Accenture, one of the largest global consulting firms, has launched its report of trends in technology for 2022. With comments from speakers such as Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the web, the launch focused on the responsible metaverse and biological computing.
The metaverse is the center of technology performance in 2022. It will be a space where the real and the virtual complement each other, what the company called a “continuum”. Responsibility for the use of data was the biggest concern of the audience during the launch poll. Despite opening up many possibilities, users want to prioritize respect for privacy in the metaverse.
Four trends for the metaverse in 2022
The metaverse will have four main trends in 2022: personalization, programmable world, robotics in everyday life, and new frontiers of computing.
With the new frontiers of computing will come biological computing. With it, it will be possible to imitate (as in biological camouflage) or harness the power of biological processes. All this to store data, solve problems and deal with complex systems. Each process will be done very differently, with the potential to have more energy efficiency, speed, accuracy and fewer limits.
One of the examples of the importance of biological computing in the future was given in the testimony of a representative of L’Oreal, the cosmetics giant that now defines itself as a beauty tech. Beauty companies reinvent themselves with technology. “In the future, our avatars will want to look better,” said Stephane Lannuzel, L’Oreal’s director of digital operations.
Keeping skepticism is important
Keeping a little skepticism, however, is healthy for thinking ahead with the metaverse. Asked if the technology could go through a period of devaluation after hype like Google Glass, Marc Carrel-Billiard, senior director of technology innovation at Accenture was blunt. “It’s a good parallel, really, to think about Glass, because it was also a technology that promised to unite virtual and augmented reality, as in the metaverse,” he said.
“The difference is that Google Glass was really bad,” said Biliard. “Imagine spending all day with a device like that, even the devices we have today are not good enough to spend all day in the metaverse.” On the other hand, the numbers don’t lie. “The sales growth of devices like Oculus is quite significant,” he pointed out.
With applications for the metaverse with training in healthcare, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, the possibilities of technology for companies are very attractive. “Even though only 10% of consumers are going to use the metaverse, companies are already using it and that already means the technology has enough space,” said Michael Biltz, director of Accenture Technology Labs, at a press conference accompanying the launch.
