses will gain the following benefits:

• Faster speeds
• Reduced Latency
• Greater Capacity
• Improved Battery Life
• And more

Innovation will speed up and business will move faster than ever. Additionally, new industries will present themselves as technology is developed. In fact, a study by Qualcomm found that once 5G is completely implemented it will become a “general purpose technology” on par with electricity and the automobile.

Virtual Reality

If you polled 100 people, the prevailing sentiment around virtual reality would likely be that it is cool, but as a technology, it is a novelty. Nothing could be further from the truth. With advances in both hardware and software, virtual reality is set to transform the way people see the world. For business use, the applications available from the integration of virtual reality are virtually limitless.

With its current novelty status, it is now a popular technology used by companies to market their products. VR offers unprecedented immersion and by creating virtual spaces that allow potential customers to virtually experience the use of products and create a more emotional connection. As the technology becomes more prevalent, you will begin to see it used for training, talent management, product design, and shared experience.

Emerging technologies play a major part of a forward business strategy, and with the myriad of new technologies just now coming to market, that position will continue. What do you think about these technologies? Would your business utilize them to move your business forward? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

How It’s Used Today

It’s likely that you’ve already used wireless charging. The Qi wireless platform became the standard for wireless charging, and it has been used in both Apple and Android devices since its inception. It made the jump from 2.5W to 15W delivery. Wireless charging’s convenience has made it a mainstay in certain sectors. It’s a great solution to include near workstations and nightstands, as well as public places like restaurants. There is no evidence suggesting that it has a widespread negative influence on the battery’s lifespan, meaning that there’s no real reason not to have it; this just means that it will get people using their applications and mobile devices more and more.

For example, the Wireless Power Consortium--the developers of Qi charging--has been developing large-form-factor charging pads for the kitchen to provide power to appliances. In the realm of businesses, there is an investigation going on into decreasing constraints on wireless charging power.

Will Wireless Charging Be Possible at a Distance?

Some manufacturers have developed a means to send power over a short distance, so whether or not this technology is possible is yet to be determined--especially with efficiency being taken into consideration. Once the power source and receiving device are far enough apart, the charge being delivered falls in terms of what would be practical to send to the receiving device. In other words, when it reaches its destination, it retains about ten percent of the power source, meaning that charging is, quite simply, not efficient.

Resolving this issue is something that is extremely unsafe, as well. True wireless charging achieves about ten percent efficiency compared to the Qi’s near-field rates of 75 percent efficiency, as well as a wired charge’s 85 percent efficiency. It makes it hard to see how such a long-distance charge could be worth it--at least with today’s technology constraints.

What are your thoughts on this wireless technology? Let us know in the comments and be sure to subscribe for more think pieces and informational discussions about modern technology.

Keyboard Shortcuts
YouTube is great for both researching and presenting subjects, and with its built-in features, you can get more productivity out of it. Keyboard shortcuts are the best first step to take. You can jump to the beginning of a video by pressing the zero key. You can also use the arrow keys to fast forward or rewind a video as needed. The default is five seconds, but by holding down the Ctrl key, you can increase this to ten second skips.

If you’re using YouTube for a presentation, you can pause and resume the video by hitting the spacebar or the K key. You can use the up and down keys to adjust the volume, as well. The M key will mute or unmute the video.

Start from a Specific Point in the Video
You can alter a link to a YouTube video to start at a specific point. The easiest way to do this is to just grab it from the video on YouTube. For example, check out this video about phishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfnA7UmlZkE

Under the Share option, you will see the Start at option. This gives you the ability to select a specific part of the video to start it at. The link will ultimately look something like this for around the one-minute mark.

https://youtu.be/jfnA7UmlZkE?t=63

Use Search Filters to Improve Results
If you’re not finding the right content you’re looking for, you can use filters to customize your results based on specific criteria, including channels/playlists, specific durations, and other types of media.

YouTube is a great resource for many businesses. What are other ways you might use YouTube? Let us know in the comments.