Tech Tok: Everything tech in 2022
This year gave us gist of what technology industry has in store for us
Hyderabad: From ChatGPT uncovering the amusing future of artificial intelligence to Metaverse transporting our existence to the virtual universe – 2022 gave us a gist of what the tech industry has in store for us.
But as technology advances, what the year also highlighted is the growing vulnerability of users to cyber crimes. 68 per cent of companies in India have faced some or the other kind of cyber attack on their data, as per a recent ANI report.
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With the hybrid working model now a reality, increased dependency on online payments, and the sheer fact that everything today is online; cyber security is being taken seriously, now more than ever.
This new-found importance of secured digital spaces, especially after the pandemic, is also driving the public dialogue for the recently unveiled Digital Data Protection Bill and Telecom Bill. Both these bills are expected to be tabled in the next monsoon session.
The year also marked the foundation of equipping jet-speed internet to every nook and corner of the country. Jio and Airtel have begun providing 5G networks in major cities and other providers like BSNL are also gearing up to upgrade their wireless networks next year.
Perhaps the increased speed and its availability in rural areas will prove instrumental in everyone witnessing the miracles of innovation in the tech industry.
Earlier this month, OpenAI’s artificial intelligence-powered ChatGPT made headlines for its ability to become almost human. The conversational chatbot which was made available to the public crossed one million users in less than a week.
It spoke to users like how a human would, answered queries, and wrote movie scripts in addition to software codes. The chatbot is now one of the most observed and critiqued technologies across the world.
Another such culmination of technologies that grew exponentially in these last twelve months is Metaverse. From HSBC and JP Morgan to Samsung and Burberry, some of the leading companies in the world have purchased plots in Metaverse.
This 3D virtual space also witnessed its first fashion week by Decentraland. Fashion brands also started making NFT clothing, and a virtual Gucci bag was sold for a $4,000.
And speaking of unexpected purchases, how can one forget mentioning Tesla CEO Elon Musk who bought micro-blogging platform Twitter for $44 billion only to be asked to quit as the platform’s head in a poll that he initiated. The word is that he will quit after finding “someone foolish enough to take the job.”
Ever since he became the head of Twitter, the platform has undergone several changes. There are now several kinds of badges and ticks given to users, with the blue tick users now mandated to pay a certain fee.
Apart from that, Musk also fired around 50 per cent of Twitter employees in his first few weeks in the office. Although, he recalled some of them after realizing that their expertise would be required in his future projects.
But the trend of handing the boot to their employees didn’t stop at Twitter. Owing to the economic slowdown, multiple tech giants fired their employees, starting in November this year. Google, Microsoft, Meta, Netflix, Snap, and almost every noted tech firm indulged in what looked like a layoffs season.
In short, the year for the tech industry was packed with fiascos, innovations, and a hope to reimagine the future. Also, for some reason, everyone this year was hooked to the daily word game, Wordle.
