by Charles Miller

As the year 2023 draws to its end seems a good time to reflect on some of the noteworthy Information Technology (IT) news of this year. The year-end holiday season often seems to be a series of slow-news days and the perfect time to look back at the tech trends that may have shaped our digital world over the last 12 months.

Without a doubt the biggest splash in the world of IT has to be the emergence of AI (Artificial Intelligence); not that it was invented this year but because just a year ago Microsoft started to make ChatGPT available to the general public to try out. Many copycat services soon followed, including some that try to charge an up-front payment just to see what it is all about. There are now countless free options for exploring ChatGPT, and this is a good way to understand the upsides and limitations. And yes, there are many limitations, despite the hype.

It is not always easy to spot, but already AI is being used in the retail sector where AI-enabled algorithms analyze your online profile then recommend products or services that match your tastes. Watching TV you might have noticed that closed-captions have improved this year because of AI being used for speech-to-text transcriptions. Beyond simply chatting or searching the web, there are now AI-powered web sites for generating artwork, music, software, and much more.

Researchers are getting closer to creating a working quantum computer. The almost-mystical phenomena of quantum mechanics might make possible computers unlike anything we have today, and more than a million times faster. Significant progress has been made in 2023, so 2024 may be a very interesting year.

2023 may be looked back on as the year that several existing technologies that had previously been subject to derision or ridicule now seem to be gaining acceptance in the mainstream. Technologies based on blockchain, these including crypto-currencies, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and others, are slowly starting to be adopted by some mainstream financial institutions.

In some ways 2023 has been a year that could be described as uneasy. Geopolitical and economic uncertainties have subtlety influenced the IT world as companies have moved with more caution, economized, and sought out ways to do more with less. In the pursuit of more self-reliance, manufacturers have started to develop new sources for the semiconductors that power our smartphones, computers, automobiles and home appliances. There also seems to be a growing awareness on the part of consumers who appreciate products that are energy efficient and backed up by more sustainable technology.

And finally, there was one statistic that proves that the internet is continuing to grow in importance to all of us, exponentially so. In 2023 global internet traffic grew by roughly 25% over 2022. That such as huge increase in internet usage was accommodated seamlessly by the world’s Internet Service Providers is a proud testament to their efficiency.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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