The year 2017 was driven by numerous announcements from the tech giants but also by the launch of new initiatives and technologies. A look back at the 5 tech news that marked 2017.
THE RENEWAL OF AUGMENTED REALITY?
Since Pokemon GO in August 2016, augmented reality had been put aside… Until the launch of ARCore on Android and the update of iOS 11, which marked the arrival of ARKit. Both are now available. So we should see new projects being developed using this functionality. One of the best examples is the Swedish giant’s mobile application “IKEA Places”, which allows users to project furniture in 3D into their homes. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is the time to test it!
Google also hit hard with the launch of the Enterprise version of Google Glass. Lighter and more flexible, they allow users to increase productivity with features similar to barcode scanning, photo capture, checklist tracking, call, product information, task completion and content validation. These glasses, which are business-oriented and not aimed at the general public, will make it possible to integrate digital technology into the workforce in the field.
STILL A LITTLE EARLY FOR VIRTUAL REALITY…
In 2017, no major announcements have disturbed the world of virtual reality. The year passed in the continuity of 2016 with some news from manufacturers and the launch of new platforms. Even if, so far, no use, even gaming, has really been successful for the general public. However, projects in B2B and B2E (Business-to-employers) have been launched, including at Tapptic, for training courses, 360° demonstrations, or even virtual tours of new locations. This was the case, for example, with Puratos and its virtual innovation centre.
Renault and Ubisoft have also worked well together on Symbioz, its autonomous car. Indeed, Ubisoft has developed a virtual reality experience for the French manufacturer to entertain the driver once the car’s mind off mode is activated. If you are interested in this project, we invite you to register for the NEXT edition in Paris where Deborah Papiernik, Senior Vice President at Ubisoft, will share with you the backdrop of this innovative project.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, EVERYWHERE!
2017 represents the key year for AI’s democratization. Indeed, the availability of ATI in SaaS mode means the start of broader integration into digital projects. Many apps already use AI and Machine Learning to improve the user experience (Spotify, Waze, Netflix,…) without the general public noticing it directly.
ATI’s integration into existing projects has also become more and more common and we are gradually beginning to include artificial intelligence in our interfaces but only when it brings real added value.
For more examples of how artificial intelligence can be integrated, we invite you to have a look at this article from our CTO.
WHAT IS STILL MISSING FOR BOTS TO BECOME MAINSTREAM
By April 2016, Facebook and many key players in the sector had openly announced the arrival of bots as a real substitute for mobile apps. However, more than a year later, it is obvious that this did not go as planned, there are not that many projects, the uses are still relatively low and apps still exist. Indeed, due to over-mediatisation, users had very high expectations (possibly too high) compared to the possibilities of bots, which led to a deceptive effect. On the other hand, it was difficult to find a specific bot in Messenger searches and also to distinguish a bot from the company’s Facebook page.
However, it is clear that bots are still very relevant solutions for certain situations and can greatly facilitate interactions, particularly for customer services. Chatbots must be seen as a complement to the web, apps, skills and must be used wisely. The current projects on which Tapptic is working are mainly experimentation and testing phases for some of our customers in order to identify the best use cases on chatbots and this was the case of our collaboration with L’ Occitane in Provence.
SMART SPEAKERS, MORE AND MORE COMMON AT HOME
The year 2017 witnessed a real boom with the democratization of smart speakers: Amazon sold more than 20 million Amazon Echo and Google announced the upcoming release of the mini and max version of Google Home. To this, we can add the launch of the French version of Google Home, we hope that, thanks to this, we will finally see concrete cases launched in French-speaking countries.
This increase naturally led to the democratisation of “skills” or “actions”, in other words, the applications available on smart speakers. One of the newest is Sephora’s Google Home, which brings its consumers closer to content and services on a daily basis. Although the speech interfaces are not yet fully optimised with challenges such as comprehension, query processing and contextualization. We can expect a considerable increase in the number of voice requests, especially at home. For the coming year, one thing is certain, Voice Search will become the “next big thing” so it becomes crucial for companies from all sectors to start preparing for it properly.
CONCLUSION
2017 was a year rich in advertisements, and we identify a clear evolution of existing technologies. The number of interfaces on which each company has to focus its products/services has multiplied (app, web, chatbot, smart speaker, AR, VR,…).
It is therefore essential in 2018 to fully understand this ecosystem and reflect on its adoption in the value chain. This is why we are increasingly supporting our customers in technology watch, in innovative workshop sessions and the development of proof of concept.
