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Virtual reality to create an ‘Internet of experience’ by 2030

The paper was commissioned by Dell Technologies in partnership with the Institute for the Future (IFTF).

20 experts were asked for their predictions for the world in 2030. They all stressed the importance that fledgling technologies including artificial intelligence, automation and forms of virtual reality will have over the next decade.
Experiential media
Virtual reality in particular looks set to radically change the way we approach the Internet and digital media. Toshi Hoo, director of the IFTF’s Emerging Media Lab, suggested that the current forms of “representative media” will be replaced by “experiential media.” This new media will involve all the senses, stimulating the participant’s perceptions of touch, taste and smell alongside sight.

Man wearing a virtual reality headset outdoors

Man wearing a virtual reality headset outdoors
Pexels / Bradley Hook


If there’s a technology that could rival virtual reality in importance, it’s augmented reality. AR is expected to permeate all of society in a way that will remain out of reach for VR headsets.

The study predicted that AR revenue will grow to around $90 billion by 2020, compared to $30 billion for VR. This is despite augmented reality still being in the early stages of development.
“Fundamental shift”
Hoo said that the growth in augmented and virtual reality will create a “fundamental shift” in how information is presented and experienced. The current Internet is essentially a one-dimensional experience, characterised by the visual form it’s displayed in. This could change radically thanks to the influence of AR and VR.

Microsoft HoloLens

Microsoft HoloLens
Microsoft


By 2030, the web will have escaped the screen, letting computer graphics leap into your home in 3D. The opportunities made possible by this technological leap will lead to immersive “alternative scenarios” where you communicate with people virtually and the lines between the real and digital worlds are blurred. It will create an “Internet of experience” expressed not only by content but the forms it is encountered in.
Humans as “digital conductors”
The study also looked at how the role of humans will change in the world of 2030. The experts involved in the report agreed that “every business will need to be a digital business.” However, they tended to dispute claims that machines will replace humans, instead suggesting we’ll be the “digital conductors” orchestrating the various machinations that surround us.

Drones will transform the future

Drones will transform the future
Pixabay / Pexels


Technology will work primarily in management and logistics, expanding our own capabilities. The transformation of society will centre on giving humans more time to work on big tasks, a message also being pitched by the tech companies at the forefront of AI development.
Even so, 45 percent of business leaders said they fear becoming obsolete in the next five years. 48 percent added they don’t know what their industry will look like in the next three.
READ NEXT: Microsoft launches app that uses AI to help blind people “see”
IFTF research director Rachel Maguire said we need to focus on preparing for the future and developing a sustainable relationship with technology. Otherwise, the digital revolution could be rejected by individuals and business leaders view it as a threat.
“We need to focus on what the new relationship between technology and people could look like and how we can prepare accordingly,” said Maguire. “If we engage in the hard work of empowering human-machine partnerships to succeed, their impact on society will enrich us all.”

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