AI and 5G ranked as top technology trends for 2022 and beyond

In a survey of 350 chief technology officers, chief information officers and IT directors by IEEE, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing and 5G are considered the most important technologies in 2022 and beyond. Due to the epidemic, they have accelerated the adoption of cloud computing (60%), artificial intelligence and machine learning (51%) and 5G (46%). 95% of respondents agreed, and 66% strongly agreed that artificial intelligence will drive most innovations in almost all industries in the next 1 to 5 years.

When asked about the industries most impacted by technology in 2022, respondents cited manufacturing (25%), financial services (19%), healthcare (16%) and energy (13%). Some 92% of respondents agreed (with 60% strongly agreeing) that implementing smart building technologies that benefit sustainability, decarbonization and energy efficiency has become a top priority for their organizations.

As a result of the pandemic and the shift to hybrid and remote work, more than half of respondents (51%) believe the number of devices relevant to their business that need to be tracked and managed—such as smartphones, tablets, sensors, robots, vehicles, and drones—has increased by 50%. Respondents are split on whether this rate of growth in the number of devices is sustainable; 51% say it is manageable and 49% say it is not.

Survey participants almost unanimously agreed (97%, including 69% who strongly agreed) that their teams are working more closely than ever with HR leaders to implement workplace technology and applications for office check-ins, space usage data and analytics.

Camera video analytics will see huge growth

Market statistics from market analysis firm Omdia also reflect the strong growth in the use of AI technologies. In Western Europe alone, the market for video analytics embedded in cameras is expected to grow from 170,000 units in 2020 to 2,371,500 units in 2025, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 69%. The three fastest growing vertical markets for video surveillance equipment are expected to be urban monitoring (9.6% per year), manufacturing and industry (7.9% per year) and airports (6.5% per year).

In the UK, the entire video surveillance equipment market (including servers and storage) is expected to grow by 3.7% per year, from $363.4 million (£268.5 million) in 2020 to $435.8 million (£322 million) in 2025.

Cybersecurity issues

The top two cybersecurity concerns for technology leaders are those related to a mobile and hybrid workforce, including employees using their own devices (39%) and cloud vulnerabilities (35%). Other concerns include data center breaches (27%), coordinated attacks on their networks (26%) and ransomware attacks (25%).

No fewer than 59% of all technology leaders surveyed are currently using (or plan to use in the next five years) drones for security, surveillance or threat prevention. But there are regional differences: By comparison, Brazil (78%), China (71%), India (60%) and the United States (52%) currently have drones for security.

An overwhelming majority of respondents (92%) believe their companies are better prepared for potentially catastrophic events, such as data breaches or natural disasters, than they were a year ago. Among the majority, 65% strongly agree that the pandemic has accelerated their preparedness efforts.