What will be the hottest technology of 2021? Artificial intelligence, and specifically natural language processing, won multiple nods from tech and science experts who answered GeekWire’s survey about the upcoming year. But virtual health, mRNA, gene editing, and teleconferencing also received mentions.
That’s just one of the questions that we posed to the group of CEOs, tech execs, investors, professors, and AI experts from a range of industries and organizations across the Pacific Northwest. How will the events of 2020 affect the tech industry going forward? When will employees come back to the office? What advice should startups follow as they build the next great company amid a pandemic?
In describing their outlook for the upcoming year, the group was generally optimistic about bouncing back from the pandemic. An “incredibly dynamic year of change,” a “new hope,” and a “gangbusters” year in which the tech sector will come “roaring back,” are some of the phrases they used to describe their outlook.
But some respondents also expressed concerns about the lingering impact of the past year. For example, while virtual meetings have filled an important gap, the lack of in-person collaboration may pose a hidden challenge, said Peter Lee, corporate vice president of research and incubations at Microsoft.
"I think by the middle of 2021 we might actually see some signs of whether the pace of innovation is being affected — in a positive or negative way,” Lee said.
Respondents also expressed concerns about the role of technology in social justice and equity, and said this moment represents an opportunity to do better.
"The tech industry has contributed to polarization through the various social media platforms that we developed,” said Magdalena Balazinska, director of the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, calling on the industry to focus on “developing tools to help bring people together."
Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, said 2021 “will be the start of a renaissance in tech as people prioritize jobs that have real and direct benefit for humanity and the planet. The days of building tech for tech’s sake are gone, it’s time for the tech industry to realize its ethical responsibilities.”
See all of their responses, and listen to the GeekWire Podcast as Peter Lee shares more about his outlook for the coming year.
Space Needle light show gets mixed reviews: The high-tech production, created as a replacement for the traditional in-person New Year’s celebration gathering, featured epic visuals laid over real video of the Needle, shot in advance from multiple camera angles. Some called it “stunning,” while others weren’t so impressed. Watch the show here.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your New Year's weekend. — GeekWire editor Todd Bishop, editor@geekwire.com, and managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com.
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