From cell coding to personal data ownership: 9 technologies to shape our future

New Delhi:  Technologies like brain-computer interfaces, cell coding, personal data ownership, and decentralised commerce are among 9 emerging technologies that have the potential to change the world over the next 10 to 20 years, according to a new report.

While brain-computer interfaces and cell coding could lead to breakthroughs in how we treat disease, personal data ownership and decentralised commerce aim to put power back in the hands of consumers and sellers.

Technologies like AI auditors and passwordless authentication protect against cyberattacks, data breaches, and hidden biases, according to CB Insight’s ‘Our Game Changers 2022’ report.

Other technologies stand to redefine chip design (neuromorphic computing), scientific measurement (commercial quantum sensors), and electronics (lab-grown diamonds).

“Quantum sensors can detect even the slightest change in the environment. These devices are being built for a wide array of applications – including underground mapping and medical imaging – and can be smaller, cheaper, and thousands of times more precise than conventional rivals,” the report mentioned.

AI systems, especially those powered by machine learning (ML), are vulnerable to bias and data poisoning (an attack that tampers with a model’s training data).

“With more than 55 per cent of global companies using AI, these threats can have massive consequences across sectors. To mitigate these risks, startups are integrating software into AI systems to audit and amend problems in the data,” the findings showed.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems can detect and quantify brain signals and translate them into device commands to accomplish a user’s intent – such as typing out words or moving a robotic arm.

Historically, digital platforms have owned consumers’ personal data, reaping almost all of the benefits when monetisation opportunities arise.

Now, a new breed of startups are leveraging Blockchain to return data ownership to consumers and create new opportunities for monetisation.

“The transfer of personal data from individuals to corporations has often left it unprotected and underappreciated, creating conditions for abuse (e.g., data breaches, manipulative advertisements),” the report mentioned.

In decentralised commerce, merchants can tokenise physical products and services as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — allowing buyers to receive a digital representation that they can then resell or redeem for the physical asset.

By transacting on the Blockchain, the two parties bypass centralised e-commerce platforms that traditionally take a cut, while preserving transparency and authenticity.

–IANS