Fortunately, an artificial intelligence-driven system in your vehicle is looking after you. The system automatically checks on your flight--still on schedule--and determines your chances of making it to the gate on time are slim. With your permission, it can proactively book an alternate flight. "That's the true virtual assistant in the future," says Gartner vice president and fellow David Cearley. "Rather than having conversational interfaces respond to discrete things, it understands the context and can respond to (your) intent."

Editor's note: To make Gartner's top technology trends more digestible, CIO Dive broke them into two parts. This is the second of two parts. You can read the first, which focuses on technology interacting with people, here. When "Minority Report" was released in 2002, it felt futuristic. Psychic technology would predict a crime before it was committed and Tom Cruise would go make the arrest.

The first focuses on technology interacting with people. Part 2, which highlights technology advancements that will make the world tick. In 1981, Douglas Adams introduced the world to a universal translator via human augmentation. In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," a bright yellow "Babel fish" is slipped into the hero Arthur Dent's ear to offer real-time translation from any language. It's a concept popularized in science fiction, but advancements in technology are making similar capabilities possible in 2019, albeit less invasive.

Today Gartner, Inc. announced its top ten strategic technology trends for 2020. Analysts presented their findings during Gartner IT Symposium in Orlando. Gartner defines a strategic technology trend as "one with substantial disruptive potential that is beginning to break out of an emerging state into broader impact and use, or which is rapidly growing with a high degree of volatility reaching tipping points over the next five years." David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow said, "People-centric smart spaces are the structure used to organize and evaluate the primary impact of the Gartner top strategic technology trends for 2020. Putting people at the center of your technology strategy highlights one of the most important aspects of technology -- how it impacts customers, employees, business partners, society or other key constituencies. Arguably all actions of the organization can be attributed to how it impacts these individuals and groups either directly or indirectly. This is a people-centric approach."

Although science fiction may depict AI robots as the bad guys, some tech giants now employ them for security. Companies like Microsoft and Uber use Knightscope K5 robots to patrol parking lots and large outdoor areas to predict and prevent crime. The robots can read license plates, report suspicious activity and collect data to report to their owners. These AI-driven robots are just one example of "autonomous things," one of the Gartner Top 10 strategic technologies for 2019 with the potential to drive significant disruption and deliver opportunity over the next five years. "The future will be characterized by smart devices delivering increasingly insightful digital services everywhere," said David Cearley, Gartner Distinguished Vice President Analyst, at Gartner 2018 Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, Florida.

Gartner, Inc. highlighted the top strategic technology trends that organizations need to explore in 2019. Gartner defines a strategic technology trend as one with substantial disruptive potential that is beginning to break out of an emerging state into broader impact and use, or which are rapidly growing trends with a high degree of volatility reaching tipping points over the next five years. "The Intelligent Digital Mesh has been a consistent theme for the past two years and continues as a major driver through 2019. Trends under each of these three themes are a key ingredient in driving a continuous innovation process as part of a ContinuousNEXT strategy," said David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow. "For example, artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of automated things and augmented intelligence is being used together with IoT, edge computing and digital twins to deliver highly integrated smart spaces. This combinatorial effect of multiple trends coalescing to produce new opportunities and drive new disruption is a hallmark of the Gartner top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019."

Gartner, Inc. today highlighted the top strategic technology trends that organizations need to explore in 2019. Analysts presented their findings during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, which is taking place here through Thursday. Gartner defines a strategic technology trend as one with substantial disruptive potential that is beginning to break out of an emerging state into broader impact and use, or which are rapidly growing trends with a high degree of volatility reaching tipping points over the next five years. "The Intelligent Digital Mesh has been a consistent theme for the past two years and continues as a major driver through 2019. Trends under each of these three themes are a key ingredient in driving a continuous innovation process as part of a ContinuousNEXT strategy," said David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow.

Gartner has released a list of the top 10 strategic technological trends that will impact the most organizations in 2018. The list reveals both ongoing priorities expected to play an even larger role and emerging trends. Gartner believes these trends make up the "Intelligent Digital Mesh" which will be proliferating and are expected to reach the tipping points within the next five years. David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow sees the Intelligent Digital Mesh as "a foundation for future digital business and ecosystems." IT leaders must factor these technology trends into their innovation strategies or risk losing ground to those that do.

"There are key trends the enterprise cannot afford to ignore," said David W. Cearley, vice president and Gartner fellow in a video previewing Gartner's CIO Symposium and ITxpo. "They have significant potential for impact and disruption on enterprises over the next five years." Gartner has outlined three buckets of 2018 technology trends and their characteristics. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are seeping into virtually every technology to enable systems that are self-educating, self-healing, dynamic and proactive. "Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly a foundation component of all apps, and all of the services and all the things in our world around us," Cearley said.

Every year in October, research firm Gartner publishes its top 10 strategic technology trends for the following year. This year, it says the top trends tie into the'intelligent digital mesh' as the foundation for future digital business and ecosystems. The first three strategic technology trends explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are seeping into virtually everything and represent a major battleground for technology providers over the next five years. The next four trends focus on blending the digital and physical worlds to create an immersive, digitally enhanced environment. The last three refer to exploiting connections between an expanding set of people and businesses, as well as devices, content and services to deliver digital business outcomes.