2017 Technology Predictions for AI, Online Security and VR!

With new advancements coming through thick and fast, it’s easy to see that Google are moving towards the future at an astonishing rate.

Just this year we’ve seen Google create their first ‘Tango’ enabled phone Lenovo Phab 2 Pro (which can even help you see what a piece of furniture would look like in your home through 3D real-life viewing), as well as introducing their one-to-one video calling app (Google Duo), along with new AdWords attribution reports that make conversion tracking easier than ever.

So when it comes to 2017 technology predictions, what kinds of other developments might we see for advertisers in the New Year?

THE RISE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Once upon a time, intelligent robots and self-driving cars seemed like a distant and pleasant fantasy – but with every decade that passes, their existence has become more a question of ‘when will it happen’ than an ‘if we could’ fantasy. In 2016, artificial intelligence or ‘AI’ as it’s more commonly known, is opening up incredible doors for entrepreneurs and businesses.

Looking at some of the advancements that have been released – and those predicted for the future – it’s pretty incredible just how smart AI is getting! Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai has in the past emphasised the importance of A.I and machine learning to the company’s future, so it’s fair to say that it’s a field that will only continue to grow!

SMART BIDDING

According to SponsoredLinX’ Senior Client Manager Ian Sorohan, it’s highly likely that we’ll continue to see changes to Google’s ‘Smart Bidding’ platform in the New Year. Said to be able to use data from millions of different signals to find the optimal bid amount for each user, Smart Bidding continually optimises bid levels in client’s accounts for optimal conversions.

According to Ian, the best step you can take in the New Year is to begin targeting the right devices with the right bid amounts through the use of flexible device bidding.

“You can then investigate further into your accounts to find which devices are purchasing more or less from Desktop, PC, and mobile – using this information to your advantage,” he says.

“I also believe we’ll see a more visually simple AdWords interface coming soon. You’ll have all the information you need at your fingertips, but it will be presented in an easier to navigate view.”

VIRTUAL HEADSETS

Charity: Water giving their donors the VR experience at a New York black-tie gala event. Photo: Adam Mason

As mentioned earlier, Google have announced their aim to release the Daydream VR headset in 2017. But how might this impact advertisers? Well, given the device has already been jumped upon by the likes of Netflix and HBO, perhaps we’ll also see advertisers able to feature their ads in video content – as already seen on platforms such as YouTube.

Given the success of Samsung’s Oculus Rift, and the ways in which it has already presented advertisers with marketing awareness opportunities – everything from having their logo/company branded across headsets, to inspiring donors to dig deep for charitable causes (an example of which was seen when the not for profit organisation ‘Charity: Water’ transported their New York guests to Africa through VR headsets) – it’s likely that Daydream will also present huge business opportunities.

Earlier this year GoPro’s CEO and Founder Nick Woodman revealed that he saw Oculus and VR as a huge opportunity to increase brand awareness, by having his company’s video content available in both traditional format and VR. Likewise, VR headsets also present huge opportunities to businesses – particularly those in the travel industry. What better way to inspire people to travel than by ‘transporting them’ to other destinations for a preliminary look before they jet off for real?

Given that Daydream is not just a headset or app, but rather an entire ‘ecosystem’ (with hardware specs, and a new interface and controller), it will operate with new phones yet to be designed. This presents a huge opportunity to marketers, allowing them to jump onboard with their support once these newly designed phones hit the market!

GOODBYE PASSWORDS

That feeling when you make a really secure password…and then can’t remember it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one constantly racking my brain to remember which password works with which site – but if Google have their way, this won’t be a problem in the near future! Earlier this year we heard that the internet giant planned to release Project Abacus by the end of 2016 to every Android developer around the world! While we haven’t heard of an official release date yet, we hope it’s not too far off – as it means we will no longer have to remember jumbled passwords or pins! Instead, the process of unlocking our devices will be achieved with a cumulative ‘trust score.’ This is calculated through factors such as your current location, unique speech and typing patterns, and facial recognition (amongst other things).

Will it be a hit? Who knows…after all, internet security is extremely important to us all, and it may take some time before we’re ready to trust such a project. Still, it’s very interesting all the same!

So where to from here?… As we look toward the New Year, the advancements we’ve seen from Google over 2016 bring with them a feeling of excitement and anticipation. What will 2017 hold? Only time will tell, but the SponsoredLinX team definitely can’t wait!