We've recently reached something of a threshold in tech development where those industries that were held up as the 'next big thing' have now either become crowded or fallen out of mainstream popularity.
On the plus side, there are plenty of new directions and applications that are wide open for new entrepreneurs to make an impact with. Below are some of the biggest areas of tech that are worth keeping an eye on.
Augmented Reality
Unlike its cousin virtual reality, augmented reality has the advantage of not needing any special equipment to use it. Overlaying images and other media onto real life through a smartphone screen has thousands of applications, including interactive museum tours and home design tools, and looks set to be a major market in the future.
We're already seeing dozens of industries that are upcoming AR clients, including various forms of media like casino games. Live casino developers have already started to integrate AR tech in several major titles such as the popular Gonzo's Treasure Quest with both AR and VR, and given the success they've had we would expect to see sites like Paddy Power Games full of AR-integrated games in years to come.
Healthcare
While this is a broad category, health is on the edge of a technological revolution. Across the industry, medical treatment and diagnosis are advancing at breakneck speed and there will inevitably be a large demand for surrounding technology to support it. Those following recent developments will likely have heard of apps like GoMedical in Africa which are improving medical infrastructure, but the real appeal is currently in detection software.
There is currently a race amongst companies and developers to create apps and systems that are able to automatically detect early symptoms for a range of conditions. While researchers themselves hunt for a cure for cancer, developers are hunting for a way to reliably detect various varieties and have already shown success in the case of skin cancer. There are big opportunities for those who can keep up to date on medical news.
Artificial Intelligence
It has been pretty difficult to miss how big a topic AI has become in recent years. All of the biggest companies have a hand in the tech right now, including Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI and Google, Amazon and Meta all working on their own projects. In theory, this makes it difficult for any startup to break into the market, but there are other approaches.
For one, offering services that make use of AI platforms could be lucrative as most companies will not initially be equipped to work with the technology in-house. Also, keep in mind that it is extremely common for developers who refine and improve on official platforms to then get acquired or brought in by the company themselves.
All in all, there are still plenty of options out there for those just starting out in tech. Just remember that whatever industry you try your hand at, creativity and focus will always make the biggest difference.
