When you talk about technology, there is one thing that is always true: Technology is ever-changing. From year to year, there are common words that crop up in the field; cloud, digital transformation, blockchain, ransomware—for a time, it seems like everyone is using those words. Technology buzzwords are thrown around each day in IT circles. It’s always a good idea to pay attention to which ones are cropping up. Keeping abreast of the jargon, especially if you’re a job candidate, will help you sound more knowledgeable.
Here are some of the common buzzwords you’ll likely hear in 2020.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Real artificial intelligence (AI) doesn’t exist yet. The science of AI, founded around 50-years ago, envisioned a thinking machine that could outpace humans by making rational decisions, and, potentially, was sentient and aware. We’re not there yet, but there’s a rash of AI companies out there that use some of the building blocks of the thinking machine, including natural language processing, predictive analysis, and machine learning. But if you Google “AI” it would appear as if every company is using these tools to solve the world’s most insurmountable problems.
As a science, AI is moving closer to human-style comprehension. Consider your home Alexa device, which listens to you speak, responds, then learns from that interaction. That device uses machine learning, which are computer algorithms that allow a computer to “learn” from a prior interaction. It also uses natural language processing that processes, understands, and responds to the human voice. Self-driving cars are another element in the building blocks toward AI.
But no matter what marketing tells you, it’s not AI.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Unlike AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) is all around us. The IoT is made up of digitally connected devices. For example, your smartphone is an IoT device. Smart TVs that allow you to download movies, and even your refrigerator or car is all digitally connected today. The idea of the IoT is that a whole host of devices could use the Internet to complete tasks. From your Apple Watch to pacemakers, the camera that monitors your front door, and more, the IoT, while a buzzword, has infiltrated your everyday life.
Design Thinking
Design thinking is the latest buzzword for a solutions-driven problem-solving process. Like Agile methodology, design thinking is an attempt to guide the creative thinking process. It’s an iterative solution that helps technologists understand the end-user while designing strategies to improve their lives. Design thinking can work with any attempt to solve a problem. The technique allows individuals and organizations a way to create new solutions to problems instead of the same worn-out ideas and approaches.
While these are only some of the latest buzzwords, they will likely change by the time you read this article. Talk to the Blackstone team to understand the latest technologies and approaches you’ll need to land your dream job.