Top 10 predictions for the Internet industry in 2016: cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence

2016 is coming, what exciting trends will the Internet industry produce in the new year? What impact will these trends have on the economy and society in 2016 and the future? Which cutting-edge technologies will change our lives and even reshape the value of the entire industry? Here are the top ten predictions for the Internet industry in 2016, take a look!

1. New cloud- based platforms and services will flourish and create new value

In 2016, technology giants such as BAT and digital software service startups will generate new platforms and services and prosper based on the new opportunities brought by cloud computing. At the same time, as the cloud ecosystem develops, there will be a large demand for new digital workers to keep up with the pace of innovation. Traditional technology consulting services are the key to alleviating the limitations of cloud resources. Traditional resource accumulation must be transformed into a digital cloud environment to create new value - to better attract users, enhance user stickiness and interactivity. In the near future, cloud-based virtual desktops will replace home and business PCs. It is worth noting that with the further development of cloud computing, the pace of innovation may slow down.

2. Big data drives creative personalization and encourages companies to be far-sighted

"If the theme since 2000 has been 'big data acquisition', then the theme of 2016 and beyond will be 'data-driven design'" Today, it is well known that data research companies are completely focusing their attention on user data analysis, and startups are formulating products, strategies and business plans based on big data analysis of public resources.

The retail industry is one of the industries most affected by the big data revolution. Previously, the relationship between retailers and customers was one-way, with retailers producing products that the market might need and then struggling to sell them to customers. Before the big data era, this was almost the case for the entire retail industry. Big data analysis has enabled a two-way relationship between retailers and customers, making proactive predictions based on accumulated consumer data. For example, Amazon uses machine learning algorithms to make product recommendations. Big data analysis also exists in places we might not expect, such as department stores, which can track user behavior and consumption preferences through customers' smartphones.

Digital technology, digital creativity and data strategies all play an indispensable role in product creation, bringing designers and users closer together and enabling personalized customization. Data-driven creativity will fundamentally change retail experience and product design, enabling companies to be farsighted and achieve sustainable growth.

3. Artificial intelligence will enhance intelligence and anti-fraud in the financial sector and replace business analysis on a large scale

Investment bank analysts, hedge funds and insurance companies will use artificial intelligence to achieve collaborative development, anti-fraud, and enhance the intelligence and feasibility of data research. The banking industry has begun to use the technology of data companies such as Palantir to protect internal IP, IBM's supercomputer system Watson uses it to reduce loan defaults, and startups use a large number of data models to prevent fraud. Artificial intelligence has the ability to prevent the next financial crisis, or it will improve the regulations of the new banking industry and even prevent similar frauds like Bernie Madoff's hedge fund from happening again. According to the predictions of technology leaders for 2016 released by IDG, artificial intelligence will replace business analysis on a large scale.

4. Blockchain: A new revolution beyond Bitcoin

Blockchain will gradually surpass Bitcoin to trigger new changes, promote technological progress in Internet finance and even a wider range of industries. Recent investments in the field of crypto technology will begin to bear fruit, and the first batch of application development platforms and projects will begin to show their value in the market. As blockchain applications go beyond simple payment functions and enter the fields of medical care, crowdfunding, financial services and even music, this change will be everywhere.

Just like the Internet in the early 1990s, blockchain is still in its early days but has great promise (with disruptive potential), which means that now is a critical period for research, investment, and learning. Enterprises should explore a variety of use cases through blockchain innovation - understand the potential impact on existing businesses. Just like the first exploration of web browsers, it may not necessarily lead to modern browser changes, but for some companies, being a pioneer is of great significance.

5. A diversified credit reporting system will affect the development of the financial industry

With the development of Internet finance, more and more users' financial data are being transferred from bank accounts to mobile terminals, which are closely related to information such as mobile phone numbers. So, how to evaluate a person's credit score? At present, microfinance mainly identifies, collects and analyzes Internet financial data to portray the user's potential credit portrait. For example, a credit system is created by analyzing the user's transaction data and records. Some startups in the United States are studying a variety of data assets, such as using mobile phone usage behavior (including social methods) as one of the factors for evaluating user credit risk and credit scores.

In 2016, the credit reporting system will diversify, which will have a significant impact on the existing financial system and provide better financial services for millennials (people aged 18 to 36), immigrants and groups without bank credit assessments.

