Information technology in 2018 is expected to be more exciting as technologies that were just a concept or in the trial stages in the past years will become a reality, according to technology companies. Commentaries submitted by technology companies had five common predictions related to artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain, cloud computing, and IT security. According to IDC, revenue growth from information-based products will double the rest of the product and services portfolio for a third of Fortune 500 companies by the end of 2017. "AI became mainstream with consumer products like Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri, and Hitachi believes that it is the collaboration of AI and humans that will bring real benefits to society," said Hitachi Vantara's Hubert Yoshida, chief technology officer, and Russell Skingsley, chief technology officer of Asia Pacific. "Through tools like Pentaho Data Integration, our aim is to democratize the data engineering and data science process to make Machine Intelligence – a combination of Machine Learning and AI – more accessible to a wider variety of developers and engineers. Zakir Ahmed, General Manager of Asia at Oracle NetSuite, notes that to date, AI has mostly been following simple rules. If A B then C else D. This proved to be sufficient for powering devices like smart fridges or cars. On the downside, this predictability also meant that people could easily outsmart AI, often with dire consequences. "Thankfully, in 2018 we will reach a pivoting point, where deep learning will fast become an integral component of AI," said Ahmed, noting that these new intelligent AI 2.0 systems will learn, suggest and automate processes by analysing business patterns and behaviours. "For example, banks can provide tailored financial services based on their customers' investment portfolio and risk appetite.

The hotel and hospitality industry, enabled with advanced technology and more collaboration with associated businesses, will see some important trends in 2018 as hotel brands reinvent themselves to cater to a new type of clientele. Millennial guests will dominate the landscape, and reshape the industry with demands for more automated options and conveniences and the ability to do everything from a smartphone, and hotels - eager to deliver more conveniences to this younger audience - will forge closer alliances with retailers and community destinations. Hotel guests will place increasing priority on booking rooms that are totally connected, fully automated, and with an ability to seamlessly check in, check out, and access services, all through a smartphone app and without the need for human interaction. Human travel agents have long since gone out of style, and online booking platforms provide a more convenient and often less expensive option. "In 2018, we will continue to see hotel booking platforms continue to advance," said Chris Rivett, travel expert at HotelsCombined.com.

TL;DR: It's time to buy a smart speaker. It will be a long time before they're as empathetic as Samantha in Her or as industrious as Rosie in The Jetsons. But they can already make your life easier, or at least more interesting, in a few key ways. So you might as well break down and get one. Chances are, of course, that someone already gave you one.

Add some intelligence to your every day with the LET VisionAI Smart Glasses. This wearable lets you take Amazon Alexa with you everywhere you go. Sleek and stylish, the VisionAI Glasses give you total music control, they track your activity and enable you to take hands-free calls and texts. With bone conduction technology, you can hear crystal clear audio. In addition, the smart glasses offer voice navigation and you can even have them with prescription lenses.

Google and Facebook dominate the lucrative business of selling digital ads, but experts say Amazon is positioning itself to snatch market share. "They have made the determination to take the advertising business seriously," said Rob Norman, chief digital officer for GroupM, an arm of advertising powerhouse WPP. Driving Amazon's digital advertising advances are the company's efforts to make it easier for customers to buy ads on Amazon websites, combined with a growing awareness in the business world that Amazon can offer advertisers a huge audience of consumers who are eager to buy, experts said. "Many (advertisers) had resisted it for a long time but are starting to realize that you need to be on Amazon, as you are on the other platforms," said Forrester Research analyst Samantha Merlivat. By the end of 2017, Google and Facebook had 63 percent of the U.S. digital ad market and 54 percent of digital ad revenue worldwide, according to eMarketer.

Artificial Intelligence has unleashed the power for e-commerce businesses to explore countless opportunities to dramatically improve customer experiences, generate new leads and better understand their customers. Businesses are continuing to evolve and are steadily incorporating Artificial Intelligence into their strategies – a prediction from Business Insider has suggested as much as 85% of customer interactions will be managed without a human by as soon as 2020. There are many innovative ways businesses are exploring the potential of AI – I've spent a little time researching the best uses so far. With the advancement in Natural Language Processing, and a huge improvement in a machines ability to understand human language including words and text, the technology is there for retailers to explore Virtual Agents/Assistants. The two most well-known and obvious examples would be the Amazon Alexa Echo – they have already begun to integrate and partner with SkyScanner for flights, Dominos for pizza delivery, JustEat for takeaway delivery and Uber to ask Alexa to request a taxi ride.

It is the voice-activated device that millions of Britons use to play music, order groceries or check on the weather. Now police are exploring whether an Amazon Echo could be used by victims and witnesses to report crimes without getting off their sofa. They want to use the technology to deliver daily crime bulletins direct to householders about offences being committed in their area, wanted suspects, missing people and even the whereabouts of the force helicopter. Lancashire Police is set to be the first force to launch news briefings through voice-activated smart speakers so local residents can'Ask Alexa' what is happening in their street or ward. The force plans to use the technology for internal'flash briefings' updating officers on anything from a major terrorist attack to reading out a crime log to an officer coming on duty.

Visitors walk past a 5G logo during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, on March 1, 2017. Blistering fast wireless networks, digital assistants that are, well, everywhere, and a coming out bash for augmented reality. These and other technologies mentioned here, some of which are already familiar but really just getting started, are worth keeping an eye on in 2018. You can bet we'll also learn about innovations in the months to come that are for now, completely under the radar. Just about all the freshest developments will exploit advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, promising to allow the tech we engage in day to day to become that much more useful. We've been hearing about the next generation of speedy wireless or 5G for quite some time now, and 2018 is at least when some of you will begin to get a taste of what 5G potentially means.

Robot," but it seems American consumers stand ready to embrace artificial intelligence. In the U.S., 45 percent of adults describe their feelings towards artificial intelligence as "interested," per a new study, "Sex, Lies and AI: How Americans Feel About Artificial Intelligence and What Marketers Need to Know" released by SYZYGY this past October. Their interest makes sense, as many of us already interact with AI through chatbots and virtual assistants such as Siri and Alexa. "Fear" is an emotion cited by many respondents. Around 43 percent of the public thinks AI could pose a threat to long-term human survival. Many people are simply confused by AI and are having trouble sorting through the benefits and potential drawbacks.

We are now immersed in the digital age, and the integration of technology into our everyday lives is reaching Minority Report levels. Technological ventures such as the life-altering Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, which had once seemed part of the deep future, are now in existence. While there is immense buzz around the real-life applications of virtual reality, augmented reality has recently emerged as the more practical application. With breakthroughs for promising technology on the horizon, pleasant surprises such as the emergence of blockchain are piquing the interest of those interested in the shift to a digital currency. As we cross the threshold into the new year, let's take a look at what the technological terrain will look like in 2018.