6. Human microbiology will become a cutting-edge technology in the field of medical health

In recent years, genetics has made significant progress in the field of medical health, but genetics is not the only way to gain deep insights into human health. Human microbiology will be a frontier field related to health and happiness in the future, and it will have a huge impact.

In fact, we are more bacterial than cellular, with trillions of microorganisms in our bodies, 10 times the number of human cells. These bacterial microorganisms and human cells interact in various ways all the time, affecting our health for better or worse. Unlike genes, we can influence our own microorganisms in our daily lives, thereby better improving a range of health problems, including obesity, allergies, nutrition, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and even mental health.

Research is beginning to reveal the potential mysteries of the human microbiome, and the results are surprising. Innovative startups and research institutes are finding solutions to use the flora of the human gut to observe how the body responds to the food we eat. In the near future, our guts may be classified like blood types. With this personalized response information, consumers will be able to get better products and services from the food industry.

7. Prescription video games will aid in the treatment of cognitive impairment

For the first time, doctors will be able to use a video game approved by the Prescription Drug Administration to help treat ADHD. Akili, a startup in Northern California, is developing a game called Project Evo. They have completed testing in eight clinics, all in the areas of cognitive impairment: ADHD, autism, and depression. In addition, Posit Science is preparing to conduct clinic testing to obtain Prescription Drug Administration approval. Their previous test results are similar to Akili's.

Pfizer, the world's largest biopharmaceutical company, is trying to see if video games can improve Alzheimer's disease diagnosis through its collaboration with the Evo project. This may take up to four years to pass the Prescription Drug Administration trial. Parents also hope to find ways to treat their children's ADHD other than drugs.

8. Virtual reality medical treatment - unlimited potential and huge opportunities

Virtual reality is not only widely used in the field of games and entertainment, but also has unlimited potential to improve medical treatment. In the near future, virtual reality will become a common way to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and other diseases. At the University of Washington, burn patients can wear helmets and play specially designed virtual reality games during treatment. The atmosphere of these games relieves their physical pain and reduces the high doses of painkillers that are originally required.

Virtual reality therapy has shown remarkable results in improving patients' physical and mental health, and can be applied to a range of medical care: from pain management to pediatric care to the treatment of psychological illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders. There is a huge opportunity for virtual reality companies to design wearable devices and related games for a variety of medical scenarios.

9. Data sharing will promote the coordinated development of the wearable device industry

Wearable device data information, such as activity levels, sleep patterns, etc., will provide automated, objective evaluations of the products and services people use. Imagine that sports ratings will be based on athletes' activity data, or mattress ratings will be based on users' sleep data. In the future, we will be able to reliably prove how delicious a restaurant meal is, how interesting a movie is, how exciting a ski trip is, how stressful a commute is, etc., based on the biological responses of people who have experienced them.

In order to realize the above vision, wearable device companies need to open up and share data. No one company can dominate this market alone. Thousands of different wearable devices can sense and track various scenarios and obtain rich data information. Integrating the data information of various sensors and trackers will be the biggest challenge and opportunity.

10. Deepening of industry value chain connections and open enterprises will promote the process of disintermediation

We live in a world where people can order a cup of Starbucks coffee online and have it delivered in just five minutes via Uber. Such examples are commonplace today. Google Maps now supports Uber, and Starbucks has released an open IPI, allowing users to order coffee through the relevant app. The US online ordering platform OpenTable provides an ordering portal on Yelp. It is expected that in 2016, the degree of connection between products, assets, operations, etc. will double for all industry value chains.

At the same time, companies that pursue openness will promote the process of disintermediation. IKEA recently launched a new shopping experience that tracks the entire shopping process of consumers, from initial online browsing to final selection and purchase. IKEA has opened this feature to Pinterest and others, which can dig out more market information by opening pictures of product lists marked with "IKEA" designs. As companies seek to transform themselves to be people-centric, they need to recognize that people's behavior goes far beyond existing business models and consumer needs are becoming more complex. Companies that embrace market opportunities will continue to move forward, otherwise they will gradually be eliminated by the market.

Conclusion

In the new era, everyone is looking for new market opportunities. Uber, Didi Kuaidi and others have opened up the private car-sharing market, Airbnb, Xiaozhu Short-term Rental and others have opened up the personal house rental market, Tesla has opened up the electric car market, and BAT is committed to building the Internet ecosystem based on their own genes... What will be the next gold mine to be mined? What kind of intersection and collision will occur in the Internet industry? In 2016, let us look forward to the rise of new stars.